Owner explains reasons for selling Antioch’s historic El Campanil Theatre
Community meeting gets heated after pastor, congregants invited in; false accusations made of carrying guns; claim of a police report filed
Protest march to City Hall proposed; City staff looking for possible clause in original 2003 purchase agreement
By Allen D. Payton
Following public outcry after learning a church has purchased the 98-year-old building that houses the historic El Campanil Theatre in Antioch’s downtown Rivertown, the current owner shared his reasons for selling. In addition, a community meeting held there, Tuesday night, got heated between residents and the pastor and some members of his Legendary Movement Church who attended unexpectedly.
Sold Because Theater Was Going to Close, Then on Month-to-Month Lease
When reached with questions about his sale of the El Campanil Theatre building, current owner Tung Bui, who lives in Washington state, offered his reasons.
“I bought the theater for the purpose of the arts. I have friends who live in Danville and we go to shows nearby. I am a consultant to Rick on the business side in wireless operations,” he shared, referring to the foundation’s former executive director, Rick Carraher who led the effort to raise the funds to buy and renovate the building, and then led that effort, as well. He and his wife, Janis, were the original owners of Rick’s on Second restaurant that was located across the street from the theater. Rick Carraher served as the theater’s executive director until he resigned in 2021 when the couple moved out of state but remained on the board of directors. He is no longer has a role with the theater or board.
“Since then, they have brought in three different chairs and Sharon is the latest, and have had a lot of staff changes,” Bui said. Sharon Sobel Idul is the current president of the Board of Directors of the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation which leases most of the building and operates the theater.
“Last year I spoke with the foundation board,” he continued. “They’re the ones who said they didn’t have the funds to operate until the end of the year.”
Last October, the theater board began another fundraising campaign to cover the costs of operations without sharing the amount they needed. The board then announced a progress report in March that they had exceeded their $50,000 goal writing, “As of March 25, 2026, a total of $65,190 has been raised from 411 gifts.” They kept going with a “City of Stars – A Dance Gala to Keep the Arts Thriving in Antioch,” in collaboration with Black Diamond Ballet on April 18th. They’re still raising funds through the theater’s website, today.
But the board never informed the public the building was for sale nor held a fundraising campaign to purchase it, to the dismay of members of the public who expressed it during Tuesday night’s meeting and on social media.
“We’re on a month-to-month lease. I don’t want to own a property where the theater isn’t going to be,” Bui stated. “Who runs a commercial building on a month-to-month basis?”
“I gave them free rent for the first year and then gave them a sweetheart deal because I wanted them to recover,” he shared. “I didn’t raise rents for a certain period of time.”
“They told me they were going to shut down by the end of the year,” Bui reiterated.
Asked about the church buying the building he said, “We had several buyers. I turned down a ton of buyers. I didn’t want someone to buy it and tear it down. I wanted a buyer to have a consistent use of the property. The church wanted to keep it the way it is. They’re going to use it for Sunday mornings and Wednesday night Bible study.”
“As a matter of courtesy, I discussed this with Sharon before I accepted the offer. She knew about it,” said Bui.
“I put it on the market with an agent, Michael Temby. I don’t want to own it,” Bui shared. “My agent approached the City early on.”
“Then they (the board) came back to me at the end (of the fundraising effort) and said they can operate it and asked if I would go on a month-to-month. That’s a death sentence,” he stated. “Even if I could back out (of offering it for sale), I couldn’t because I had a contract with a listing for a certain duration.”
Asked if he owned other commercial properties, Bui said, “Not at all. This would be the first and only property I own. I’m not a commercial guy. I only bought it because of my relationship with Rick. I’m an electrical engineer.”
He then suggested this reporter speak with Temby. However, in response to efforts to speak with the Discovery Bay-based Realtor, he said, “I have no comments at this time while we’re in escrow. Happy to answer any questions after escrow closes.” According to Herrera, that will be on Sept. 29th.
El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation Shares Community Update on Potential Sale
UPDATE 2: On August 20th, Sobel Idul emailed a press release about the potential sale of the theater building (which the Herald unfortunately missed until Thursday, Sept. 3rd).
She wrote, “The El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation (ECTPF) would like to provide some clarity to our community regarding recent conversations about the future of the El Campanil Theatre property.
“ECTPF is a tenant of the theatre property, which is owned by an out-of-state landlord. We are aware of the potential sale of the property and of fundraising efforts being circulated online by a potential buyer. Those efforts are independent of ECTPF and do not reflect the mission of our organization and it is unlikely that we would be able to continue to provide theatre programming at El Campanil Theatre if they acquire the space.
“El Campanil Theatre has been part of this community for nearly a century and we understand how deeply people care about its future. We share that commitment. El Campanil Theatre is a historic gem that should remain as an arts and cultural hub. We hope the city, our community, and artists alike can come together to help maintain our mission, if not we will no longer be able to continue our arts management in this space.
“For now, our focus remains on operating the theatre, welcoming audiences and community organizations, supporting the artists and renters who bring this stage to life, and continuing to be a gathering place for Antioch and the surrounding region.
“Please view a list of our upcoming events here: www.ElCampanilTheatre.com.”
Community Conversation Becomes Confrontation with Congregation
After Tuesday night’s “Save our Stage: A Community Conversation”, Rivertown business owner Mike Gabrielson, a former Board President of the Antioch Chamber of Commerce, shared a comment about the meeting on the Antioch Herald’s Facebook page, below the post of Tuesday’s article that broke the news the building had sold. He wrote, “I was at the meeting tonight put on by the El Campanil and and it was going great. People were sharing old stories, how much the El Campanil meant to them, sharing how we need to keep the arts alive in our city. Suddenly when the news crew left, the Pastor Eli Herrera from Legendary Church showed up with about 50 people. They barged in and he shared his vision for the El Campanil Theatre which didn’t really include current El Campanil Programing or as he put it ” Legendary plans on putting on it’s own shows and performances and hopes that the El Campanil will stay on as a tenant as long as they can work around their programming…. it’s pretty clear what that means. This is super sad for our community and a final nail in the coffin to our Downtown Economy. Please join us Tuesday Sept 8th 6pm for a friendly protest in front of El Campanil Theatre and a March to City Hall to ask our Council and Mayor to support Saving the El Campanil.. Save Our Stage!”
One person who attended said Jose Cordón, Antioch’s poet laureate tried to prevent the pastor and church members from entering the meeting and they pushed past him and the pastor was acting like he was going to be the savior of Rivertown. Another person who owns a business in Antioch and attended but chose not to be identified said, Cordón was being interviewed by the media outside and invited the pastor into the meeting. That person also said someone came at the pastor and another person in attendance complained that one of the pastor’s men had a gun, that Cordón ended up taking over the meeting and tried to de-escalate things.
In a post on the page of the Facebook group Antioch Rants and Raves, another Rivertown business owner, Erin Green-Astone wrote, “I don’t have any words right now. I’m angry that it evolved the way it did. The church members and pastor showed up late to the meeting and shifted the tone greatly. We have passionate folks in Antioch. I hate that it devolved into what it did. I hate more that they brought concealed weapons into the theater and potentially put others at risk. I’m not sure how to heal this community after seeing that.”
Pastor Responds
However, the pastor and the leader of the Downtown Antioch Association who attended Tuesday night’s meeting refuted most of that information, while Cordón confirmed some of it.
Herrera, who said on Tuesday he wasn’t going to attend the community meeting, said Wednesday morning in an audio file sent by text to the Herald, “I’m sure you’re seeing all the news buzzing all over Facebook and online in regards to me and…well, our church goes and prays every Tuesday outside (the theater). I got basically asked and begged to go into that meeting and I said I would do it in a peaceful way. I go in there and it wasn’t peaceful. A guy, named Mr. Cordón, turns the whole audience on me. Very, very misleading. Then in the middle of that, a woman tries to come forward and come at me, physically. Then another man that I found out, named Frank Sterling, comes at me trying to attack me from my back and my men that I had with me. Not only men. I had families, my wife and children were there, all of our families were there. We were there praying outside, and my men stepped up and guarded me. There was no guns. There was no weapons. We have everything recorded.”
“So, I just wanted to share that with you because you’re going to see a lot of stuff buzzing all over the Antioch Rants and all this stuff, which is all lies,” Herrera continued.
“I heard they made a police report after we left. Not sure why they did that. They’re the ones who were attacking us,” he said with a chuckle.
“This is getting out of hand. I wanted to work with the theater operations people. They just, they don’t seem friendly enough to work with,” Herrera stated. “And so, this is very sad.”
Asked about the claims that he and his church members “barged in” and about someone coming at him and that one of his men had a gun, Herrera said, “It was a gentleman who stormed at me. But I just seen he did an apology on Facebook. Frank Sterling.”
“Nobody had a gun,” he emphasized. “We didn’t barge in. We were outside praying and they said, ‘hey, we would love for you to speak.’ So, I got invited into the building. And the 50 people were – we didn’t barge in – it was families. We had kids, mothers, strollers. So, it wasn’t like we barged in to fight. We walked in as family and as a church. It was unfortunate, the whole thing.”
The pastor then reiterated, “For the record, we were invited in by, I believe his name is Jose Cordón, he is a poet, I believe for the city. He is the one that invited us in and said he would love for me to talk and address the crowd and that’s exactly what I did. And then I got attacked and so, then we walked out. We left. We weren’t there to fight. We have footage to prove it. The gentleman came at me, and all our people did was protect their pastor.”
Downtown Antioch Association Leader Offers Her Perspective on Meeting
Asked her perspective on what occurred, Debbie Blaisure, leader of the Downtown Antioch Association, who attended the community meeting at the theater said, “Jose was de-escalating and the pastor came in with members of his congregation. He had his wife and children with him. He was very articulate and very respectful. He was not cocky. He said I am a businessman and a man of God. As a tenant if I have church on Sunday and a performance is on Sunday the church will have priority.”
“I was right there in the front row,” she continued. “He was standing in front of the stage. There was a woman from the audience who said she hadn’t been in the building for 45 years who came at him. That’s what started the whole thing. Some of the pastor’s men from the church stepped in to protect him and then Frank Sterling came from the other side. The congregation circled the pastor. Frank was on the other side. The pastor was the one who was almost attacked. There’s an entire video of the whole thing.”
Asked about others who attended Blaisure shared, “It was a lot of longtime residents telling stories of their experiences with the theater. Someone asked, ‘are they going to shoot old people?’ It was asinine. There was no one with any guns.”
About the proposed protest march she said, “The City has nothing to do with this.”
Regarding the foundation board’s efforts to raise funds for operations that began last year Blaisure said, “I tried to help them. The DAA gave them $3,000 from the fashion show and I told them I could use it to challenge the other businesses to help raise the rest. The theater needed $350,000. The Historical Society raised $150,000 for the (Unity) Bell. So, we could have raised the money. “ Actually, the amount raised in cash was $85,000 and the total, including in-kind donations, was about $106,000.
“But Sharon didn’t want to scare the public, so the board didn’t want to tell the truth. That would have been an opportunity for fundraising and they didn’t use it,” she stated.
“I’m hoping that the theater and the downtown businesses can work with the new owner and, in collaboration, be included in our new efforts for downtown Rivertown restoration. The pastor said he was going to,” Blaisure added.
Antioch’s Poet Laureate Confirms He Invited in Pastor, “Just a Few” Church Members, Tried to De-Escalate
When reached to verify the information said about him, Cordón said, “I did invite the pastor in for the Community Conversation. I think people should hear his story and what to do. But I also said is I didn’t think all of his members there should have come in. Just a few members. I also did try to de-escalate it.”
“Unfortunately, it became confrontational rather than productive, a conversation and an open dialogue,” he added.
Asked if he thought anything good came out of last night Cordón said, “I think that it can. I think if we sit down and get past it for the benefit of Antioch. If we can demonstrate we can still work together, I think that’s positive. I’m open to continue the conversation to make Antioch.”
“One of the first things that Sharon did was apologize. She recognizes the theater made mistakes. Having some recognition of that is good,” he continued. “What I would love to do is to continue the conversation and figure out how to work together. Whatever is best for Rivertown and Antioch.”
He hosted two shows at the theater, “completely free to the public,” Cordón shared. “I flew in people from out of town. I got them hotel stays at the hotel by Auto Center Drive. ‘Poetic Experience’ was the name of the show.”
Regular Council Commenter Apologizes for Behavior
In a post on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Sterling, who regularly speaks during public comments at city council meetings, wrote, “I lost my cool at the meeting last night.. My apologies to everyone. That is not how we should all interact. Whatever/However you see the situation leading up to this moment. It is not the way to handle it. My apologies again.”
Other Comments from Community Members Who Attended Meeting
When reached for comment, former councilwoman and current District 1 council candidate Joy Motts who also attended Tuesday night’s meeting said, “I would have been screaming from the rafters if I knew it was for sale. How did we get here? Why did we not know? Why didn’t the Council talk about this to let us know what was happening here? Nobody knew.”
“There were people crying,” she said about some of those in attendance.
“This is a tragedy for downtown,” Motts continued. “I have nothing against this church. There are so many other vacant, empty buildings in town, than to take away this arts and cultural venue that means so much to so many.”
“People are upset that they didn’t know. I’m upset that I didn’t know,” she stated.
Regarding the building’s seller notifying the foundation’s board chair, Motts asked rhetorically, “Did he give her a chance? Let them know he had an offer to give them the opportunity?”
In a post on her Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon, Rivertown business owner and Antioch Historical Society member, Carla Baker Marymee wrote, “I generally don’t rant on Facebook. This time is an exception.
“Last night’s ‘Community Conversation’ at El Campanil Theatre was supposed to be about saving one of Antioch’s most cherished historic landmarks — a nearly 100‑year‑old symbol of culture, community, and riverfront pride. Instead, it became something none of us expected.
“The Antioch Herald reported that a church has already raised $306.500 toward the $1.5 million purchase price, and that the sale is in escrow, closing Sept. 29, 2026. That alone shocked many of us. But what happened inside the theatre was worse.
“Patrons, artists, renters, business owners, and neighbors showed up to ask questions and stand together for the arts in Antioch. We came in good faith. We came to protect a landmark that belongs to the community.
“Then the discussion was interrupted.
“The pastor — the reported buyer — arrived with roughly two dozen members of his congregation. The atmosphere shifted instantly. Tension rose. A confrontation broke out in front of the stage between the pastor, several congregants, and residents. It was chaotic, frightening, and deeply upsetting. I left because I felt unsafe.
“This theatre never should have been sold in the first place.
“El Campanil was purchased in 2003 by the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation with a $500,000 Calpine grant, $750,000 in City redevelopment funds, and $1 million raised under the leadership of Rick Carraher. It was a community triumph — a promise that this building would remain a cultural anchor for Antioch.
“But after COVID, financial struggles led to a quiet sale to an out‑of‑state buyer. Almost no one knew. And now we’re watching a second sale unfold that feels rushed, opaque, and completely out of alignment with what the community wants.
“Let’s be clear: This is not about being ‘against churches’. It’s about protecting a historic cultural space that has served Antioch for nearly a century. There are countless other locations for a church to thrive. This theatre is unique, irreplaceable, and central to Rivertown’s identity.
“A $1.5 million price tag for a building of this significance? That’s not an opportunity — it’s a giveaway.
“If the buyer truly ‘loved Antioch,’ he would understand that forcing this sale through — especially after last night’s confrontation — will leave a permanent scar. The community will not forget what happened. And the building will never be embraced as a church. Because this isn’t about faith. It’s about a real‑estate investment.
“I am praying — truly praying — that local investors step in immediately to save El Campanil and return it to the community that built it, funded it, and loves it.
“Antioch deserves better. Our history deserves better. And this theatre deserves to remain what it has always been: the cultural heart of Rivertown.”
No Seller Carry-Back Financing
While the church has raised the necessary 20 percent downpayment of $306,500, it was reported by the Antioch business owner in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting that someone expressed the belief that the sale can be stopped because it includes seller carry-back financing for the balance of the approximate $1.5 million purchase price. However, when asked about that, Herrera said, “The seller is not carrying the balance. We got a loan.”
Willing to Sell Back Building to Foundation if Church Outgrows Theater Space in Future
Asked if, in a few years, the church outgrows the theater building what are the plans Herrera said, “We’ll have to find a bigger space.”
Asked would the church then be willing to sell the building back to the foundation to once again own and operate it as the theater he said, “If in the future the Lord allows that to happen it could be a possibility.”
City’s Role
While some people in the community would like the City to somehow step in and prevent the sale, as previously reported, the City can’t stop the church from buying the building or locating there based on federal law, known as RLUIPA, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000. That protects “individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking laws.”
Yet, since Antioch’s current Mayor Pro Tem and District 3 Councilman Don Freitas was instrumental in securing the $500,000 donation from the Calpine energy company to purchase the building back in 2003 when he was mayor, as well as the $750,000 from the City’s redevelopment agency to help renovate the theater, he was asked about the agreement with the foundation’s board. Some people are looking to that as a possible way to nullify the sale, as they, like Marymee, claim the foundation shouldn’t have sold the building to a private party three years ago.
On the History page of the theater’s website it shows, “In July 2002, El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation was incorporated as a charitable, non-profit 501(c)3 organization. In early 2003, Calpine Corporation and the City of Antioch entered into an agreement whereby the Foundation received a grant to acquire the Theatre.”
Freitas was asked if he remembers if in that agreement there was a clause that required the foundation to sell the building to the City in some kind of right-of-first-refusal?
“I don’t recall that specific detail (but it certainly would be like me to require it in the agreement),” he responded. “Acting City Manager Ana Cortez told me she understands that may be correct and has been endeavoring to ascertain if it is true. I would suggest you directly contact her regarding this matter.”
Questions were emailed Wednesday night to both Cortez and City Attorney Lori Asuncion asking if such a clause in the agreement exists or if there was anything else in the agreement that gave some form of rights to the City since redevelopment funds were used for the building’s renovation after it was purchased.
Yet, whether or not such a clause exists or rights were retained, the sale of the building by the foundation to a private owner in 2023 might have severed that portion of the agreement.
Efforts to reach Board Chair Sobel Idul for a response to what Bui and others said, were unsuccessful prior to publication time. A call to one member of the Board of Directors, Ron Yarolimek, was also unsuccessful. A voicemail message was left for him requesting a return call, for Sobel Idul’s phone number or for him to pass on this reporter’s phone number to her to call.
UPDATE 1: Yarolimek responded Thursday morning with, “I passed on the information to Sharon. She’s making all public comments for El Campanil” and provided her theater foundation email address.
An email was sent late Wednesday morning to Sobel Idul asking for comment and with questions.
Please check back later for any additional updates to this report.
the attachments to this post:
Erin Green-Astone’s FB post 090226
Carla Baker Marymee FB post 090226
ECT Save Our Stage FB post
Mike Gabrielson comment on ECT 090126
Frank Sterling’s FB post 090226
El Campanil Theatre listing
