To: Individuals and Organizational Members of Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition

From: Steering Committee of FoSWMC

Date: October 26, 2007

RE: Update

A diverse Coalition like ours only gets stronger after persevering through four years of stalling, delay, misinformation, and deception by the management of the Autry National Center.

Late last month, the leaders from each of our member organizations received a "decision already made" email update from Councilmember Jose Huizar. This came without the prior knowledge or input from the Coalition of a new "agreement" with Autry and the formation of a group called the "Southwest Society." We take it seriously that the Councilmember said he achieved what he said he could with this agreement, after his promise to engage the Autry.

All of us were kept in the dark, which seems to be in contrast to earlier this year when the Councilmember insisted that each Coalition leader meet with him to engage in a transparent and collaborative process. At that meeting in June, over 50 community leaders re-affirmed the importance of his fighting for the Coalition's long-held central goals.

The Coalition steering committee is concerned that the announcement came as a surprise and that our numerous Coalition leaders were not asked, in advance of the hurried press event, to come back together to be informed or discuss the negotiations with the Councilmember or his staff. Apparently though, time was offered to selected individuals who received advance knowledge that allowed them to agree to lend their names to the Southwest Society and to raise many millions of dollars.

The steering committee felt we had to continue to be transparent and held a meeting with our Coalition leaders to discuss this new announcement. We discussed the situation so as to better understand where our leaders felt the issue now stood in achieving the consistent and long-held position of the Coalition:

Ø Retain and create a world class Southwest Museum as the primary exhibition location of the Southwest Collection in its original location and

Ø Ensure that there is a viable future museum use for both the Southwest and Casa de Adobe. For this an enforceable agreement, not a memo from the Autry CEO, would be needed.

Unfortunately, when one closely reads the “agreement,” which is a simple memo from Autry CEO John Gray to Councilmember Huizar, the Autry Board absolves itself from accountability and shrouds itself, once again, in vague language that does not offer anything of great substance that was not previously offered last fall. The consensus is that attainment of our core position has not yet been achieved because the Autry continues to refuse to alter its misguided plans to convert the Southwest Museum to a vague cultural and education center.

At this time, the Coalition does not believe that this new "agreement" will achieve a successful museum future for the Southwest Museum or Casa de Adobe, especially when professional evidence from the Autry-funded Brenda Levin Rehabilitation Study shows that there is a way to achieve future success as a museum -- namely Option B of that study as a bare minimum.

The press announcement of the Mayor and Councilmember Huizar had two interwoven elements – the formation of the Southwest Society and the "agreement" with Autry on its future vision for the Southwest Museum site. Each deserves a bit of analysis to better understand why we have come to our conclusion.

New "Southwest Society"

It appears that the purpose of the formation of the Southwest Society is to raise funds for Autry's vision of a cultural center rather than a realistic vision for a vibrant world-class museum.

Positives:

Ø As you know, we've embraced the need for a larger effort to raise money for our historic museums and we actually asked for this type of mechanism. Councilmember Huizar listened, took our idea and then recruited other elected officials to lend their names to the effort.

Ø Money is always at the heart of a project so a way to raise it is critical to any future of the Southwest Museum site.

Negatives:

Ø Raising money to convert the Southwest Museum to a cultural center, rather than a full museum, does not achieve the Coalition’s central concern.

Ø There are too m't this group raise funds for a full museum use, such as Option B in Autry's own 2004 Brenda Levin Rehabilitation Study which was proven viable within museum industry norms? Or the Coalition's Alternative Plan?

2. Why would any sophisticated private donor give money to this group that has no Autry board members serving and no formal authority over the Southwest Museum site?

3. How much money is this new group going to raise? There are no big-name philanthropists on this list.

4. When will it raise this money in order to get the Southwest Museum re-opened in 2010/11 as Autry has previously claimed it would do?

5. Is it an independent nonprofit separate from the Autry?

6. Has each member of this new group donated or pledged a large donation that is a typical requirement for fundraising group members? Do they have the financial ability to make their own donation?

7. Is this a separate capital campaign from the Autry's $150 million Griffith Park effort to silently raise funds from the private foundation and donor community currently underway? Why should it be a separate initiative?

8. Where is the transparency in the actions of this organization, and who is its leader?

9. If someone wanted to be a member, what are the board requirements and minimum level of giving? Who accepts or approves participation?

New “Agreement” memo from Autry CEO John Gray to Councilmember Huizar

Positives: It is vague but maybe two more rooms might contain some sort of displays, but they will never be artifact-based exhibitions from the Collection (according to John Gray).

Negatives:

Ø The memo is a re-statement of what Autry announced in September 2006 and continues with vague and non-binding words that signals a lack of concrete commitment from Autry, certainly unenforceable.

Ø The memo is from John Gray who is not a decision-maker like the Autry Board of Directors. It is addressed to Councilmember Huizar instead of the City of Los Angeles as a proposed enforceable agreement.

Ø Again, it raises more questions than it answers such as:

1. Where is a timeline, plan and factual economic assessment that this is more economically viable use than Brenda Levin’s Option B? Last fall, Autry conceded that they had not conducted an economic feasibility study to show that the cultural center was a financially superior alternative to continued museum use.

2. Why does the name have to change? "Southwest Museum" is easy to remember and continues the 100-year heritage of LA's first museum.

3. Where will our school children actually experience an artifact-based learning of the Collection to achieve their school curriculum? Griffith Park?

4. If Autry were truly committed to this latest concept plan, why wouldn’t it agree to simply make this a voluntary condition of its project approval for their proposed expansion in Griffith Park and have the City do the necessary environmental review of the entire project?

Our elected officials have already helped secure public money for the Southwest Museum and Casa de Adobe. To-date most of the "Autry's" investment in the Southwest Museum, $4.5-6.5 million depending on the memo, is actually public taxpayer funds, insurance claim payments, and grants that the Coalition has directly solicited or indirectly supported through critical letters of support. So, remember that the Coalition has been a true "friend" to the Autry when it comes to fundraising for the last four years already. Please thank our federal and state elected officials for most of this investment that Autry claims as its own.

Knowing the influence of Autry money and the lobbying muscle it has hired at City Hall, this is a classic case of moneyed interests trying to trump the will of people and the economic future of a community and region. The Coalition will continue to build and gain support for our cause to create a full and world-class Southwest Museum. Two new neighborhood councils, Greater Griffith Park and Hollywood United, just adopted positions supporting the retention of the Southwest Museum at its current location. The Oaks Homeowners Association recently joined our Coalition as did the Highland Park Kiwanis. Our resolve to seek a vibrant museum for our diverse community that reflects the full heritage of the Southwest, its cultural and economic future and for the children of Los Angeles must continue.

We need your continued support and leadership as a member of this Coalition. We ask for your assistance with upcoming events, help us broaden our contacts and support of this issue and for your organization to consider a financial investment to help continue this work. Everything costs money from the hiring of experts to flyers and postage. Thank you for standing in unity to take all necessary steps to achieve our common vision of an enhanced world-class museum. Our Southwest Museum, as envisioned by Charles Lummis, will shine on the Arroyo hillside once again.