The panel cited the Newport Harbor Art Museum's loss of director Kevin Consey, chief curator Paul Schimmel and assistant curator Lucinda Barnes in the last year in reducing its ranking from a 3+ to a 2 on the panel's 1-to-4 rating scale. The rankings delivered this week, formulated by a seven-member panel meeting here, will be weighed with rankings for artistic and administrative strength for the final scores.

Irvine-based Pacific Symphony, which slipped from a 3 to a 3- for outreach, nevertheless won praise for its outreach to the local Latino community, specifically for its concerts and educational programs, such as those targeting Latino youths in Santa Ana schools. Panelists also commended its Hispanic Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from various organizations in the Latino community.

While lauding programming that featured Latino compositions, such as the Suite from "El Amor Brujo" by Manuel De Falla played at an Hispanic Family Concert this year at Santa Ana High School, panelists denounced a program presented in December at a seasonal Los Posadas because it included only traditional Christmas pop songs such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" Los Posadas is an annual Christmas event for children that is widely celebrated by Latinos.