THROUGH MY EYES -- RON DAVIS

Are those “Guys and Dolls” at the Huntington Beach Playhouse good

or what?

When you’re in the theater production business, you’ve got to be

skilled at public relations. And, given the recent newspaper articles in

the local and regional newspapers, the playhouse folks would’ve made

Nathan Detroit proud.

The playhouse folks have adeptly previewed their anticipated

performance at the Huntington Beach City Council (dates to be announced).

According to the plot, the underdog -- the playhouse -- is fighting for

the youth and seniors of this community (Yaaaaaaay).

They’ll be pitted against that insensitive and unscrupulous Ron

“Snidely” Hayden, director of the Huntington Beach Library and his gang

of thugs, the library board (Boooooooo). It seems that the evil Hayden,

backed by his library-board goons, have tied the poor playhouse to the

railroad tracks and are demanding a huge rental increase for the use of

the library. (Booooo).

What kind of increase, you ask? Well, from about $30,000 a year to

roughly $140,000 a year -- a whopping $110,000 (Gasp!). And if the

playhouse doesn’t pay -- they’re a goner. (Sniffle) And if they’re a

goner, the youth and seniors in the community won’t be able to experience

live theater (Oh, no).

But wait! (Dum de dum de dum) The poor little playhouse may be saved

by the Huntington Beach Caval . . . oops . . . City Council. Or it may

also be that Darth Hayden, the evil villain, seduces the noble council to

the dark-side. How will it all end (Tissues will be a must)?

Don’t take sides too early on this production. A play is nothing more

than a fantasy driven by good acting, and while this play is

entertaining, it does so at the expense of the complete truth.

There is another side to the $110,000 rental increase. The size of the

increase makes good drama, but the reality is that it costs the library

$140,000 a year to have the playhouse as a tenant. In fact, the library

could rent the theater to other nonprofits and generate as much as

$210,000. If the library rented this same space to profit making groups,

it could gross as much as $500,000 a year. Seen this way, the $140,000 a

year is a gift.

I’m getting just a little weary of groups standing behind the flag,

apple pie, seniors and the youth. Since when did we get to the point of

stereotyping seniors and concluding that all of them are flat broke and

in need of subsidies? Moreover, what is ignored is that this rental

difference of $110,000, could be used by the taxpayers to buy books, pave

sidewalks or repair sewers. Don’t those benefit the seniors and youth as

well?

I’m just not one of those who believes -- given Huntington Beach’s

financial crunch, and inability to repair sewers and sidewalks -- that

the taxpayers of Huntington Beach ought to be spending a $110,000 a year

subsidizing live theater.

Prove to me that neither those who go to the theater nor those

involved in the theater have asked or will ask for a refund of the so

called “illegal” property taxes paid to Huntington Beach and maybe I’ll

reconsider.

This theater must live or die based on the product they produce and

their ability to raise money from someone other than the taxpayers of

Huntington Beach.

While the theater group will undoubtedly point to other sweetheart

deals (I’ll call them bonehead deals) made by the city with other

nonprofits as a justification for a lesser rent, the city’s stupidity in

the past is no argument for continuing that stupidity into the future.

Where I come from, we’re supposed to learn from our mistakes, not

deliberately repeat them.

The real story isn’t a tale about a playhouse and a library director,

it’s a story about seven individuals who were elected to office, not to

do the nice things, but tough things. Our council tells us that the city

doesn’t have enough money, so police services must be cut; we’ll buy

fewer books, we won’t pave as many streets; and that we’ll put up fewer

stop lights. Was that all acting or the harsh truth?. When the subject of

this rent increase comes before the council, we’ll soon learn who the

actors are and who the leaders are.

*

* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington Beach. He

can be reached by e-mail at o7 [email protected]