LA Mayor Says Cultural Department Will Be Saved

Last week Los Angeles officials were suggesting they might abolish the city’s cultural affairs department. But “Mayor James K. Hahn said Wednesday that he would preserve the agency and maintain its popular arts grants and educational programs while finding other ways to streamline it in the face of a municipal budget crisis. Hahn said he aimed to “refocus” the department, including giving it a new mandate to pump up tourism by promoting the city’s cultural attractions.”