April has been an exceptionally exciting month for Arts for LA.
It started with making the annual trip to Washington DC as part of Americans for the Arts Advocacy Day. In addition to a full day of hard-core lobby training, our local delegation visited the offices of House Representatives Lucile Roybal-Allard (D-34), Senator Diane Watson (D-33) and Xavier Becerra to thank them for supporting an unprecedented increase in the NEA, NEH and Public Broadcasting and urge them to cosponsor the House Artist Deduction Bill the great traction being made at the Federal level to provide access to quality cultural experiences throughout the country.
We then hosted an Executive Arts Leaders Forum with LAUSD's Director of Arts Education Richard Burrows. The forum provided an opportunity for Rich to share LAUSD's ten-year effort in restoring standards-based arts education in the District and his initial thoughts on the next ten years of arts education at LAUSD.
On April 12th Arts for LA held its first supervisorial candidate forum with Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas. Moderated by award winning KCET's VP of Programming Val Zavala, over seventy arts stakeholders listened to Ridley-Thomas' policy agenda for the arts. The fact that Ridley-Thomas is giving thought to an arts policy agenda, tells us that our regional advocacy strategy is already making an impact.
The Mayor released his 08/09 budget on April 21st. He is proposing 6.1% reduction of DCA during a tough budget year is good news indeed. However, as the City embarks on a new cultural master plan, it's important to remember that DCA's funding levels fall short of adequate. Arts for LA sent a letter to the Mayor and City Council with several key recommendations including supporting a pilot initiative proposed by DCA that will provide crucial resources for South LA, the San Fernando Valley, murals and dance. Click here to read the letter.
In May, Arts for LA will host another Candidate Forum with the other top supervisorial candidate, Bernard C. Parks. The Forum will take place on Saturday, April 17th from 10:30am-12:00pm at the Veterans Memorial Complex in Culver City. As you know, the June 3rd election is just around the corner and residents in District 2 will elect a new Supervisor.
Because LA County is the largest public arts funder in the region, learning about the candidates' policy positions on arts, arts education and culture is vital, even if you reside outside the 2nd District.
This is a fantastic opportunity to show our strength in numbers , one we might not get for some time - to someone who will make cultural policy decisions that will affect you, your organization and those it serves. Also, please encourage your friends, colleagues and staff members to attend the forum with Councilman Bernard Parks.
While Arts for LA can carry the torch, our success in turning support for the arts and arts education around requires each of us to be leaders in this unprecedented arts advocacy effort.
