It’s sickening to see the way Eli Broad is being mugged by Los Angeles.
Here’s a statesman who’s trying to make a gift to the city, and one
that’s exceedingly generous. So you’d think the so-called leaders of
Los Angeles County and the city would have the decency to say thank you.
Instead, they’re leveling the blued-steel barrel of government power at him and saying, "Stick ’em up."
Broad is being forced to march through L.A.’s band of brigands, paying
a little extra here, a few million more there, and it’s
stomach-churning to watch.
Broad’s gift, of course, is a downtown L.A. museum – that he would pay
$100 million to build – that would display terrific art, which he would
supply. And he’ll even endow it with $200 million to pay for its future
operations. Got that? Broad’s gift would be akin to creating a city or
county museum – an outstanding one – except he’s paying for all of it;
taxpayers are getting a gift.
Well, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich didn’t see that.
He saw a chance for a shakedown. There’s no reason for local
governments to give Broad a $1-a-year lease for the land that Broad
wants to build on, he said, asking, Why should we do a favor for some
rich guy?
Well, here’s why: Broad wasn’t asking for a favor. He was requesting
the same kind of consideration that cultural institutions from sea to
shining sea have always received because cities and counties benefit
tremendously from such museums. A dollar-a-year deal was given to the
Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena and the Museum of Contemporary Art on
Grand Avenue downtown (which is across the street from Broad’s proposed
museum).
Now, the four other county supervisors could have risen to the
occasion. They could have said Antonovich was being embarrassingly
stupid and he’s only one vote and they’d override him. But they didn’t.
Gloria Molina and Mark Ridley-Thomas sat silent, effectively helping
Antonovich block the museum. Translation: Hand over your wallet, Mr.
Broad.
Without complaining, Broad gave in to the county bandits. To get the
supervisors’ votes, he recently agreed to pay the $7.7 million market
value to lease the land. So he can have the pleasure of making his gift
to the county.
But the holdup of Broad didn’t end there. The cutpurses down at the
Community Redevelopment Agency told Broad he needs a big garage for his
museum. Actually, the museum only needs 100 or so parking spaces, and
it could lease those from nearby buildings, so, no, it doesn’t need a
big garage at all. The CRA said Broad didn’t hear correctly. He needs a
big garage.
So, without complaining, Broad agreed to loan the CRA $15 million to
help pay for a 300-space garage under the museum. And Broad’s museum
will lease parking spaces from the CRA. Money that the CRA can use to
help repay the loan. Neat, huh?
But the CRA wasn’t done with Broad. At a recent meeting, the CRA
required the museum be built under a Project Labor Agreement, which
means it must be constructed with union labor.
Now, Broad would have done that anyway, but it provided Madeline Janis,
who chaired the meeting for the CRA, a chance to let her union buddies
take the stage and testify how they’d support the museum – so long as
there was a PLA. (Does anyone else see an itty-bitty conflict in
allowing Janis, who founded and oversees a union labor organization, to
chair meetings in which the CRA becomes an unalloyed union-boosting
agency?)
Broad’s not done. He still faces at least two more shakedown
possibilities. He must get his museum proposal through the Los Angeles
City Council and a special group called the Joint Powers Authority. I
might need more Pepto-Bismol to watch that.
I’m a naïve idealist, but I still hope that our government leaders stop
with the extortion act. I’d like to hear them say something like:
"Thank you, Mr. Broad, for your generous gift that will enrich Los
Angeles. And thank you for bearing the extra burden to make sure your
museum is near MOCA and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. That will create
a culture zone along Grand Avenue. Your generosity and foresight will
benefit this community through the ages. You can put your arms down,
now."