PowerSharing: Too Few Eli Broads in Los Angeles?

In a delightfully juicy story, the New York Times looks at the influence philanthropist Eli Broad has on Los Angeles, reporting that his "grip on the city and its arts has never been tighter." The story quotes everyone from philanthropist Lynda Resnick (a dispute related to Broad rescinding his offer of his full art collection to LACMA had the two not talking for a year and half) to developer Rick Caruso frankly noting how few wealthy people in Los Angeles give back and are "civically active in a meaningful way." But the core of the story is just how controlling Broad--the title of the story of "Iron Checkbook Shapes Cultural Los Angeles"--really is: Via the paper: "His focus on minute details also makes museum leaders and others chafe; it is much like taking money from your rich parents who then tell you what car to buy and where your kids ought to go to school." Meanwhile, others argue that there's just not a big enough pool of people like Broad to balance out his power. "Eli is not the problem,'' said Ann Philbin, the director of the Hammer Museum, who sparred with Mr. Broad when he sat on and eventually resigned from that museum’s board. “The problem is that we don’t have enough Elis in Los Angeles to balance out his generosity and the power of his influence.” And there's even an interactive LA map listing all the institutions associated with Broad. Via Businessweek
· Iron Checkbook Shapes Cultural Los Angeles [NYT]