Sunset Junction's Failed Mission

tell us favio what really went on?

I worked at Sunset Junction for years (more than a decade). There's no such thing as a "youth at risk program" anymore... Unfortunately S.J. turned into nothing more than a pro-profit business. I anybody is interested and want to know where the money really went and how it was really spent let me know.

The L.A. city council is desperate for cash. Michael can no longer pay his way through a back door channel that for anyone else would be a red tape-covered rope at the front door. To disrupt an entire community as well as a major metropolitan thoroughfare for so long (despite what he was doing originally; we all know good food goes bad when left alone in the dark) must have cost good money. So they cut him off, and now the people who could have stopped him years ago (hello, Tom, Gil and Eric) are suddenly acting as if they are working in the best interests of the community.

Michael has had more than a decade's worth of time to explain his side of the story, and only now is he begging for it to be heard.

In the late 1990s, when many neighbors asked about all manner of odd goings-on, Michael departed and left a no-nothing adjutant to act as if that poor sap might mollify the crowd. Phone calls went unanswered and never returned, and the questions continued to pile up. Many years and countless incidents of residents being treated like crap by the Sunset Junction staff, the trash, the missing funds, and too much more. Instead, Michael blew off people, acted as if he needn't answer to anyone, and refused to divulge paperwork regarding where the funds went and to whom.

Now he's whinging about L.A. Weekly not seeking out his side of the story? Tough darts, shorty.

"The 2011 admission price of $25 was increased on August 1, 2011 from $20, in order to help pay for the high city fees being charged to the fair."

Here's a question:1) What date did Mr. McKinley submit his request to the city for the permits?2) What date did the city respond with the money amount needed for the permit?

I would like this answered by the city and their records, and not Mr. McKinley

But are we to assume that Mr. McKinley had the city's money quote for the permits by August 1st, or prior to that? Even if we go with August 1st, that means McKinley et al knew the amount of money the city was requesting. Yet, he waited until the 11th hour to not only start protesting this, and to get his loan from LiveNation?

They are left with nothing because they have put the profits into their pockets. This is justice for an organization that has been abusing it's non-profit status for years and alienating the local businesses by capitalizing on bringing in bigger businesses from other neighborhoods such as Long Beach. Michael McKinely has become a profit monger who has lost his way from the original point of this NEIGHBORHOOD festival.

This illustrates why people should be concerned about "public-private" partnerships and the trend toward having public services run by non-profits. The non-profits that are awarded contracts with the City have a track record of insider connections to politicians and poor management with little or no accountability.

First of All! McKinley, Stop being a coward! Answer your calls!Here is Michael's Lawyer's info 626.578.0602 William. He said he is in contact with Michael and will make sure he gets his messages! Maybe Mr. William needs to be visited by all the vendors who want their money back!!!! Maybe if we blow up his phone he will see how big the issue really is!

A VENDOR Investigating for my MONEY!!!!

Sunset Junction Responds to LA Weekly Article "Sunset Junction's Failed Mission": The Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance was founded by a group of people who had been involved in organizing the first march in Washington, DC for lesbian and gay rights in October of 1979, and a similar march in Sacramento in the winter of 1980.Many of the people who participated lived in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, where there was a great deal of tension between the gay and lesbian community and the gang community. The decision was made to organize a street festival in the area to celebrate diversity and to bring these opposing forces together. The gangs were invited to attend the event. The gangs called a truce and they provided the first Security for the Sunset Junction Fair. The name "Sunset Junction" came from the corner at Santa Monica and Sunset where the Red Car stop was called "Sunset Junction". Micheal Mckinley was one person of this group. He alone did not found Sunset Junction. There has never been 250,000 attendees at the Sunset Junction Fair. Sunset Junction did not shift from community groups to corporations. Many community groups are in attendance at the festival and they continue their outreach. The corporations have been attracted to the festival because of it's demographics and popularity. One group has not been excluded to make room for the other group. All groups have been invited to participate, if they choose to do so. The 2011 admission price of $25 was increased on August 1, 2011 from $20, in order to help pay for the high city fees being charged to the fair. Sunset Junction paid $23,000 in fees its 28th year; fees were not charged the 29th year, and four days before the 2010 event marking the 30th year, organizers were told they owed $263,000 before the street closure approval could be made. This is more than a quarter of a million dollars leveled at a non-profit who previously paid less in fees. It is ten times more than any other comparable citywide event. It is more than the Hollywood Bowl pays for a year of street closures and police and its more than the Oscars pay for their street closures and security. *Public record backs this up. The advance ticket price for Sunset Junction is $15 a day and a special advance purchase promotion ran offering a weekend pass for $15. Additionally, free admission is always given to kids 12-years-old and younger and to senior citizens who are 65-years of age and older. Sunset Junction also provides 5,000 free wristbands to the community to attend for free and 1,000 wristbands to the business owners to attend for free. The city charges for the 2011 fair were $142,000. Sunset Junction did provide documented proof of funds that could have potentially allowed the festival to move forward this year. This included a substantial loan from a well established corporate music entity that should have removed any doubt as to the issue of payment of 2011 fees. Sunset Junction legal informed the Board of Public Works on 8/23 that a corporate loan had been secured. The date marks one day prior to the 8/24 hearing that would decide the fate of city permits. Micheal McKinley was at Chase Bank the morning of the 8/24 hearing to administer deposit of and transfer of funds. Sunset Junction contracts with Groove Tickets as a third party handling tickets onsite at the festival and in advance of the fair. All ticket sales are accounted for. The tax records of Sunset Junction are public record. Sunset Junction filed an extension for 2010 in order to allow the organization the time necessary to produce the 2011 fair. In the 30 years of producing the Sunset Junction Fair, the organization has always received its city permits close to the festival date. The city does not issue permits for street closures a year prior, nor even months prior. All of Sunset Junction activities are designed to be a part of our youth program. We are trying to empower the youth in the neighborhood in which they live and to provide work and life opportunities that they may not ordinarily receive. Our staff works with 50- to- 60 youth at a local high school to coordinate the last period sports program. Our youth and staff operate our farmer's market which takes place on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Our youth and staff also work for one year to produce the annual street fair and they also staff it accordingly. Like every other business or organization, Sunset Junction is not immune to the current economic downturn. Every business and organization fluctuates from year-to-year depending on many variables that effect the economy and that are out of our control. Sunset Junction also disputes Amanda Becker's statement that we pay $12,000 for a lobbyist and needy kids get $500 as completely inaccurate. During the 8/22 Board of Public Works hearing numerous at risk youth who have utilized Sunset Junction's youth programs returned that support by speaking on behalf of the fair and its positive impact on their lives. The majority in attendance at the BOPW hearing on 8/22 spoke in support of Sunset Junction. We are not clear on what facts allowed Ms. Becker to determine this numerical equation of monies going to the program's at risk youth. Ms. Becker also did not balance her news report with any Sunset Junction supporters. She interviewed only one Sunset Junction supporter but did not include this viewpoint in her news report. On the other hand, the same Sunset Junction detractors continue to be quoted in news reports with many reports failing to include the pro-Sunset Junction opinion. Sunset Junction also disputes the Silverlake Neighborhood Council's claim that they reached out to Sunset Junction many times. When the Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance did make a presentation to the Silverlake Neighborhood Council with handouts regarding the organization's year-round work, the documents were tossed on the floor in a show of mockery. This does not convey the actions of a professional group that is looking to build any type of amicable working relationship with the Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance. In closing, while Sunset Junction understands and respects the importance of news reporting for the community, credible journalism should always include the reporting of both sides of an issue. Credible journalism does not represent a highly repetitive one-sided account that continuously relies on the same sources for quotations. Thank you for your time and attention.

Micheal McKinley

Here's a crock of s*** for all you bands to that have to deal with this skank. From the L.A. Times last friday; "Jennifer Tefft, who's helped book the festival since 2001, slotted themajority of the acts for 2011, her biggest influence on the festivalyet. "I really feel for every single person affected by this," she said."If I had known that [organizer Michael McKinley] didn't have a permitin place, I wouldn't have approached these bands." Does anyone believe she did not know how much trouble the fest was in?

Here's a crock of s*** for all you bands to that have to deal with this skank. From the L.A. Times last friday; "Jennifer Tefft, who's helped book the festival since 2001, slotted themajority of the acts for 2011, her biggest influence on the festivalyet. "I really feel for every single person affected by this," she said."If I had known that [organizer Michael McKinley] didn't have a permitin place, I wouldn't have approached these bands." Does anyone believe she did not know how much trouble the fest was in?

Here's a crock of s*** for all you bands to that have to deal with this skank. From the L.A. Times last friday; "Jennifer Tefft, who's helped book the festival since 2001, slotted themajority of the acts for 2011, her biggest influence on the festivalyet. "I really feel for every single person affected by this," she said."If I had known that [organizer Michael McKinley] didn't have a permitin place, I wouldn't have approached these bands." Does anyone believe she did not know how much trouble the fest was in?

WHERE is my refund for the tickets I purchased ahead of time to attend the festival?! Whatever numbers are public on the accounting does not necessarily reflect what what really received and anyone who believes those numbers is naive.

If people want to know why McKinley would act so arrogant and be a general prick to folks who have businesses in the immediate area of SJ (and even to members of bands playing the fest, from what I've heard) despite community concerns and whispers about where the money was going, let alone plan a huge festival without getting the proper permits from the city, you only have to look at the fact that these issues have been big for a long time now (L.A. Weekly wrote an article ten years ago highlighting some of these same concerns about him and his "charity"!) and yet nothing was done until now.

This is a typical situation of our city council inattention to a problem untill the last minute, The festival has been collecting a hefty admission charge for several years, this has been a sore spot for local shops being deprived of business due to the closing of Sunset blvd. So money has been collected and why just now at the last minute does the city council raise a stink? The issue should have been pressed long ago.The inattention to the Silverlake communities needs are quite obvious all you need do is take a walk down sunset blvd south of Sunset and Hollywood blvd. The closed Circuit City lot used by the Children's Hospital for parking is a fenced in lot, The so called Bates Motel continues to be an eyesore filled with homeless and graffiti, the corner of sunset and fountain bus stop has become a homeless encampment for the last 6 months. repeated calls to the city have been ignored. Who are responsible? Councilmen Eric Garcetti and Tom Lebonge both share the Silverlake district and if they would come down from thier penthouse offices on the corner of Hollywood and Vine and visit the communities bad spots once in a while when the cameras aren't rolling they might be able to help us.