ARTS CENTER FOR VALLEY COUNTY OKS $250 MILLION BOND ISSUE FOR NOVEMBER VOTE.

Byline: Troy Anderson, Holly Edwards and Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writers

Los Angeles County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to put a $250 million bond issue on the Nov. 5 ballot that would help fund a $75 million, 1,600-seat performing arts center at California State University, Northridge.

The $250 million bond measure - placed on the ballot without any public discussion - also includes $98 million for the county Museum of Art; $98 million for the Natural History Museum at Exposition Park; $10 million for the Music Center; and $8 million for a performing arts center in the San Gabriel Valley.

At CSUN, the bond measure would raise $15 million for fire and earthquake safety measures in the San Fernando Valley's largest performance hall. The remaining $60 million would come from a $15 million private sector match and other funding sources, officials say.

CSUN President Jolene Koester called the venue, proposed for the northwest corner of East University Drive and Nordhoff Street, a ``natural'' for the university.

``We already have a nationally recognized music program, we have a theater program that is known throughout the industry for graduating students who know the theory and know how to work,'' Koester said.

``The university serves very much as a cultural hub to the San Fernando Valley, and this is a way for us to expand and fulfill our mission.''

In addition to the 1,600-seat theater, the 163,000-square-foot performing arts center would feature lecture and rehearsal halls, classrooms, dressing rooms, design and recording studios, a lighting lab, and an additional 250-seat black box theater.

Ideally, CSUN would like to have the center built within five years if funds are available.

The university now has a 500-seat theater - the largest performance venue in the Valley.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky, who proposed the bond in conjunction with county Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen, said the county museums - especially the Natural History and Art venues - have seismic and fire safety problems.

Museum officials approached the county more than a year ago with a proposal to match public money with private donations that could be used to renovate or replace the facilities.

``There has never been a bond measure where public dollars are matched with an equal amount of private funding,'' he said.

If approved by two-thirds of voters, the private sector would match the bond with another $250 million.

On a $250,000 home, the tax would levy $6.96 the first year and $6.04 the second year. The levy is 0.002863 cents per $100 of assessed value.

All bond funds will be allocated by November 2012. Total debt service over the 30-year term of the bonds is estimated at $478 million.

The bond proposal sparked mixed reactions among Valley residents.

While some said they were excited about the prospect of finally getting a larger performing arts center, others said they thought the venue would be primarily used by the university, not the community.

``I think it would be booked with campus-based events, and I don't think there would be enough time for us to play a show there,'' said James Domine, conductor of the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra, which performs most of its concerts at Pierce College. ``I just don't see it as a community venue, I see it as a CSUN venue.''

But campus officials said the performance hall would serve the community, as well as the university.

``What I'm envisioning is a partnership involving the university, the community and the arts,'' said William Toutant, dean of CSUN's College of Arts, Media and Communication.

``I would want to bring major performing artists to the Valley, but I'd also want Valley performing ensembles to have a place, a very nice venue, in which to perform.''

Toutant added that a university-sponsored feasibility study on the proposed performance hall found that in a 15-mile radius, there are about 185,000 households with a high propensity to attend cultural events, and 300,000 households with a moderate to high propensity to attend Broadway shows and pop events.

Residents who have clamored for a larger performing arts center said the Valley is long overdue for a first-class performance hall.

``We've needed a performing center for bigger productions and larger audiences for a long time,'' said Betty Garrett of Studio City, an actress who has lived in the Valley since 1963. ``I think it's a wonderful idea and I think we need it.''

While county officials say the bond would finance urgently needed earthquake and fire safety improvements, critics complained about the ballot language for the measure.

``The measure sounds like it's being used for fire and earthquake retrofitting, when in fact it's literally a blank check for the improvement of cultural venues around the county,'' said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

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Proposed CSUN Performing Arts Center