County Historical Foundation Fails to Make Grade

It looks unlikely that the Historical and Cultural Foundation of Orange County will receive a California Arts Council grant this year. A council advisory panel recently gave the foundation a 2+ ranking on a scale of 4, and in the past only groups ranked 3 minus or above have received council money. This is the third consecutive year that the foundation, whose exhibits and activities focus on ethnic communities, has received a 2+ ranking.

The official kickoff of the Foothill Ranch arts program has been postponed from June to early Fall. The program is to bring as many as 200 public artworks and performing arts events to residents of Foothill Ranch, a 2,700-acre planned community being developed in the Saddleback Valley. The launch, at which some artworks and models of others are to be unveiled, was postponed because of scheduling conflicts, officials say. Models of Foothill Ranch homes are to be shown within a month.

The Harry and Grace Steele Foundation of Newport Beach has given $100,000 to Opera Pacific for general support of the 1990-91 season.