With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
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.
Sanders Campaign Alleges L.A. City Councilman Meddled In Campaign Event, Forced Venue Change

Yesterday, we reported that the Bernie Sanders campaign was going to host a Saturday evening concert at the Greek Theatre. This changed when the Sanders campaign sent out an email Friday evening letting those who had RSVP'd to the event know that its circumstances were altered, and that the concert was actually going to be held on the lawn near the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
The reason doesn't have anything to do with the lawn in front of the Coliseum being more egalitarian than the hills of Los Feliz. Instead, the Sanders campaign alleges personal action from L.A. City Councilman David Ryu, who represents the area around the Greek, "forced" the campaign to change venues. As the campaign explained in an email:
Unfortunately, after reaching terms with the professional staff at the Greek to host our rally, interference from a local Los Angeles city councilman forced us to move from this iconic venue, even though Secretary Clinton has scheduled an identical event two days later—an event to which no objection has been raised.
As the L.A. Times reports, a Sanders campaign staffer said, in an email to the Greek Theatre, that Ryu had set up "roadblocks" that forced the change of venue. Ryu endorsed Clinton and visited a fundraiser for her in March.
In reality, however, the "roadblocks" the Sanders campaign speaks of are standard city policy. Where the campaign advertised the concert as a "free" and "open-to-the-public" event, the Greek theatre operates only on a ticket-based system. The tickets can be free, but people inside of the theatre must have been issued a ticket to be there, reports the Los Feliz Ledger.
Sanders' campaign did not have a ticketing system set up for guests to register at the Greek, furnishing only an "RSVP strongly encouraged" statement on its website.
Estevan Montemayor, a spokesperson for Ryu's office, explained to the Times how the Sanders campaign's allegations distort what supposedly happened.
“Any person or organization that chooses to have an event at the Greek Theatre needs to follow all the same guidelines," Montemayor said to Times. “The Sanders campaign was asked to work with L.A. city staff on a traffic mitigation plan and a ticketing system, just as the Clinton campaign has done for their event on Monday evening. The Sanders campaign chose not to move forward, all while the city held resources for tomorrow’s event.”
Instead of setting up a ticketing system, the Sanders campaign chose to change venues.
Of course, the language the campaign uses in its email explaining the venue change seems to hint that the campaign and Greek had reached an agreement to host the event without ticketing. The Greek is owned by the City of Los Angeles, and it certainly is possible that David Ryu might have gotten involved, and forced the Greek to comply with the law, notwithstanding any agreements between the venue's managerial staff and the Sanders campaign.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

-
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care.
-
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings.
-
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past.
-
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
-
Distrito Catorce’s Guillermo Piñon says the team no longer reflects his community. A new mural will honor local leaders instead.
-
The program is for customers in communities that may not be able to afford turf removal or water-saving upgrades.