Merger Opponents Gain Power, but It Has a Price

As part of agreements reached Thursday to merge the Newport Harbor and Laguna art museums as the Orange County Museum of Art, the Laguna museum’s present home will stay open as an branch, co-managed by the new museum and a nonprofit corporation.

The Laguna Art Museum Heritage Corp.--which will include artists, Laguna museum members and others who had opposed the merger--will have almost complete access to the 3,800-piece Laguna museum collection and veto power over sales.

But as of March 31, Heritage also will be responsible for two-thirds of the Laguna operation’s annual budget, projected at $400,000.

Some say they doubt that Heritage can generate its share of the money without city help, and the Laguna Beach City Council--which opposes the merger--has tabled consideration of new taxes to subsidize the branch.

In any case, if after five years either the Orange County Museum or Heritage wants out, Heritage would take ownership of the building and collection, and the two parties would split Laguna’s $2-million endowment.

But before the corporation could be entrusted with such assets, it “will have to prove that it has the ability to fund [the museum] and implement the appropriate professional practices of [accredited] art museum management,” said Laguna museum president Gilbert LeVasseur, a corporate merger specialist who has been the present deal’s catalyst.

If the corporation is deemed unfit, care of the museum and collection would be turned over to the City of Laguna Beach, providing it meets the same standards, LeVasseur said. The new museum always retains access to the artworks, however.