Maybe we should be talking about community action to save the artists.

-"On Friday, Hahn gave a preview of some cuts, including a reduction
in services provided by the Cultural Affairs Department. And some
fees would go up. It would cost more to get a building permit or to
go to the zoo."

-"...other cost-saving measures could include eliminating the 14-year-old
Environmental Affairs Department, with many of its services absorbed
by the city Bureau of Sanitation.
That plan has drawn fire from environmental advocates, who vow to
pressure the council to reinstate the department.
"You risk losing environmental priorities," said Martin Schlageter,
Coalition for Clean Air energy program director."-

These are not good news for the artists and families involved in presenting every
year the ECO Maya Festival, a cultural call to protect the environment.

-"Hahn said. "I believe that adding more police officers
is essential to reaching our goal of making Los Angeles the safest
big city in America."-

I have no big problem with having more police in the streets but I just don't want
to have no more homeless artists in the streets.
Neither I want to have more pollution on the streets of Los Angeles.

Everyone seems to be concern about safety in the streets or saving the CAD.
I believe is time we get busy on saving the artists. We need to take community
action and since the money is not coming were the artists are, then the artists
need to go were the money is.

-"On Monday, Hahn was at a South Los Angeles elementary school,
touting expanded after-school programs. Tuesday (April 13) found him in
Hollywood, trumpeting an $11-million increase in allocations for the
city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund. "-

ECO Maya Survey will help to compile actual demographic data regarding
co-housing and rental opportunities.

The model used is to build a Mayan environment to host an artist's community. Nevertheless, ECO Maya Survey will talk about who is out there looking for
housing and working space opportunities and we will work in collaboration
with developers, community agencies and public officers to make sure that funding
is distributed according to the mandated allocations from the US Census 2000.

You may came to the 10th Annual ECO Maya Festival in the Hollywood hill of
Barnsdall Arts Park. Share with others your opinions regarding today's
announcements by Mayor James K. Hahns budget team.

You may fill out the Survey at the two days festival on Saturday April 24 and 25
from 10 AM to 7 PM, or on line at http://wwwafrocuba.org/ecomaya.htm .
Check it out ... and share the music, from the marimbas to the African drums,
from the Mayan dances to the Rock en Espanol, movies, literature, art and theater.

Peace,

Jorge Luis Rodriguez
Director@afrocuba.org

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Quotes are from http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-
labudget17apr17,1,5111023.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
Hahn Budget Would Boost LAPD Slightly.
The mayor seeks to add 30 officers but cut 300 jobs elsewhere, including some layoffs.
By Patrick McGreevy and Jessica Garrison, Times Staff Writers. April 17, 2004

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ECO Maya Mission:
Celebrating our culture and protecting our Mother Earth, Connecting the Environment, Culture and Heritage,

Our short term goal for the fiscal year 2003-2004 is to facilitate the transnational and multidisciplinary studies from the AfroCuban Research Institute into the developing of the ECO Maya network of transnational communities.

Our long term goal is the expansion of our actual experience on working and living at the Los Angeles Ecovillage: the development of ECO Maya Village; an ecological Mayan cultural environment to host an artists community, including residents and non-residents members
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