One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Bankruptcy Filings: Sunset Junction Festival Organizers Have $500 And Owe Everyone $928,000
A woman runs into the stream of a fire hydrant struck by a car after Sunset Junction in 2006. Photo by colin.brown via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance, the group that put on the (once-darling) Sunset Junction Festival for three decades before the city pulled the plug this summer, filed for bankruptcy in court this December. Now you can take a look at who the group owes what in court documents.
The group's assets are very few—just $500 for office supplies and furniture—while its debts tally up to $928,000, according to The Eastsider LA.
There are debts owed to lawyers, advertisers, food vendors and of course many, many bands (here's a sampling: Butthole Surfers ($24K), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah ($22K), Hanson ($20K), Ozomatli ($20K). Michael McKinley, the executive director of the Sunset Junction, is owed $50K, according to the filing.
A good chunk of the money is owed to the City of Los Angeles—$256,000 in fees—which of course, ended up being the nail in the festival's coffin. The Board of Public Works asked the group to pay for its 2010 permits before it would approve permits for 2011. The organizers balked and said it was too much money that they didn't have, and then tried to raise cash. They missed the mark, the city denied the permits and then the organizers threw a fit swearing that they had the money. It's not clear where that money they raised at the time went.
What is clear is that if you're expecting payment from the festival, there's a long line.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
