Fwd: Los Angeles arts in crisis. We need action!

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. Click here to view the agenda packet. 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 90012 Dear 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 Venice Arts is supported by generous contributions from foundation, corporate, and individual supporters, members of our BUSINESS ART CIRCLE, and: WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW: Click below to send a letter Online: You can write a letter online via the Arts for LA website. You can also contact your councilmember's office directly, via the Cityof Los Angeles website. Motion #56  to the Budget and Finance Committee was presented by council members: Eric Garcetti Jan Perry Dennis Zine Bernard Parks Greig Smith Paul Krekorian. If these are council members in your district, please consider letting them know how much you support the Arts in Los Angeles.