Our Guest Blog continues with Mark Slavkin's take on the human impact mid-year budget cuts have on our field and the people who keep the wheels moving forward.

The City of Los Angeles has declared January 2009 as Arts Month, encouraging L.A. residents to explore the wide range of visual & performing arts opportunities throughout the city.

Within a week, the LA Weekly got rid of Steven Leigh Morris' position as Theatre Editor and the Daily Breeze laid off Jim Farber, their arts & theater critic. These are huge losses for the Los Angeles cultural community; however, like many others on the LACN & BCT listservs and commenting on the Times coverage of the layoffs, I'm feeling powerless to do anything about it.

The LAUSD ACPN advocacy campaign made the front page of the LA Times. The article illustrated the impact the budget freeze has on the over eighty ACPN providers.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that historically, a bad economy affects different types of nonprofit organizations in different ways, according to researchers at Indiana University.

Today on Meet the Press, President-elect Obama spoke about this plans to address the County's economic crisis, foreign policy, tax cuts and his intension to "open the White House up to inspire innovation and imagination. He wants to remind people that "the White House is the people's house. He also intends to host poets, artists and musicians because "art, culture, science is the essense of what makes America special."

Looking Ahead: Leadership Strategies for TurbulentTimes

With the news of MOCA financial crisis, artists have begun to mobilize and rally support for the contemporary art institution.

The LA Times Homeroom Blog reported that another $3 billion in cuts have been proposed to the Department of Education for FY 08-09

State Supt. of Pubic Instruction Jack O'Connell made a statement in response to the cuts.

Los Angeles - November 6, 2008 - The Emerging Arts Leaders / Los Angeles (EAL/LA) network, which fosters the professional growth of early career arts administrators to ensure forward-thinking and sustained leadership in the Los Angeles County arts community, launched the Arts Professional Advisors Link (A.P.A.L.) program on Wednesday.