Aide to Mayor Bradley : Doris Meyer Named Chief of Valley Arts Foundation

Doris (Dodo) Meyer, longtime administrative assistant to Mayor Tom Bradley, has been elected chairman of the board of the San Fernando Valley Cultural Foundation.

Meyer replaced Byron C. Campbell, former president and publisher of the Daily News, a spokeswoman for the foundation said Friday. Campbell had been expected to leave the post since resigning from the Valley-based newspaper in March.

The foundation is attempting to raise funds to build two arts complexes in the Valley, one in Warner Park in Woodland Hills and the other in Sepulveda Basin.

Meyer, 61, of Encino has been a board member of the organization since it was formed in 1981. She was elected at an Aug. 31 meeting.

Meyer has headed Bradley’s Valley office since his election in 1973. She is the daughter of the late Nathan Blumberg, president of Universal Pictures, which sold out to MCA.

Although the foundation has recently suffered from organizational problems and has had difficulty getting its capital fund-raising campaign moving, Meyer said she expects to preside over an active phase, beginning with a major art exhibit scheduled to start this month.

She said she expects dredging to begin in October or November on a lake in Sepulveda Basin that will provide the backdrop for Arts Park L.A., a complex consisting of an outdoor performance glen, a museum, galleries and artists’ workshops. It will eventually include a 2,500-seat concert hall.

Meyer said development of the Warner Performing Arts Square in Woodland Hills may be delayed until after Arts Park L.A. takes shape. Plans for that complex have included theaters of 1,250 and 600 seats and a flexible performance hall.

Meyer said immediate plans will focus on building a permanent replacement for the wooden stage erected each summer for concerts in the park.

Campbell had succeeded the organization’s original chairman, Herbert F. (Bert) Boeckmann in April, 1986.

A spokeswoman for the foundation said Campbell has not accepted a position anywhere and wants to allow himself more time to pursue new career interests. He could not be reached for comment Friday.