JENA SLIPP as Eliza sings “Wouldn’t It be Loverly” in “My Fair Lady” at the Rose Center in Westminster (RCT photo).
By Jim Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune
An unusual special meeting on a Thursday for the Westminster City Council produced one unusual result – reversal of a decision made just last month and one typical one – skirmishing between Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen and Councilmember Carlos Manzo.
What came out of the two hour-plus session was a 4-0 vote (Councilmember Amy Phan West was absent) to extend for six months the Friends of Rose Center Theater group’s contract to operate the 415-seat facility in the Civic Center to the end of June 2026.
Another extension could be granted if the planned requests for proposals from other potential operators of the theater wasn’t ready.
If the RFP wasn’t ready after the fourth month of that extension, there would be the option for the council to extend it again for an additional three months.
Additionally, the current operators would pay $5000 per month.
“Although we agreed [tonight] to this we didn’t get exactly what the consultant’s recommendations were,” said the mayor, “which was for $5200 a month and $2 per seat charge so the city is still going to take a loss.”
He was referring to a consultant’s recommendation for a new contract for the FRCT.
Earlier, Manzo rebutted the mayor’s comments about “the loss” the city takes for providing services to operate the theater, such as maintenance. “What about the parks?” he asked. “That’s a service to the public. How about the Tet Festival Parade? We spent money on that.”
Thursday’s action by the council undid a decision on Nov. 12 to end the Friends’ management of the Rose by the end of the year.
Categories: Westminster
This is a positive update, but the underlying situation at the Rose Center still feels precarious. The three-month extension for its operators is a welcome lifeline, especially for the seniors and families who rely on its services, but it’s a very short-term solution. The fact that the county had to step in with emergency funding again highlights how fragile the funding model for these community centers is.
The real question that isn’t fully answered is: what’s the long-term plan? The operators are staying “for a while,” but the article mentions they are still in talks with the county about a “more permanent arrangement.” It makes you wonder what sustainable funding or partnership could be established to prevent this same crisis from happening again in a few months. The center is clearly vital—its services like meals and bingo are a social lifeline—so finding a stable solution feels urgent.