New information is emerging about San Diego Opera's apparent death knell, according to The Los Angeles Times, to wit:
* The company has been spending at least $15 million a year to mount four productions at the 3,000-seat Civic Theatre, with box office returns of just over $5 million a year.
* There is increasing controversy about general manager Ian Campbell's compensation, which has long topped $500,000 a year.
* Carlos Cota, a stagehands union representative, said "The only way forward is with new leadership." He said Campbell and other leaders "have lost faith and are continuing to push to shut the organization down."
* "A faction of the board, which has close to 60 members, has succeeded in getting the closure postponed by two weeks," says the Times story, but neither it nor any other coverage accounts for the difference between the 60-member figure and the vote of 33-1 for shutting down the company. The opera website does not list board members.