County To Collect Developer Fees To Fund Arts In Unincorporated Areas

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday in favor of a 1 percent development fee on projects in unincorporated areas to fund civic art installations or arts programming.

Supervisor Hilda Solis recommended the fee.

"What we aim to do is address cultural equity and inclusion by providing much needed funding for cultural services in unincorporated areas," Solis said. "It's all about taking an extra step to ensure the arts reaches everyone."

Thirty-one of the 88 cities in the county -- including Los Angeles, Pasadena and Santa Monica -- require developers to incorporate artwork into commercial projects or pay a fee to support the arts.

In 2004, the county established a 1 percent fee on county-funded public projects. The new ordinance, set to be drafted within 60 days, will mirror that charge for private projects.

The fee for civic art could generate as much as $8.2 million for arts programming annually, according to Solis.

City News Service; Photo: The Robinson Brothers statues near Pasadena City Hall, by Thad Zajdowicz via flickr.com