The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to promote equality in the arts, making art and arts programs accessible to everyone.
Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl co-authored the motion to diversify arts programming.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that all the benefits of, and opportunities provided by, the arts are available and accessible to all residents, no matter who they are or where they live,” Solis said.
The vote is in sharp contrast to a move by the White House: President Donald Trump’s federal budget plan proposes eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, which has an annual budget of roughly $150 million to promote and supports the arts and arts programming.
Solis said her hope is that the county could “be a beacon” and stand in contrast to “what’s happening in Washington and all of these attacks.”
The Los Angeles County Arts Commission spent 18 months holding town halls and running working groups to collect public feedback on the initiative.
The commission’s executive director, Laura Zucker, presented 13 recommendations to improve diversity, cultural equity and inclusion in the arts.
“This motion is about the democratization of culture in L.A. County,” Zucker told the board.
Advocates say the arts improve individual lives and strengthen communities.
The board agreed to focus on four of the 13 recommendations and asked the county’s chief executive officer to report back on funding the initiatives as part of the upcoming budget process.
The four priorities include: developing a county cultural policy, requiring cultural organizations that contract with the county to include plans for cultural equity, creating access to work-based learning opportunities for teens; and expansion of the arts internship program for community college students.
“Los Angeles County is the largest and most diverse county in the country and a national leader in arts and culture,” Kuehl said. “We are taking important steps to ensure that the cultural richness of this county is celebrated and accessible to all our residents.”
Solis also stressed the county’s cultural clout, telling her colleagues, “We’re not second to the city or to New York.”
–City News Service and staff