Southland Philanthropy Feeling the Pinch

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The dot-com boom of the 90-s produced a corresponding boom of charitable giving, but the stock market slide and sluggish economy have hit philanthropists along with everyone else. Ironically, as the need goes up, the contributions go down. The Irvine Foundation has cut its staff by almost 20 percent, and the Packard Foundation by half. Even LA-s Roman Catholic Archdiocese is laying off workers, and all three are reducing their contributions to Southland social services. As the season of giving gets under way, we hear from philanthropists with the Ocean Park Community Center, the Jewish Community Foundation, A Window between Worlds, and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles about how they cope with diminished resources to meet increasing needs. Newsmaker: Flood Warnings Ignored to Build New School In September, Los Osos High School opened its doors to 2400 students in Rancho Cucamonga. Two years before that, the state Office of Emergency Services advised that the construction be halted because the school was being built on a flood plain without a map of predictable water flow or even an evacuation plan. Emmett Berg, project director of the Center for Governmental Studies, has more on the controversial $48 million project.
The dot-com boom of the 90-s produced a corresponding boom of charitable giving, but the stock market slide and sluggish economy have hit philanthropists along with everyone else. Ironically, as the need goes up, the contributions go down. The Irvine Foundation has cut its staff by almost 20 percent, and the Packard Foundation by half. Even LA-s Roman Catholic Archdiocese is laying off workers, and all three are reducing their contributions to Southland social services. As the season of giving gets under way, we hear from philanthropists with the Ocean Park Community Center, the Jewish Community Foundation, A Window between Worlds, and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles about how they cope with diminished resources to meet increasing needs.
  • Newsmaker: Flood Warnings Ignored to Build New School
    In September, Los Osos High School opened its doors to 2400 students in Rancho Cucamonga. Two years before that, the state Office of Emergency Services advised that the construction be halted because the school was being built on a flood plain without a map of predictable water flow or even an evacuation plan. Emmett Berg, project director of the Center for Governmental Studies, has more on the controversial $48 million project.

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney

Producer:

Frances Anderton