Budget Cuts Spell Trouble for Music Center ‘Landlord’

The budget cuts adopted Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors include a $514,000 reduction in support to the Music Center Operating Company.

The operating company, which acts as landlord for the facility that includes the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre, provides security and custodial services for the downtown arts complex.

Faced with mounting costs and reduced revenues in an overall $13-billion county budget, the supervisors reduced the net budget of the operating company from $3,953,000 to $3,439,000 in the current fiscal year, which began July 1. As reported Thursday, supervisors also reduced support to cultural facilities, including the County Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum.

“We’re concerned about the impact” of the cut, noted Sandy Kimberling, president of the operating committee, but quickly added that “we’ve tried to make cuts at the complex that will not impact our patrons.”

In an agreement reached with county officials last month, the operating company said it would “reduce custodial services in the office areas of the facility, absorb additional costs . . . and assume responsibility for the hiring and supervision of ushers” to reduce the county’s administrative costs.

The county action marked the second negative fiscal news for the Music Center this week. On Tuesday, Music Center officials announced that for fiscal 1992-93 its fund-raising goal for the four resident companies would be $14.5 million--down $1 million from its 1991-92 goal. It will be up to the resident companies at the Music Center--the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Music Center Opera, the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum and the Master Chorale--to make up the difference.