Is LA’s New Cultural Affairs Department An Opportunity Or Political Salve?

Last week, Los Angeles’ mayor relented and decided not to kill the city’s cultural department to save money. “It remains to be seen whether the mayor’s redefined Cultural Affairs Department is more than a political tactic to quiet angry arts supporters as the city struggles to close an estimated $250-million budget shortfall. But the arts community shouldn’t simply declare victory and accept the mayor’s largely commercial vision of his new arts council. Rather, it should emerge from the affair with a new determination to position arts and culture at the center of city life.”