About Us

We are a group of Santa Monica residents who have come together to save our historic Civic Auditorium as a music, performing arts and cultural center.

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As you may know, our City Council recently engaged in closed-door meetings to discuss selling, or committing to a long-term lease for this treasured landmark.

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After an outpouring of resident protest, the Council rejected one suitor. They will vote in September on whether to move forward with the other, the Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District, which apparently intends to use the space primarily as a gym.  

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We think selling off publicly owned spaces, without public input, is undemocratic, short-sighted and unacceptable. A progressive city should not shut its residents out of discussions deciding the fate of public land, especially an important, beloved, historic landmark like our Civic Auditorium.

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Santa Monica residents have put together a Steering Committee to:

• a) Stop the City Council from liquidating something that belongs to ALL OF US, and

• b) Look for an entity with whom the City can partner to restore The Civic to its intended purpose as a venue for the performing arts, music, and other community events.

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The school district has prepared a study to determine the feasibility of its buying or leasing the Civic to be used primarily as an additional gym. This study is now public. We have analyzed it and found it woefully incomplete. (Check our Blog for the study and our analysis)

We hope you’ll join us in stopping our current council from making an irreparable mistake. Together we can find a path forward that will benefit all Santa Monica and Los Angeles County for generations to come.

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Thank you,

Victor Fresco

Diana Gordon

Sherrill Kushner

Lori Nafshun

Bea Nemlaha

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Save the Civic Steering Committee

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