Arts funding

The founder of Afro Beats Night urged rejection of the Arts Council contract elimination, saying arts grants are the only institutional funding for many artists and organizations.

The Arts Council executive director said the sector is shouldering 42% of the parks adjustment with a week's notice, and a loss could break grant commitments to 13 organizations.

The MAH executive director said county funding leverages other funds, noting she is taking another salary cut to preserve staff, and urged reconsideration.

A Watsonville folklorico director said cuts would resume the systematic erasure of Mexican culture at the county level and asked for a funding review.

A MAH trustee and arts commissioner suggested scaled-back parking fees, a transient occupancy tax carve-out, and a community match as alternatives to the cuts.

Co-founder of the community campaign to buy the Catalyst cited San Diego's $10.3 million arts restoration plan and said the county can find another way.

The county poet laureate described arts programs in jails and schools and urged the board to keep Santa Cruz a safe haven for the arts.

A gallery owner and festival founder said the arts sector generates $68 million in economic activity and cutting it is dismantling infrastructure that pays for itself.

A UCSC faculty member urged the board not to make the arts an afterthought and to build a more robust countywide arts support structure.

The Arts Council grants manager noted ~47% of grant funds go to communities of color and listed funded programs serving Watsonville and marginalized residents.

A Tannery Arts Center artist and city arts commissioner warned the ripple effects of the cuts would affect thousands across every sector.

A local artist and tech professional asked parks to instead generate the $247,000 through grants and community matches rather than cutting arts funding.

The Senderos executive director described himself as proof that arts-funded programs work and asked the board to protect arts and museum funding.