Ojai Council Votes To Rock Out
Ardas Khalsa, production manager for Howard Freiberg, waves a finger as he unloads his thoughts to the council at Tuesday night's council meeting.
Photo and report
by Logan Hall
The Ojai City Council voted unanimously in closed session Tuesday night to allow local event promoter Howard Freiberg to put on his annual classic rock festival at Libbey Bowl.
After an initial decision by city manager Rob Clark denying Freiberg permits for the concerts, which are scheduled for August, Freiberg and his attorney, Cathy Jones, who also attended the meeting, threatened the city with litigation on the issue. After hearing public comments and discussing the matter behind closed doors, the council decided to overturn Clark’s decision.
With Mayor Carol Smith and Councilwoman Betsy Clapp absent, the council heard comments from Freiberg and his supporters that included a heated statement by Freiberg’s production manager, Ardas Khalsa.
“The city manager has chosen to overstep his authority …” said Khalsa to the council in a raised voice. “It’s discrimination, and it’s illegal.”
Freiberg and Khalsa alleged that Clark’s original denial of the application stemmed from Freiberg’s unpaid debt to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department regarding permits for a previous event held at Lake Casitas.
“The debts came from my battle with cancer,” said Freiberg. He admitted to the debt but said everything had been worked out with the VCSD. “I have past debts,” he continued, “but that’s in the past.”
Freiberg and Khalsa also stated that Clark told them he didn’t think their concert would have the proper image for the bowl. Clark says that he never had any problem with the type of music Freiberg was planning but there were some concerns. “This is the first event outside of the Music Festival that permitted alcohol,” Clark said in an interview. “Since alcohol at Libbey Bowl is new and somewhat controversial, we want to make sure it’s done the right way and in a controlled way.”
In his reasoning for denying Freiberg’s initial request, Clark says that the city relies on event promoters to handle aspects of the events like security, fencing, and how much alcohol is sold and for how long. He said the unpaid debt with the Sheriff’s Department indicated that Freiberg’s event might not be the best to lead the way with alcohol sales at the bowl.
Clark, however, did point out that Freiberg and his crew had done a good job on previous events held in the valley. “These guys do have a good track record,” Clark said. “They’ve put on a number of events that have had alcohol and those events went well. At the end of the day, we’re relying on that track record.”
Ultimately, the council decided to grant Freiberg permission to host his event.
“We’re in cooperation mode now,” said Clark. “We plan on working professionally with him and making sure his event goes smoothly.”
Yea! I tired of hearing those d-heds complaneing because they have too to too work the neext day. DON’T GO TOO WORK!!! Let your freek flab fly!! Ojai is classic RX haven .
@Beyond pissed–if you own, then sell! if you rent, even easier–give your 30 days. You live next to an ampitheater dodo. get used to it, or get moving. And anyone thinking they heard “Stairway” more than one over the festival weekend–get to rehab. You hallucinated. As for the concerts–dozens of great musicians made great music for lots of stoked locals. As for the grounds afterward–they were near spotless. All of you pissing on artists or their promoters should move tfo. Ojai is ours!
I’m with you, Rust Ad. How may versions of “stairway to heaven” in 72 hour period is a taxpayer supposed endure? AAAAyyyeeee….
Whoever let him run the show until 10pm was out of their mind, and completely oblivious to the fact that there are residents here who would appreciate ONE afternoon of quiet before getting up to work the next morning.
How completely rude and inconsiderate to let the thing go on until 10pm on Sunday – my house is vibrating and nobody can nap or go to bed early.
Beyond pissed off.
Ojai is a community first and foremost. If the object of the bowl rennovation was/is to put on half-assed shows (‘classic” rock, rap, heavy metal) in the hope alcohol sales will bring the City into the black, there is a (sad) joke being perpetrated on all of us who make this “burg” our home.
“…Clark told them he didn’t think their concert would have the proper image for the bowl.”
I think the only bad image for the bowl is Ojai having a beautiful Saturday or Sunday afternoon with an empty $3,000,000 bowl.
go howie!
Who set off the M80 on this blog?
Why toy with such meager numbers? Let’s raise the use fee to $10,000. That way inconsequential non-profits and others like the Lions Club, VFW, Rotary Club, Ojai Youth Foundation, Optimist Club, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Church Groups and others can keep their mits off the public park Libbey, preserving it for that once a year celebration called the Ojai Music festival.
Now that we have a new $3 million dollar bowl how about raising the daily rental fees (currently $250) to some more appropriate fee like $1000 per day.
Maybe pledges would be good enough? It worked for Save Libbey.
Just get the $ up front!
hope these groups have non -profit status.insur,bond,cops,clean up deposit.and no exceptions.groups used to get by some of these.as a former parks and rec comm.no free beeeeeeeeese.
What is Mr. Clark doing negotiating for Libbey Park events anyway? When a group files for 501c3 status they can begin operation the day they file, even if it takes a year to get non-profit approval status from the state. The Libbey foundation should have filed the day they signed the contract to begin construction and would have been handling bookings from Day One. Entertainment venues all run with non-profits this way. What Clark did reminds me the best tradition of Ojai backstabbing, threats and kicking people out just like when Art B. pointed out how Jere Kersnar threw out the longtime Shakespeare Festival people from Libbey Park and the bowl. Good Job Rob on in carrying on the tradition of Jere Kersnar.
Just make sure they have a Surety Bond for damages and pay for additional Police. How about some Bluegrass concerts?
Just goes to show the old adage still holds “throw it against the wall enough times and eventually it’ll stick….”
Duck you suckas!!! The ostrich man is back…