In our commitment to foster respectful, nonpartisan dialogue about issues relating to arts and culture, Arts for LA conducts Arts and Culture Candidate Surveys of all candidates seeking office in any of LA County’s 88 cities and 81 school districts.
While Arts for LA does not endorse any candidate for office, our simple 4-question survey connects voters and candidates to arts and culture issues that are relevant to all who call Los Angeles a home.
Each election season, we also do our best to partner with local organizations and individuals who are committed to help us reach candidates in their city or school district by emailing or calling candidates about the importance of our surveys. Please let us know if you’d like to volunteer your time in securing these surveys.
Fall 2017 Surveys
For the November 7 ballots, Arts for LA is surveying candidates in the following elections:
- ABC Unified School District (Trustee Area 3, Trustee Area 6)
- Compton Unified School District
- El Monte Union High School District
- Hughes-Elizabeth Lake Union School District
- La Canada Unified School District
- Rosemead School District
- Whittier City School District
- Whittier Union High School District
Recent Surveys Released
View Arts & Culture Candidate Survey Responses from previous election cycles:
Arts & Culture Candidate Surveys FAQ
Jump to a question:
- What is the Arts & Culture Candidate Survey?
- What is the purpose of the Arts & Culture Candidate Survey?
- What is the timeline for the Candidate Survey?
- Does Arts for LA endorse candidates?
- How does Arts for LA remain nonpartisan?
- What elections are surveyed?
- How can I submit my responses?
- How can I help support the Arts & Culture Candidate Surveys?
- How can I view the Arts & Culture Candidate Surveys?
What is the Arts & Culture Candidate Survey?
The Arts & Culture Candidate Survey is an opportunity for candidates as well as constituents an opportunity to start a dialogue on the role of arts and culture in communities across the region. It consists of four or five short-answer questions candidates running for city council, mayor, or board of education are invited to complete.
What are the goals of the Arts & Culture Candidate Survey?
The goal of the Arts & Culture Candidate survey is to start a dialogue between candidates and stakeholders. We strive to foster respectful, nonpartisan dialogue about issues relating to arts and culture in schools and communities. For more information, please read about our mission and values.
What is the timeline for the Candidate Survey?
Arts for LA gathers election and candidate information three months prior to any election from the LA County Clerk’s office or local the local city clerk. From this, we generate a list of all races and candidate contact information. A couple months prior the election, we email the survey to all candidates; we make follow up calls to the candidate’s campaign within 2-3 days. A follow up email and call are also made two weeks after the initial email. We strive to post survey results a month prior to the election, announced through social media, press releases, and news stories on our web site.
Does Arts for LA endorse candidates?
No. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Arts for LA does not endorse any single candidate or slate of candidates seeking public office. Like all community-based nonprofit organizations, we are invested in fostering the highest voter turnout rates possible, which we encourage through voter information programs like this one.
How does Arts for LA remain nonpartisan?
Arts for LA’s goal is to have 100% participation in the Arts & Culture Candidate Surveys from all candidates running for office. We make concerted efforts to contact all candidates and give them ample opportunity to respond. Survey responses can be submitted until the day of the election. We never comment or alter any of the responses provided to us.
We survey candidates running for school board or municipal elections throughout Los Angeles County.
How can I submit my responses?
All eligible candidates were contacted via email and phone to participate in the survey. If you would like to revise or submit responses, please contact Abril Iñiguez-Rivas at [email protected] or 213-225-7580.
How can I help support the Arts & Culture Candidate Surveys?
Arts for LA encourages stakeholders to review, share, and discuss the survey results with their friends, neighbors and colleagues through email, social networking, and by raising the survey questions at public candidate forums in their community. If you work for a local agency or organization interested in serving as a local partner, please contact Arts for LA at [email protected] or 213-225-7580.
How can I view the Arts & Culture Candidate Surveys?
Arts & Culture Candidate surveys can be accessed through the "Campaigns" section of our web site. When elections conclude, we archive surveys and keep them accessible for a period of one year.
