Festival faces suit

Suzie Harrison

The court of public opinion has been in full session since the news

has spread throughout Laguna’s art community. Steven Brezzo, former

executive director of the Festival of Arts, filed a lawsuit against

the festival and four board members. The suit states an intolerable

work environment forced him to resign in August.

Brezzo, the first executive director in the festival’s 72-year

history, said on Wednesday that he really couldn’t elaborate on the

lawsuit, which was filed Feb. 20 in Orange County Superior Court.

It is stated in the lawsuit that he was sabotaged by four board

members, “who saw [him] as an outsider to the Laguna Beach community

who was attempting to change the artistic and political atmosphere.”

Festival of Arts marketing and public relations director Sharbie

Higuchi said the festival’s organizers are very disappointed.

“This is a sensitive legal matter that is now in the hands of the

Festival of Arts attorney who has advised us that due to the nature

of this matter, it is inappropriate to discuss,” Higuchi said.

His lawsuit alleges that board members inflicted emotional

distress, disclosed private information and undermined his policies

and programs.

“Generally there were breaches of standard policy and practice for

a nonprofit that I believe [were] perpetrated by certain members of

the board that the lawsuit will pursue,” Brezzo said. “Let a jury

decide the extent of damages.”

In the suit, the Festival of Arts is named, as are current board

members Bob Henry, David Young and Ann Webster. Former board

President Scott Moore is also named.

Brezzo explained on Thursday afternoon why he named those specific

board members in the suit.

“The specific board members named in the suit conducted a

malicious and damaging campaign against me,” Brezzo said. “Even prior

to my arrival in Laguna Beach, several of those board members

solicited information, distributed materials to the local press, met

clandestinely with members of the festival, Laguna community and the

media and knowingly spread rumors and allegations that slandered me

and sought to damage my standing in the community and at the

festival.”

He said that although he relocated into the Laguna Beach community

and purchased a home in order to be an active part of this community,

those named in the suit categorized him as an outsider and

aggressively campaigned to discredit him and his position, harm his

standing and affect his ability to pursue his livelihood.

“These members continued to knowingly and recklessly misrepresent

the positions, the goals and intent of board actions, discussions and

meetings,” Brezzo said, “and sought to foment an atmosphere of

distrust and outright hostility at the organization.”

The members named voted against his proposals on a number of

matters, including the possibility of the Pageant of the Masters

being licensed and performed in other areas.

Brezzo started with the festival in October, 2002, after Laguna

gave a collective sigh of relief with the recall of the former board

that wanted to move the pageant to San Clemente. He was hired by the

board to find new sources of revenue, generate new programs so the

grounds could be used year-round and manage renovations and

expansions of the aged facilities.

Depending on whom one talked to, he was seen as either a hero or a

villain. Besides the licensing issue of the pageant, people had their

opinion about having actress Jane Seymour exhibit without the

approval from the artists’ jury.

Others lauded implementations that happened during his short

tenure including the docent program, audio tours, the renovation of

the Forum Theater and rebuilding of the pageant’s workshops.

Anne England, long-time Laguna Beach resident and festival artist,

said that he was hired with the best intentions.

“We really could not afford him and he seemed to have an ongoing

disgruntled feeling about Laguna Beach,” England said. “I think he

was at odds with what the artists and community expected from him.”

Her reaction to the lawsuit is that she is appalled.

“He walked away from his position, nobody fired him,” England

said. “I think it’s atrocious and I’m very upset about it.”

He said in the lawsuit that the board members crossed the line by

violating his privacy interest. He said they released information

regarding alleged misconduct and also the terms of his employment,

including his $175,000 yearly salary, from his personnel file.

Though others say his salary is public record and nonprofit

organizations have to file that information with the state.

Brezzo came to Laguna Beach after serving as director of the San

Diego Museum of Art for 18 years.