Roos Leads Fight for More Funds for Arts

Assemblyman Mike Roos (D-L.A.) has advanced his attack against the administration of the California Arts Council while also calling for a generous increase in state funds for the arts.

At Roos’ urging, a state Assembly subcommittee voted here Wednesday to boost the council’s overall $14.5-million budget by about $4 million for fiscal 1988-89, which begins July 1.

On Thursday, the Senate budget and fiscal review subcommittee No. 4 also urged a $4-million boost in the arts council budget. Gov. George Deukmejian has proposed adding $1.1 million to the council’s budget.

“In per-capita arts spending, California is still well below the national average,” said Roos, a member of the Assembly ways and means Subcommittee No. 4 that oversees the arts budget.

At about 48 cents per person, California ranks 32nd nationwide in per-capita arts support.

Roos, who charged last week that the council’s administration is “bloated at the gills,” also led the Assembly vote to trim $149,116 from the council’s $2.7 million-administrative budget. He suggested axing three assistant staff positions and reallocating the money as grants to ethnic-minority arts programs.

Roos, Assembly Speaker Pro-Tem, also recommended that the council appoint a committee to determine how to bring down total administrative costs to below 15% of its budget. Those costs are now 19% of the budget, according to council director Robert Reid.

The Senate subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys) did not request administrative cuts.

Reid, a Deukmejian-appointee, has denied that there’s any administrative overspending and challenged Roos’ calculations. Roos said last week that the council’s administrative expenses were 24.8% of its total budget (5.8% above Reid’s estimate) and were higher than many other states.

A spokeswoman for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies said that definitions of administration expenses vary greatly nationwide, but that the national average of such costs is roughly estimated at 15%.

“I don’t like the thought of losing staff positions,” Reid said Wednesday, “but I don’t see any reason to argue the matter now. I welcome the opportunity to cooperate in a review of our internal matters.”

Roos’ attack was sparked the council’s rejection of a $44,000 grant application from the Los Angeles-based Armenian Film Foundation primarily because the application was handwritten, not typed.

Former Democratic Assemblyman and vice chairman of the Armenian Film Foundation Walter J. Karabian testified before the Assembly subcommittee on the grant request last week. Karabian was reportedly in London Wednesday where he was to have married Republican arts council member Laurel Dickranian, development director for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The Senate budget and fiscal review subcommittee No. 4 on Thursday voted to add a $44,000 line item to the council’s 1988-89 budget for the Armenian Film Foundation, though Roos’ subcommittee did not.

The Assembly subcommittee also recommended an additional 2%, or $57,000 cut in the council’s administrative budget Wednesday. All state agencies have been required to make a 2% reduction in anticipation of a reported $2-billion state budget shortfall.

The proposed cuts and added line item will be be considered by a joint legislative conference committee.