'City Family' Formed to Discuss Future of Southwest Museum

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday unanimously voted in favor of creating a working group dedicated to discussing possible options for reopening of Mount Washington's Southwest Museum of the American Indian and the Casa de Adobe.

The working group motion was previously approved by the Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee on May 16.

The motion, presented by Councilman Ed Reyes (CD1) and seconded by Councilman Tom LaBonge (CD4), orders the formation of a working group known as the City Family "to engage in formal discussions with the Autry National Center of the American West and other parties in regard to the Autry Center at Griffith Park and the Southwest Museum and Casa de Adobe site at Mount Washington."

According to an e-mail distributed by the Friends of the Southwest Museum, a coalition formed with the mission of urging city officials and Autry leadership to fully reopen the museum to the public, the City’s Historical Society and the County Museum of Natural History were also invited to participate in the working group.

In 2002, the Southwest Museum merged with the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Griffith Park, forming the Autry National Center. Since the merger, many Northeast Los Angeles residents have criticized the Autry for prioritizing their Griffith Park campus over the Southwest Museum and, along with local government officials like Councilmen José Huizar (CD14) and Reyes, have attempted to pressure them to reopen the entire museum to the public for exhibitions.

The museum has been closed since 2009 as the Autry has embarked on a multi-million dollar effort to conserve the Southwest Museum's more than 250,000 item collection.

Councilman Ed Reyes said that the city's Chief Legislative Analyst and the City Administrative Officer will be required to report back to the Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee regarding the working group's progress within 60 days.

"We're trying to get to a positive place," Reyes said. "We want to get to a 'yes,' rather than maintaining that tension that can be disruptive."

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