New City Policy Threatens SPARC's Home - Action Needed NOW

HELP SPARC SAVE OUR BUILDING: THE OLD VENICE JAIL...NO LONGER AN ARTS CENTER?

Full Hearing for Proposed Elimination of Nonprofit Lease Program

A proposal by the City of Los Angeles City Administrator Officer's office would eliminate the $1.00 per-year leases for 116 nonprofit organizations (approximately 16 arts organizations) working in the interest of the public. The proposal will go before the full LA City Council sometime in the next two weeks.

Should this policy be enacted, it will severely impact arts organizations, eliminate jobs and increase urban blight by potentially contributing to the number of derelict and/or abandoned buildings in the City.

Make your voice heard by taking action below NOW. WE CAN STOP THIS WITH YOUR HELP. Send a letter to LA City Council urging them to have a full hearing on the fiscal impact, human and community impact this policy will have on the lives of Angelinos.

http://www.artsforla.org/news/action_alert_la_citys_nonprofit_lease_program

What's on the line?

This could have a devastating impact on: SPARC, Beyond Baroque, LA Theatre Works, LATC, Plaza de La Raza, Odyssey Theatre, Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, just to name a few. SPARC is fighting to save LA murals, fighting to save arts funding and now we might be in the fight of our lives to save our building too? How much more can the community arts people take?

SPARC has been a good steward of our home (the Old Venice Jail-a historical building we stopped from being torn down and declared a historical site) for 34 years and in 2000 SPARC successfully garnered a 55-year lease meeting all the criteria and guidelines the city set up.

For 34 years SPARC has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars for our building's repair, paid its own utilities, paid for the maintenance and upkeep of the building and provided important community programming for the residents of the City of LA. Including The Great Wall of Los Angeles (the longest mural in the world-400 young people hired), The Neighborhood Pride Mural Program (105 murals in almost every ethnic community of LA, 95 artists commissioned, 1800 young apprentices hired) The World Wall (an international traveling mural, representing Los Angeles on an international level) Mural Resource & Education Center (The largest mural archive in the world and lead enforcer/advocate of copyrights for muralists) Planet Siqueiros Pena (a monthly offering of socially conscious music and poetry) The SPARC Gallery (providing 4-6 exhibitions a year) The UCLA/SPARC Cesar Chavez Digital Mural Lab (the leading educational offering @ UCLA in community/digital murals).

Please help us to make sure SPARC won't lose its home. If we do lose our building, it will be the end of one of LA's most worthy and longstanding multi-cultural community based arts organizations.

PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER NOW TO LA CITY COUNCIL!

http://www.artsforla.org/news/action_alert_la_citys_nonprofit_lease_program

  Thank you to Arts for LA for their partnership on this critical issue. 

  FOR THE ACTUAL POLICY - DOWNLOAD IT HERE

  http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2008/08-2762_rpt_cao_4-16-10.pdf

  RECENT NEWS ARTICLES REGARDING THIS ISSUE:

  http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cityarts-20100428,0,1267169.story

http://www.sparcmurals.org/sparcone/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=487&Itemid=103