(September 1, 2000) LB's Public Corporation for the Arts (PCA) budgeted roughly half of its $1,170,000 FY 2000 budget (Oct. 1/99-Sept. 30/2000) for staff and operations expenses, its public documents show.

According to PCA's "Annual Report 1999 & 2000," staff and operations expenses were budgeted to consume $599,000 or roughly 51% of PCA's $1,170,000 FY 2000 budget. (Staff = $415,000; Operations = $184,000)

In September 1999, the City Council gave PCA $800,000 in LB taxpayer funding for FY 2000. (City management originally proposed $750,000, which the Council raised by $50,000 for Smithsonian Arts Programming, making the total $800,000).

The $800,000 represents a 60% increase in taxpayer funding from the $500,000 given to PCA by the Council two years ago for FY 1999.

In City Hall's FY 2000 budget (the one just ending now), City management stated that the "total allocation of $750,000 [its proposed PCA level] is anticipated to decrease to $250,000" in FY 2001 (i.e. the one being voted on in the coming days.) (Source: City Manager's FY 2000 Budget Message, p. xviii).

However, in the FY 2001 budget now pending Council approval, PCA is still slated to receive $750,000, although two-thirds of this sum will not be from general fund revenue. This year, City management proposes to fund PCA with $250,000 from general fund revenue and $500,000 from the city's Special Advertsing and Promotion Fund (in this case from certain parking revenue at the Convention Center.) Last year's $750,000 in management proposed PCA funding came exclusively from general fund revenue.

PCA's budgeted expenditures for staff and operational expenses in FY 2000 are lower in percentage and absolute terms than in FY 1999, when they totalled $634,000 or roughly 56% of PCA's $1,119,000 budget expenditures.

Commenting on the percentage of PCA's budget allocated to operations and staffing, PCA Executive Director Robb Hankins e-mailed LBReport.com:

[I]n the last two years, the PCA has re-invented itself. This is "not your father's Arts Council." We have reduced staff by 40%. We have doubled the money going out in grants and programs from $250,000 to $500,000.

So the staff line item you see, includes all the staff running the Grants and Marketing and Neighborhoods and Design Program [see below]. It's not a bunch of bureaucrats doing administration. We are still a full-service Arts Council, and every day people call and walk in the door and want help. The staff we have here provides all those services and runs the programs.

Mr. Hankins also e-mailed the following narrative as a "broad summary of how dollars were spent last year and how many people were impacted for each of our 4 major programs as outlined in our annual report."

"A. Grants Program: 47 grants that impacted 281,000 people $300,000 (few more have been given out since annual report printed with number of $287,000)

"B. Marketing Program: PCA hosts "October is Arts Month," prints arts newsletter and calendar "Connections," produces A&E Report 30 minute TV show on Cable TV 3, and is turning second floor of office into non-proft ad agency for the arts to market Long Beach. (At year end the $54,000 number [for Promotions] in annual report will be closer to $100,000)

"C. Neighborhoods Program: Hosted "Smithsonian Week in Long Beach" and created new "Passport to the Arts" schools initiative which brought 400 programs by 25 cultural organizations to 32,000 kids. (At year end the $209,000 number [in Programs for Neighborhoods] in annual report will be closer to $250,000)

"D. Design Program: coordinates development of East Village Arts District and City's Percent for Arts Project which has created $2 million in public art projects across Long Beach."

As with all discretionary budget items, the City Council has the final say on PCA's level of LB taxpayer funding.

For readers' reference, LB's Public Corporation for the Arts maintains a web site at: www.artspca.org