The Show May Not Go On: Vote Denies Sunset Junction Permit
Today's L.A. Board of Public Works meeting voted 3-1 to deny a permit for the Sunset Junction Street Fair until $141,000 in fees are paid, reports Buzz Bands. What a buzz kill for fans. The festival, which is slated for this weekend, has continued to sell event tickets and has fans glued to the edges of their seats.
The final verdict will keep festival-goers biting their nails until the commissioners' next meeting, as the matter may be reconsidered on Wednesday morning at 9:30am.
Event promoters are required by city ordinance to pay police, fire and transportation fees up front. These costs total $141k.
Oddly enough, last year's unpaid, inflated price tag for similar fees - $267k - did not factor into the board's decision today.
The vote followed a three-hour hearing that included emotional comments — for and against — from dozens of residents, artists, business owners and, poignantly, youth who have benefited from the Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance’s programs.
Of the attendees, not one person challenged Sunset Junction's good intentions, "nor the contributions it has made over its three-decade-plus existence in unifying, and even helping gentrify, one of L.A.'s oldest neighborhoods."
