Dear Friends and Supporters of Angels Gate Cultural Center:
As you all know by now, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) 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 to arts organizations and individual artists. 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 need your help and we need it now!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
* Call your Councilmember between 2-4pm TODAY:
TWO MAIN TALKING POINTS:
1) stand firm on-do not take the current contracts away
2) do not sign the motion to take away the Transient Occupancy Tax ( TOT)
If you’re not located in the City of LA, but want to support the DCA and its mission, call Council President Eric Garcetti and Budget & Finance Committe President Bernard Parks and let their staff know about your support. See below for a complete list of phone numbers for all 15 councilmembers.
Arts for LA has an excellent talking points sheet that you can reference if you’re calling and here’s a short script that you can use that covers the most urgent issues:
“I’m calling to express my support for the Department of Cultural Affairs and to ask councilmember [insert their name here] to vote against the motion to remove the Transient Occupancy Tax funding from the Department of Cultural Affairs. The proposed elimination of all DCA grant programs is also completely unacceptable. Hundreds of organizations depend on those funds to serve their communities and the elimination of DCA grants will have far reaching effects on the whole region.
Under the current leadership of Olga Garay the Department is doing an amazing job at delivering essential arts services to the City. The Department has been on the receiving
end of significant budget cuts in the past and cannot bear further cuts if it is intended to fulfill its mission.
Please vote against the motion to eliminate the Transient Occupancy Tax and please support the Department’s grants program by keeping it in place and fully funded.
Thank You”
* Attend the City Council Meeting TOMORROW:
When: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 10AM
Where: John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340, City Hall
200 N. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
* Click Below to send a Letter Online:
Write a letter online via the Arts for LA website. If you don’t live in the City, but enjoy the services provided by the DCA, you should direct your Emails to either council president Eric Garcetti or councilmember Janice Hahn, who represents Council District 15, where the Angels Gate Cultural Center is located. (3601 S Gaffey St. San Pedro, CA 90731)
You can also contact your councilmember’s office directly, via the City of Los Angeles website.
* 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…
Thank you again for your efforts and continued support,
The Angels Gate Cultural Center Staff:
Deborah Lewis, Executive Director
Marshall Astor, Visual Arts Director
Jessica Yang, Education Director
Oscar Garcia, Development Director
Here is a list of phone numbers for all 15 councilmembers and their offices:
District 1 – Ed Reyes
District Office: 213-485-0763
City Hall Office: 213-473-7001
District 2 – Paul Krekorian
North Hollywood Office: 818-755-7676
Sunland-Tujunga Office: 818-352-3287
City Hall Office: 213-473-7002
District 3 – Dennis P. Zine
District Office: 818-756-8848
City Hall Office: 213-473-7003
District 4 – Tom LaBonge
Hollywood Office: 323-957-6415
Valley Field Office: 818-755-7630
City Hall Office: 213-473-7004
District 5 – Paul Koretz
City Hall Office: 213-473-7005
District 6 – Tony Cardenas
Van Nuys Office: 818-778-4999
Sun Valley Office: 818-771-0236
City Hall Office: 213-473-7006
District 7 – Richard Alarcon
Pacoima Field Office: 818-756-9115
Sylmar District Office: 818-756-8409
City Hall Office: 213-473-7007
District 8 – Bernard Parks
Crenshaw District Office: 323-293-9467
City Hall Office: 213-473-7008
District 9 – Jan Perry
9th District Neighborhood City Hall: 323-846-2651
City Hall Office: 213-473-7009
District 10 – Herb J. Wesson, Jr.
Western District Office: 323-733-8233
City Hall Office: 213-473-7010
District 11 – Bill Rosendahl
Westchester District Office: 310-568-8772
West LA District Office: 310-575-8461
City Hall Office: 213-473-7011
District 12 – Greig Smith
Chatsworth District Office: 818-701-5253
Northridge District Office: 818-756-8501
City Hall Office: 213-473-7012
District 13 – Eric Garcetti
Hollywood District Office: 323-957-4500
Glassell Park Satellite Office: 323-478-9002
City Hall Office: 213-473-7013
District 14 – Jose Huizar
Boyle Heights Field Office: 323-526-3059
Northeast/Eagle Rock Field Office: 323-254-5295
El Sereno Field Office: 323-226-1646
City Hall Office:213-473-7014
District 15 – Janice Hahn
San Pedro Field Office: 310-732-4515
Watts Field Office: 213-473-5128
Wilmington Field Office: 310-233-7201
City Hall Office: 213-473-7015
