1 David Yakobson
From: Christy Zamani <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 2:55 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Christy Zamani
Subject: Support- Agenda Item 5.C. Award Request for Proposal to Community Arts Resources (CARS) to Manage Arts Program at Santa Monica Airport
EXTERNAL
January 28, 2025
Regarding: Support- Agenda Item 5.C. Award Request for Proposal to Community Arts Resources (CARS) to Manage Arts Program at Santa Monica Airport
Dear Mayor Negrete and members of the City Council,
On behalf of Day One, a public health organization with a 38 year history of serving LA County, I would like to offer my whole hearted support for the approval of the Community Arts Resources (CARS) to support Arts programming at Santa Monica Airport.
I have had the pleasure of working with the agency and its leaders on multiple occasions and have only the highest of esteem for their organizations commitment to community, and access to the arts. CARS has the experience needed to provide high quality, culturally-responsive arts programming that will represent the City of Santa Monica in a positive light.
I have no reservations that their passion for this work will advance the arts and quality of life in your city.
Respectfully submitted,
Christy Zamani
--
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet. Christy Zamani | Executive Director
Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
a: 175 N Euclid Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
c: 626-529-4470 e: [email protected]
Day One builds vibrant, healthy cities by advancing
public health, empowering youth, and igniting change
Instagram: Day One
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: Theresa Chavez <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 11:02 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: AGENDA ITEM #5C -- Recommendation for CARS for SMAAS Management
EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
I am writing to you to highly recommend Community Arts Resources (CARS) be awarded the contract to provide Arts Programming and Artist Tenant Relations Management for the Santa Monica Airport Art Studios in alignment with the goal to strengthen the Airport’s identity as a cultural campus and enhance its engagement with the local and regional community.
As the leader of About...Productions, a L.A.-area theater company of 36 years, I have first-hand knowledge of the exemplary work of CARS. We have worked with them for the past 35+ years on many projects from festivals to arts tours to site-specific programs. They have a deep and rich knowledge of the greater Los Angeles arts and culture landscape, and always conduct business using the highest best practices standards. Their successful programs working with artists of all disciplines highlights their wide range of experience as producers and managers. I have no doubt they will go above and beyond to fulfill the contract and greatly enhance the arts and cultural experiences of both the artists and constituents you serve as well as the broader regional community. The Airport's cultural identity will definitely be strengthened under their astute leadership. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have on the consistently positive experience we have had with CARS.
Thank you for your consideration,
Theresa Chavez
Theresa Chavez (she/her)
Producing Artistic Director
About…Productions
www.aboutpd.org
36 Years of Innovation...Collaboration...Education
www.instagram.com/aboutpd
www.facebook.com/aboutpd
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
2 David Yakobson
From: rachel burke <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 9:53 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 5 C comment
EXTERNAL
I am writing to express my support for awarding Community Arts Resources (CARS) the contract to provide arts programming and tenant relations management for the Santa Monica Airport Art Studios.
CARS has a long history working with the City of Santa Monica and its community having produced the Santa Monica Festival for many years. They are a go to organization for anything related to arts programming and management and I can't imagine a better fit for this role! --
Rachel Burke
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: Sanjeev Jain <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2025 5:59 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; David White
Subject: Community Arts Resources (CARS) for Arts Programming and Artist Tenant Relations Management for the Santa Monica Arts Studios
EXTERNAL
Dear Esteemed Santa Monica City Council Members,
I have been a resident of Santa Monica since 2002. I am excited to learn that the City Council is considering awarding a new contract to Community Arts Resources (CARS) to provide Arts Programming and Artist Tenant Relations Management for the Santa Monica Airport Art Studios. I am writing this to express my wholehearted support for CARS in their bid to provide Arts Programming and Artist Tenant Relations Management for the Santa Monica Arts Studios.
I first came to know about CARS in 1990 at the time of L.A. Festival and have since enjoyed the numerous great programs, projects and events they have produced and managed. The breadth and experience they bring to the table would be of great benefit to Santa Monica.
I, therefore, urge the City Council to move forward on their contract.
Regards,
Sanjeev Jain, PhD
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: Claire Peeps <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2025 10:14 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support for Community Arts Resources (CARS) at Santa Monica Airport Art Studios
EXTERNAL
To the City Council of Santa Monica,
I am writing in enthusiastic support of Community Arts Resources (CARS) to manage the arts program at the Santa Monica Airport for the Recreation and Arts Department.
CARS is a unique, vibrant, one-of-kind entity, and we are deeply fortunate to have them anchored in our community. Their work as creative catalysts and producers is celebrated locally, regionally and internationally.
I’ve known Aaron Paley and the CARS time since the late 1980s. CARS' entrepreneurial model and vision for community arts programming has consistently been visionary, and ahead of its time. From their role in the creation of the enormously influential Fringe Festivals of the 1990s, to their production of large-scale participatory events that animated the grounds of such institutions as the Getty and the Skirball Centers, to the founding and growth of the wildly successful CicLAvia, they have been pioneers in engaging artists and arts organizations in reimagining and reinvigorating civic life. CARS has helped us to actively explore our neighborhoods, to meet our neighbors, celebrate one another’s traditions, and to find joy and energy by engaging in community together. They are connectors and network builders who make our home town a better place to live.
I can attest from my personal experience at both the Los Angeles Festival and at the Durfee Foundation, where we engaged CARS as producers of multiple events, that CARS delivers on-time and on-budget, and that they are wonderful to work with. Their technical production skills are outstanding, and matched by the precision of their fiscal and administrative management.
CARS has deep roots in Santa Monica as a former, long-time tenant of the 18th St. Arts Center and producer of multiple festivals in the City. They are on the ground and ready to go. I urge you to award them a contract. They’ll make Santa Monica proud.
Claire Peeps
Former Executive Director, Durfee Foundation
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: Yossi Govrin <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2025 1:52 PM
To: Clerk Mailbox
Subject: An appeal to place names of the 3 proposal providers in RFP 413, on City Council agenda, 5.C for Jan 28,25
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Completed
EXTERNAL
An appeal to place names of the 3 proposal providers in RFP 413, on City Council agenda, 5.C for Jan 28,25
Dear Mrs. Niki Newsome, City Clerk
I am writing to respectfully request that the City Council add the names of all three finalist organizations that have submitted qualifications to manage the artist studios complex at the Santa Monica Airport on the upcoming agenda 5.c on Jan 28, 25. This would allow each organization to present their proposals and demonstrate their qualifications, fulfilling a critical step in the Request for Proposal (RFP 413) process, as initiated by Mrs. Sofia Klatzker, Santa Monica’s Cultural Affairs Manager.
As the moment only one name appears.
The organizations seeking this opportunity are as follows:
1. Community Arts Resources (CARS)
2. Yossi Govrin Maxima Art Initiative
3. Bridge Street
Inclusion of all three finalists on the agenda will empower the Council to make a fully informed decision that best serves Santa Monica’s artists, community, and residents. To date, none of the finalists have had the opportunity to present their proposals before the Santa Monica Arts Commissioners, nor have any interviews been conducted with the candidates.
It is worth noting that Community Arts Resources, while respected for its work in festival organization, appears to lack specific experience in managing complex, multi-disciplinary artist studio environments. Their proposal, as viewed in the public record available through Mr. David Willis, was concise, containing only two pages of specifics out of a twenty-page document and lacked detailed commitments to an exhibition and lecture program. By contrast, Maxima Art Initiative’s proposal—detailed over 80 pages—outlines a comprehensive schedule of weekly and monthly programs, featuring high-caliber individuals and named curators with the expertise to conduct exhibitions at both national and international levels.
It is perhaps unsurprising that the panel awarded Maxima Art Initiative the highest score for experience. Having created and managed the artist complex at the airport myself, I have seen it grow into a thriving cultural Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
2 center, known far beyond Santa Monica’s borders. I am concerned that selecting an organization without direct experience in managing such a complex could lead to a repeat of the challenges seen with prior management.
Thank you for your time, consideration, and commitment to the arts in Santa Monica.
Please review Maxima proposal below.
The panel selected CARS to manage, Emphasizing they have no experience in this regard.
Sincerely,
Yossi Govrin
Artist and Executive Director
Maxima Art Initiative
maximaartinitiative.com
310-666-2056
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: Julia Carnahan <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2025 1:53 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; David White
Subject: City Council Meeting (01/28/25) - Item 5.C. - Award Request for Proposal to Community Arts Resources (CARS) to Manage Arts Program at Santa Monica Airport
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete, Mayor Pro Tem Torosis, and Councilmembers:
For the past 35 years, I have worked as an arts producer for individuals and organizations around the region, many times alongside CARS. Their work and advocacy in the cultural field is unmatched, and I think our city will benefit greatly from having them at the helm of the arts program at the airport.
Many thanks for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Julia Carnahan (member of the Santa Monica Public Art Committee) 2239 27th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Cell: 323-244-9663
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
2 David Yakobson
From: Susan Jain <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2025 12:04 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; David White
Subject: RE: Support for CARS, Agenda Item 5C
EXTERNAL
Dear Distinguished Council Members,
I am writing to express my full support for Community Arts Resources (CARS) bid to provide Arts Programming and Artist Tenant Relations Management for the Santa Monica Arts Studios.
Since 1989, I have had the privilege to work closely with CARS on many large and small-scale projects across the region and across arts disciplines that serve audiences of all ages. Recently, I attended one of many meetings held across the county on the topic of LA 2028 arts programming. These were led by officials from the LA County Department of Arts and Culture and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and facilitated by CARS. The CARS team are complete professionals and well-respected in the arts community. As an academic specializing in world art traditions, I especially appreciate the CARS' team's depth of knowledge and experience in presenting diverse traditions.
As a newly appointed Santa Monica Arts Commissioner and member of the Santa Monica Great Park Coalition, I was excited to hear that CARS might be involved at the Airport. The breadth and experience they bring to the table would be of such benefit to Santa Monica. As the creators of CicLAvia, the CARS team also knows how to produce large-scale recreation projects as well, another plus for Santa Monica.
I encourage the Council to move forward on their contract.
Best regards,
Susan Pertel Jain, PhD
Vice Chair, Santa Monica Arts Commissioner
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
3 David Yakobson
From: Tanya Raukko <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2025 9:12 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Letter in support of Community Arts Resources (Contract Award of Solicitation #413) Attachments: CARS letter Jan 24 2025.pdf
EXTERNAL
Hello,
Please see attached letter.
Thank you
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Tanya Raukko
intertrend
imprintlab
T 310.594.4400
LONG BEACH | PLANO
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.
Confidential. Distribution on a need to know basis only. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender and delete this email from your system immediately. Please see more here.
T 310.594.4400
LONG BEACH | PLANO
intertrend.com
Confidential. Distribution on a need to know basis only. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender and delete this email from your system immediately. Please See more here
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
January 24, 2025
City of Santa Monica
Re: Referral for Community Arts Resources (Contract Award of Solicitation #413) in consideration of Arts Programming and Artist Tenant Relations Management for the Santa Monica Airport Art Studios
We have had the pleasure of working with Community Arts Resources (CARS) since 2022, when we partnered to curate a multi-day arts and culture festival, Getty25 Long Beach.
Throughout the Getty25 Long Beach project, the CARS team collaborated seamlessly with our diverse Creative Consortium, providing strategic direction, valuable resources, and balanced consultation. They oNered our team the flexibility needed to craft a festival that was authentically rooted in local culture. With some natural challenges that arose during the planning process in Long Beach in our local Consortium, CARS's deep expertise and professionalism were evident at every level to help us manage through it. Their respectful and empathetic approach ensured they quickly grasped our city's cultural nuances and the needs of our artists and creators. As passionate advocates for arts and culture, CARS demonstrated an unwavering commitment, integrity, and excellence in service management. We wholeheartedly recommend them for the Santa Monica project, confident in their ability to deliver exceptional results.
Best Regards,
Tanya Raukko
Chief Investment Strategy ONicer, Intertrend
Board Member, Creative Class Collective
Managing Partner, Imprint Venture Lab
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
4 David Yakobson
From: Olga Garay-English <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2025 10:56 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Santa Monica Artist Studios (SMAAS)
EXTERNAL
Dear Members of the Santa Monica City Council,
As the Executive Director/General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs from 2007 to 2014, I collaborated frequently with Community Arts Resources (CARS).
CARS' deep knowledge of and commitment to making the arts accessible for people in SoCal is unparalleled. They accomplish this with great integrity and efficiency. CARS is an ideal candidate to manage Santa Monica's Airport Artist Studios.
Olga Garay-English
--
Olga Garay-English
Director, National Latinx Theater Initiative
[email protected]
International Arts Consultant
Principal, OMGArtsplus
4314 Marina City Drive
Center Tower South
Unit 816 C
Marina del Rey, California, 90292
[email protected]
213-216-4548 cell
424-228-4274 home office
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
5 David Yakobson
From: Kiel Johnson <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2025 1:09 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Letter of Support for CARS - Kiel Johnson
EXTERNAL
Santa Monica City Council
1685 Main Street, Room 209
Santa Monica, CA 90401
January 25, 2025
Dear Members of the Santa Monica City Council,
I am writing to express my strongest support for Community Arts Resources (CARS) and their proposal to manage the Airport Studios.
As a community based artist, sculptor, and LA local who has worked with CARS for close to 20 years across Los Angeles, I cannot speak highly enough of this extraordinary organization and their contributions to the arts and community.
CARS has been a pillar of support for my creative journey, partnering with me on projects at iconic locations such as the Getty Villa, the Getty Center, Marina Del Rey, the Disney Concert Hall, and, notably, the City of Santa Monica. Their unwavering professionalism, organizational excellence, and ability to bring visionary projects to life have made them an essential force in fostering creative collaboration and community engagement.
During challenging times in my career, CARS has been a beacon of opportunity. They have not only enabled me to share my ideas about collaborative community projects but have also played a significant role in helping me build my brand as an artist. Their reliability, fairness, and commitment to timely payments are just a few examples of how they empower the artists and communities they work with.
Having firsthand knowledge of the Airport Studios and the vital role they play in the local arts ecosystem, I firmly believe that CARS is uniquely equipped to take on this responsibility. Their proven ability to create impactful, inclusive, and inspiring projects would bring enormous benefits to the City of Santa Monica and its residents.
It is difficult to overstate the value that CARS brings to every project they undertake. Their dedication to the arts, their impeccable track record, and their capacity to connect people through creativity make them the ideal stewards of the Airport Studios.
Thank you for considering my wholehearted recommendation for CARS. I am confident that under their guidance, the Airport Studios will become a vibrant and thriving hub for the arts in Santa Monica. Do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of more assistance to your committee.
Sincerely,
Kiel Johnson
Community Based Artist, Sculptor and Draftsman
- Kiel Johnson
http://kieljohnson.com
562-335-8779
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025
Item 5-C
January 28, 2025