SCIFI

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(Did you mean a Florida club?)

SCIFI, the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in the 1980s by Bruce Pelz and others, ran the last three LA Worldcons, L.A.con II, L.A.con III and L.A.con IV. It announced the Los Angeles in 2026 Worldcon bid at SMOFcon in 2020. Its name, pronounced "skiffy," is a play on the dreaded sci-fi and a nod to its coiner, beloved LA BNF Forry Ackerman.

The organization has an odd membership structure with a large board (25 members) which wields complete power within the organization. The Board is elected annually. Because the Board is so large, it functions more like a club than a more traditional board of directors. SCIFI is unrelated to LASFS, though the two organizations have many members in common.

After LACon II, it was criticized for keeping too much of its profits and putting them to local uses, such as air-conditioning the LASFS Clubhouse, and subsequently became more active at distributing money and publicizing the fact.

It has also run the 1989 Westercon - Conosaurus, the 1994 Westercon - Conozoic, the 1999 NASFiC - Conucopia and the 2002 Westercon - Conagerie and several World Fantasy Conventions.

It sponsors the Rotsler Award and the Fan Gallery.

SCIFI Press, its small press, published only one book, A Wealth of Fable by Harry Warner, Jr., in 1992.


Club
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