Venice Arts needs your help. Click here to help online with a letter or show up to the meeting tonight that is listed below.
From Venice Arts:
Take Action Now. Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs is in Jeopardy.
TOMORROW: On Wednesday, February 3rd, L.A. City Council’s Budget & Finance Committee will put forward a motion to dissolve Cultural Affairs.
We are inviting the community to an open forum discussion.
Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Time: 8:00pm – 11:00pm
Location: 132 S. Beaudry Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012Dear friends and supporters,
As you may already know, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs is being threatened with catastrophic budget and staff cuts. Staff reductions of 24-48% have been proposed, as well as the total elimination of the $2.2 million in grants that the Department awards annually. This includes grants that have been awarded for the rest of this year, which may include funding for Venice Arts. In addition, the City of Los Angeles Budget and Finance Committee has put forward a motion that could eliminate any obligation to fund the Department of Cultural Affairs at all.
We don’t have to tell you about the valuable programs and organizations that will be adversely affected by this action. The arts in Los Angeles are a 14.8 billion dollar industry. For every dollar spent by the Department of Cultural Affairs, eight dollars are generated directly in jobs for artists and businesses. This doesn’t even take into account the value of the arts to society overall.
If you have any questions about the value of the Department’s programs view Alex’s story, as only one example of the potential impact of arts engagement in a young person’s life.
Special thanks to Angel’s Gate Cultural Center for their advocacy in this effort.
We need your help and we need it now!
Yours Sincerely,
Venice Arts Staff
