1% For Art, Too Much For LA City Council?

LA City Council is voting this morning on whether to cut the 1% of Transient Occupancy Tax which goes to grant funding for the Department of Cultural Affairs.


From Arts For LA:

Wednesday's City Council meeting will begin at 10am and will be located at

John Ferraro Council Chamber
Room 340, City Hall
200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

A valid photo ID is required for entrance into the Council Chamber.

The Council Chamber doors may be closed shortly after 9a.m. due to capacity issues.  Therefore, you may not be able to get into the room and may be turned away.  Please plan to arrive early if you are attending.

If you decide not to attend, you can follow @Arts4LA on Twitter, check www.artsforla.org for updates.  We will be updating frequently.  You can also watch the City Council meeting on the City Council website.

Over 4,000 letters have been sent to City Council members. This initial action sent a resounding message to our city leadership that the arts are part of our economic recovery.

Over 150 arts professionals have also signed up to provide public testimony on tomorrow's motion to remove the dedicated funding from the Department of Cultural Affairs.

The meeting is going to be a zoo.  Arts is one of many special interest groups including the Environment, Disability Rights and Neighborhood Councils that is vying for support.

Seating will be extremely limited and city council will limit access due to capacity issues, meaning if you are allowed in the room, you may not be able to get out for several hours. Council will reduce the amount of time each participant can speak to 60 seconds and limit the number of people giving public comment.

Therefore, we ask that you attend the meeting as a visible demonstration of support - not necessarily to provide testimony.  We encourage you to come and to WEAR RED.  

Come on, Los Angeles, art is integral in building the identity of a city and a community. What does cutting support to the arts (not to mention education) while increasing the police force say about LA's priorities?