DATE:
May 5, 2026
14
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
INVESTING IN ARTS, CULTURE, AND CREATIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
Civic leaders bet on arts and culture in the midst of the Great Depression, and the landmark County Administration Center stands as the legacy of that choice.i Today, the County faces that choice again.
San Diego County's arts and culture ecosystem is at a critical moment. After several years of significant disruption and recovery, it is now facing a federal government that is pulling back from its long-standing support for the arts, contributing to a broader contraction in public investment. At the same time, local governments, under fiscal pressure, are cutting arts and cultural programs.
Artists and cultural practitioners-most of them sole proprietors and micro-enterprises-are increasingly being pushed to the margins by rising costs, limited access to capital, unstable income, and a lack of affordable and accessible space to live and create. Without immediate, intentional public investment, San Diego County will lose creative talent we cannot replace-and with it, the jobs, local spending, tourism, community connections, and creative dynamism that the $1.4 billion arts and culture sector generates. This loss would not just impact an industry-it would be felt across our communities.
In communities that have historically been excluded from public investment-including Black communities, Tribal Nations and Native American communities, communities of color, and rural and unincorporated communities-art and cultural practices are deeply rooted in the fabric of everyday life. In many of these communities, they are among the most consistent and trusted ways people come together, build relationships, and stay connected to one another, to culture, and to a shared sense of belonging. When County leadership supports arts and culture, we gain more than beauty and expression-we create infrastructure for toget...
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