SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Inquiry Ordered on Grant Distribution

A Los Angeles City Council panel on Monday directed city officials to investigate allegations that the San Fernando Valley is not receiving its fair share of cultural grants.

The Arts, Health and Humanities Committee approved a motion by Councilwoman Joy Picus questioning whether the Valley is getting a proportionate share of the city’s $2.7 million in yearly arts grants and asking the city’s chief legislative analyst’s office to report on spending patterns by early September.

Al Nodal, head of the Cultural Affairs Department, has insisted that his agency has aggressively tried to ensure in recent years that all parts of the city benefit from the grants. But a department document shows that the four Valley-based council districts ranked 10th, 12th, 14th and last among the 15 districts in funding during the current fiscal year.

Councilman Joel Wachs, chairman of the arts committee, asked the legislative analyst’s office to look at the location of the arts programs funded by the department and to review which audiences benefit from these programs.