Sen. Ted W. Lieu today announced his appointment as chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Arts.

The California Arts Council announced last week it received $2 million in one-time funds from the 2013 State Assembly operating budget.  Assembly Speaker John Pérez made the allocation from his own discretionary fund. Pérez represents the 53rd Assembly District, covering much of Los Angeles (Boyle Heights, Downtown, Koreatown, Westlake)

AB 580, the California State Assembly bill to fund the California Arts Council with $75 million for the upcoming fiscal year, failed to pass out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee during the current legislative session.

The Los Angeles City Council moved one step closer to passing an official resolution in support of AB 580, the California Assembly bill that would fund the California Arts Council with $75 million dollars for the next fiscal year.

The California Arts Council welcomed guests from throughout Los Angeles County to a special “listening session” focused on helping the state art agency craft a strategic plan to guide its growth and development.

The California Arts Council, which provides grants and support for arts education programs to organizations throughout the state, seeks input from residents of Los Angeles County at Tuesday's "listening tour" stop at the Autry National Center in Griffith Park.  The meeting will run 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Questions for you to consider before attending include:

AB 580, a bill introduced by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian to fund the California Arts Council with $75 million annually, has passed through the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Media, an important step toward a vote on the floor of the Assembly.

The California Arts Council announced over $650,000 in grants to arts organizations statewide as part of its “Creating Public Value” grant program.  Nineteen organizations in Los Angeles County will receive a total of $168,000 in support.

The California Arts Council wants to know more about how creative industry affects the state of California’s overall economy and will get its answers the annual Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region expands to include the entire state.

The California Arts Council is in the midst of a campaign to get one million California drivers to adopt the special “Arts Plate” for their automobiles.  All proceeds from the plate sales go the Arts Plate Fund, which supports K-12 arts education programs throughout the state.