Church on historic Olvera Street, city strike fee agreement

Los Angeles city officials announced a tentative agreement Wednesday to keep La Plaza United Methodist Church on historic Olvera Street operating for up to the next 30 years.

The city and church had been in contentious negotiations since 2006, when a 50-year lease that charged the church $1 per year expired. At one point, church leaders were locked out of the building.

The negotiations were about "making sure we’re fair to the taxpayers of the city of L.A., but also respecting the fact that we’re talking about generations of history at El Pueblo," said Rick Coca, a spokesman for Councilman Jose Huizar. "We’re not talking about some random storefront in a city-owned lot."

The agreement still must be approved by the city’s Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee.