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Yet there is one person now in a position to block it: Eli Broad, one of the city's leading philanthropists who, at 79, finds himself again at the center of a dispute that captures the conflicting forces of wealth, philanthropy, celebrity and ego that often define Los Angeles.  Mr. Broad donated $16 million to bail out MOCA five years ago with a provision that is taking outsize importance: That it would not merge with any museum within 100 miles of its downtown flagship.

That provision, officials involved in both museums said, was aimed at the competing museum across town, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with which Mr. Broad has had a particularly contentious history.

And this latest proposal — to merge the two museums with a promise of $100 million in fund-raising to put MOCA back on course — is being advocated by Michael Govan, the head of Lacma, marking his latest high-voltage effort to upend the art world here. Mr. Govan has become an unlikely celebrity in this town of celebrities with his inventive programming at his museum. Its success has served to highlight the difficulties of MOCA, including high-profile resignations from its board of directors and mocking criticism of some of its programming, like an exhibition devoted to disco.

Mr. Broad did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.

The Lacma proposal is not the only potential arrangement being floated before MOCA. Others include one from the University of Southern California and one from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, providing Mr. Broad with some options if he wants to block it. But the Lacma proposal was notable for the positive reaction it drew in many quarters, suggesting that after months of turmoil at MOCA — including the loss of its chief curator, declining attendance and mounting fiscal distress — the environment for such a merger might be warming.

"It's time for us all to stop lamenting what could have and should have been and recognize that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," said Ann Philbin, director of the Hammer Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles. "Michael is coming to this with great thought and consideration as well as the resources and support of his board. This is not about world domination for Michael; he is really passionate about L.A. and the health and development of its cultural landscape."

Indeed, officials close to the process said that the Lacma proposal came at the request of some members of the board of trustees at MOCA, worried about an alternative proposal to have MOCA merge its operations with the University of Southern California.

Zev Yaroslavsky, a Los Angeles County supervisor, said that the merger, if embraced by the boards of both museums, could prove an ideal way to resolve the problems of MOCA and expand Los Angeles's artistic influence at a time when "this region is on a cultural and artistic roll."

"Common sense would dictate that these two institutions, if they both agreed to it, would be as good a solution as any," he said. "It would be a Los Angeles solution from two Los Angeles artistic institutions, and it would be hugely important to us."

The behind-the-scenes turmoil involving these two museums is the latest example of the often churning and competitive environment here. Mr. Broad, who has his share of fans and critics, has been at the forefront of artistic donors and has often set strict conditions for his gifts. He also has voiced his frustration to museum executives about the small ranks of city residents willing make these kind of contributions.

Mr. Govan, who came here from New York in 2006 where he was director of the Dia Art Foundation, said it was these conflicts and struggles that made the Los Angeles arts scene so dynamic now.

"Honestly, the attraction to me right now in L.A. is the turmoil, the growing pains, the newness of it all," Mr. Govan said. "It's the growing pains of a cultural metropolis and a culture world coming of age. It's not old and set. It's still new and it's still growing."

"You're seeing it at a formative stage," he said. "The turmoil is attractive. Eli Broad has a lot to do with it, but in a prodding way. He is responsible for helping to found MOCA. He is the one who put a contemporary art museum at Lacma, and he's the one that gave that money to MOCA. We need more Eli Broads."

The big question is what Mr. Broad will do now.

Edward Goldman, the host of the show "Art Talk" on KCRW, the National Public Radio station here, said that given the history, Mr. Broad would be likely to block this merger from taking place.

"He will do everything possible to make sure this proposal is killed," he said. "He doesn't want to see his influence diminished."

But several officials suggested that Mr. Broad might not want to stand in the way if it appears there is a growing enthusiasm to a solution to this dispute. No less important, they said, is the fact that Mr. Broad is building his own museum across the street downtown from the MOCA museum, and is increasingly concerned that a downward spiral of MOCA would make it tough to draw attendees. As much as downtown Los Angeles has been on the upswing in recent years, many are still reluctant to make the trip there.

"Eli Broad has been as significant a force in bringing L.A. to where it is on the cultural map as any other individual," Mr. Yaroslavsky said. "I know Eli very well, I know he loves Los Angeles and I think that Eli will do whatever he can to make sure that L.A. is on the cutting edge of the nation's and world's artistic landscape."