Council names Ornelas, Brown to Planning Commission, okays leasing Tower Theater

All the Council voted to appoint Ornelas to his another commission term.“I move to recommend Steven Brown; he’s a local resident, born and raised in Santa Paula, who moved away, came back and has been involved in a lot of ways” that would bring perspective to community issues, said Gonzales. The full Council also approved Brown’s appointment.The Council also named Rebecca Smith to the Recreation Commission as the Youth Commissioner.The Tower Theater has been under city Redevelopment Agency ownership since the mid-1990s, when it was initially purchased to become a retail center. “Since then, the property has sat unused and unoccupied,” said City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz. Vacant prior to the purchase, the building no longer holds theater seating and was gutted by the previous owner.The 2004 update of the Downtown Implementation Plan identified the Tower Theater as the centerpiece of the Mercado area on Main Street. The plan “talks about using the Tower Theater as a centerpiece of a Latin American flavored area,” and interested parties have approached the city about leasing the building for theater, café and retail uses.“Maybe if we like what we see,” the Council, acting as RDA directors, could decide on whether or not to lease the building or even offer it for lease/purchase, said Mayor Ray Luna. Bobkiewicz said the agency would entertain a lease with uses consistent with the Downtown Plan.