Southwest Museum Report: Several Standoffs Slated for Friday Morning

If is any indication, Friday’s special meeting of the Los Angeles City Council Arts, Parks, Health and Aging subcommittee could prove to be a divisive one.

The committee will decide whether to approve, deny or modify to renovate and expand their existing museum space in Griffith Park.

The main rivalry on display will be the one between the Autry National Center and the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition, who argue that the Autry has consistently attempted to marginalize the ’s Mount Washington location since merging with its previous owners in 2003.

For their part, the Autry said such allegations are untrue, and have claimed that they are seeking  to help them bring back the Southwest Museum, which they say is in need of major renovations before it can reopen to the public.

Friday’s meeting could also feature a second standoff between two council members who both represent communities with vested interests in the Autry expansion issue.

Councilman Ed Reyes (CD1) represents parts of both Highland Park and Mount Washington, and spoke adamantly on Tuesday in favor of giving the public an opportunity to air their concerns regarding the Autry expansion, which they fear will jeopardize the future of the Southwest Museum.

The committee’s chairman, councilman Tom LaBonge  (CD4), represents all of Griffith Park as well as several surrounding communities and has already come out in favor of the expansion.

Bernard Wesson (CD10), who represents South Los Angeles, is the third member of the subcommittee and was not present for Tuesday’s city council meeting.

Below are statements from both Reyes and LaBonge transcribed from Tuesday’s meeting, which indicate where they stand on the Autry issue.

Reyes:

Colleagues, for me the discussion is about good will. It’s about good will for a community that really feels like it needs to be heard.  I sit on the [Arts, Parks, Health and Aging subcommittee] with Mr. LaBonge, he does chair the committee, but also my district is across the street from the Southwest Museum and I share that boundary with Councilman [Jose] Huizar (CD14). But, from what I’m hearing is that we can move diligently and offer what the public say is a chance to speak to a government body, because it does not feel like it had that chance before.  Whether that is factual or not, we’re here today.

We all talk about good will, public process and transparency. By putting this [issue] in front of us, if we can move diligently, and provide that opportunity to speak to the chairman, to his committee that we sit on…  the effort that is here today from this body of the public is about fair access, fair hearing. And I don’t think they want to jeopardize $6.9 million for the good of the city. I’m not hearing that. Whether they want to take it there or not, they’ll have the right to say it.

LaBonge:

The Southwest Museum of what it once was known is no longer in existence.  We should understand that. I know people are very passionate about that, but what once was the Southwest Museum is no longer the Southwest Museum, it is now the Autry National Center. [The Autry National Center] kept [the Southwest Museum] in Los Angeles, because it could have gone other places. So, I think it’s extremely unfair that some agency, whether it’s a museum in Exposition Park or a museum in the San Fernando Valley, or in this case the Autry National Center … they go out and they get a grant to enhance their mission, that we [claim jurisdiction] of that mission they try to do to educate the people as it relates to the native west and its relationship about that history.

The city council's Arts, Parks, Health and Aging sub-committee will meet on Friday, 8:45 a.m. in Room 1010 of the Los Angeles City Hall, located at 200 North Spring St.