CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES
The Los Angeles City Council voted 11-0 Friday to waive $410,000 in fees and salary costs for the Academy Awards. The Feb. 22 nationally televised Hollywood gala will be held at the Kodak Theatre.
Several weeks ago, the council decided to waive $124,163 in fees associated with the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards at the Staples Center.
The fee waivers were approved despite a projected $433-million budget shortfall next fiscal year.
With budget issues in mind, council members recently decided to change the policy in the future and require nonprofit organizations, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to pay at least half the fees for their events. The council spends about $5 million annually waiving fees for special events throughout the city.
-- Maeve Reston
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