First, here's a link to an article on the LA OBSERVED website from former Midnight Special Bookstore poetry host/journalist T.J. Sullivan about the Beyond Baroque situation: http://www.laobserved.com/intell/2008/02/beyond_words.php
And here's a letter from Beyond Baroque board member Richard Modiano which has circulated around the poetry community today (thanks to VCP's Jerry Garcia for forwarding this to me):
After a preliminary meeting between Councilman Rosendahl's staff and
City Attorney Delgadillo's staff that concluded today, the issue of
Beyond
Baroque's lease extension enters a new phase.
The City Attorney plans to make a recommendation that all city-owned
properties have their leases put up for bid on expiration. This means
not only Beyond Baroque but every property owned by the city that
houses a non-profit or any other charitable entity will be required
to bid for its lease renewal on the open market. Councilman Rosendahl
intends to advocate for a review process that would take community
needs into consideration before granting a lease, so that gives
Beyond Baroque at least a fighting chance.
The crisis is not over, however, since there must be community
support for a review process that gives fair hearing to community
needs.
Thanks to the over 400 email messages received by Councilman
Rosendahl's office over the weekend he is firmly in support of Beyond
Baroque, so gratitude to everyone who answered Amelie's call for
help.
Richard Modiano,
board of trustees, Beyond Baroque
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