“The Los Angeles County Museum of Art proposed a merger with the financially struggling Museum of Contemporary Art on Tuesday. The proposal provides a second bailout option for the downtown museum, which earlier received an offer of $30 million from billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad. The merger plan sets up a face-off between L.A.’s most powerful arts patron and the museum with the largest art collection west of the Mississippi.” Source: Diane Haithman and Mike Boehm, “Los Angeles County Museum of Art Proposes Merger with MOCA,” Los Angeles Times, December 17, 2008.