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Search Great Leap Arts Advocacy Home News Programs Artists Booking Calendar About GL Community Site Map Contact us Mailing list Supporters Board Staff Photo Gallery Online Survey Message Board Rice, Frijoles, Greens Grain of Sand Grain Reunion Concert To All Relations Victory for Los Angeles Arts Community By Danielle Brazell Today is a day of victory for the Los Angeles Arts Community. Over the past few months we have worked together to save our Cultural Affairs department from catastrophic budget cuts. At yesterdays Finance Budget Meeting, our City Council upheld an important standard while being faced with a 5-million dollar shortfall: The arts will not be compromised. The City Council, with recommendations from the Mayors Task Force on the Arts and a tremendous lobby and grassroots effort unanimously voted to protect the 1% TOT (Transit & Occupancy Tax) and restore the proposed $1.4 million in General Fund monies to the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. Antonio Villaraigosa made the lead motion. He delivered on his own commitment to the cultural vitality of Los Angeles and applied the necessary staff resources to find the money. Wendy Greuel, Martin Ludlow, Eric Garcetti, Tom LaBonge and Bernard Parks all stepped up to the plate and voted in favor of Villaraigosa’s motions. This paved the way for the others to follow suite. Had it not been for the collective efforts of the arts community to mobilize and take action, CAD would have received substantial budget cuts that would have impacted cultural services across the city and set the agency up for imminent failure. As it stands, the agency is taking a cut, but it is much less and much more on par with other agencies (from 11.8 to approximately 10 million). It is so rare that we as a community have the opportunity to taste this sort of success. We generally get to experience it through art – which is satisfaction enough. So, as you pat yourself on the back, please take a moment to call, fax or email the City Council, especially those who listened to the concerns of their community, took a stand and upheld the standard for art and culture in Los Angeles and let them know just how pleased you are with their work. Following through on this important detail will help to keep the City Council on the side of the Arts. Congratulations again! http://www.lacity.org/council.htm Updated: 5/20/04

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