Olvera Street Revival Wins Approval of Commission : Cultural: But merchants loudly decry the action, saying it could threaten the area’s Mexican heritage.

Over the raucous objections of many Olvera Street merchants, the city Recreation and Parks Commission on Monday night asked for bids to revitalize the aging tourist spot on a $30-million plan that some Chicano activists contend threatens its Mexican heritage.

The commission’s 4-0 vote was to have ended the emotional wrangling that has stalled the request for competitive bids for several months. Instead, the action prompted a new firestorm of protests from a majority of merchants and supporters that the street’s historic Mexican atmosphere is threatened by the plan.

Most of the 500 spectators who jammed the Los Angeles City Council chambers hooted, stamped their feet and clapped their hands in derision when the commission, which has authority over Olvera Street, agreed after nearly three hours of debate to amend the proposal by authorizing the restoration of a community hall and museum for Italian-Americans.

“This is simply not acceptable,” screamed Vivien Bonzo, president of the Olvera Street Merchants Assn., moments after the commission approved the plan.

Added Dr. Rodolfo Acuna, a Chicano Studies professor at Cal State Northridge: “We’re not anti-Italian. We have a Chinese museum (approved recently by the commission) at one end and now we have an Italian museum on the other.

“Who is going to stand up for us?”

The revitalization, itself, is something all sides in the debate agree that the downtown tourist attraction--which draws an estimated 2 million visitors annually--desperately needs. The run-down nature of the area, the unsafe buildings and an upswing in crime prompted city officials to craft a plan to reinvigorate Olvera Street.

Among the major features of the proposal are:

* A 4,500-auto parking garage on nearby Main Street.

* The construction of a multi-media center to replace the police substation located at the south entrance of Olvera Street.

* Modernization of the street’s buildings--including the Avila Adobe, the oldest surviving structure in the city.

But as the talk of revitalization moved from the idea stage to the proposal placed in front of the commission, loud and persistent arguments were heard over a single issue: What is the best way to preserve the street’s Mexican heritage? To those who came before the commission Monday, the question was an emotional one.

“Are we going to place the value of money before culture?” asked actor Edward James Olmos. “This thing (request for bids) reeks of somebody looking at it from money’s value.”

The comment was greeted with enthusiastic applause.

Filmmaker Luis Valdez was also showered with applause when he told the commissioners that the proposal was full of “little tricks that are meant to bring in the McDonald’s . . . to bring in Taco Bell.”

City Councilman Richard Alatorre, whose district includes Olvera Street, also supported the preservation of the street’s Mexican flavor.

“Olvera Street has always been a Mexican market place and I want it to remain that way,” he said.

But the predominantly Latino audience booed the councilman.

“We don’t trust you with our Olvera Street,” one merchant shouted. “You’ll sell us out.”

Also shouted down were supporters of the restoration of the Italian Hall, which existed in the area before Olvera Street was created 60 years ago.

Moments after the commission unanimously approved the proposal, and its amendments to restore the Italian Hall, many in the overflow audience began jeering and clapping their hands.

“You’ve sold us out,” several cried out.

Commission President J. Stanley Sanders defended the inclusion of the Italian Hall work in the project.

“It represents an important part of Los Angeles history,” he said.

During the meeting, Sanders repeatedly told the audience that the commission supported the preservation of Olvera Street’s Mexican heritage. “We’ve bought into that,” he said.

Representatives of Alatorre and Councilman Gloria Molina, who both said they did not support the Italian Hall work as part of the plan, tried to persuade Sanders to reconsider the vote. But he declined, they said.

“Not today,” he explained to a reporter.

Molina said she would consider asking the City Council to review the matter.

Under the proposal approved Monday, prospective developers have 90 days to submit bids for the work.

Olvera Street, a collection of curio shops and restaurants in the Old Plaza area, where the city was founded, was created in 1930 by historian Christine Sterling to draw tourists to a Mexican-theme market and to remind local residents of the city’s roots.