The board rejected a motion by Supervisor Mike Antonovich asking the festival's main backer, the Los Angeles Opera, to shift the event's focus away from Wagner, the renowned 19th century composer who is widely admired for his operas and detested for his virulently anti-Semitic personal views. Instead, the board voted to approve a substitute motion from Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky in support of the Los Angeles Opera and the Ring Festival. 'We should keep our sticky fingers out of this,' Yaroslavsky told the board. 'There is no reason for politicians to meddle in artistic undertakings.' He went on to describe Antonovich's motion as 'an insult to L.A. Opera' and added that the motion had failed to gain the support of a single civil rights organization. The Ring Festival, which is scheduled to begin in spring 2010, will comprise three complete cycles of Wagner's 'Ring' at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion music venue as well as the participation of more than 50 organizations that will organize exhibitions, concerts and educational programming tied to the event. In his substitute motion, Yaroslavsky wrote that 'it's clear that the festival is not envisioned as simply a celebration of Wagner's life; but rather, as an examination of his influence on Western culture and society -- for better and for worse.' In Tuesday's debate, which lasted close to 30 minutes, Antonovich argued that the festival's inclusion of a handful of symposiums dedicated to discussing Wagner's anti-Semitism 'is not balanced' and that the festival should include other composers, including Beethoven, Puccini, Verdi and others. Antonovich said after the meeting that he is 'disappointed that the board has decided to maintain the status quo. It's a missed opportunity. We're not saying we want to censor Wagner but rather to remove him as the focal point.' Last week, he had proposed a motion urging L.A. Opera to broaden the scope of the festival as a way of achieving 'balance, historical perspective and a true sampling of operatic and musical talent.' In the motion, he faulted festival organizers for celebrating the work of 'a racist whose anti-Semitic writings were the inspiration for Hitler and the Holocaust.' L.A. Opera is spending $32 million over a few years to produce the entire Ring Cycle. The festival is a separate but closely related organization that funds the promotion of the 'Ring' but leaves the cost of the individual arts events to the participating institutions. The participating groups are a mix of organizations, mostly in Los Angeles County, that receive tax dollars as well as private institutions. 