San Diego leaders have a $10 million plan to restore arts funding

San Diego councilmembers may restore the city’s arts funding to $10.35 million under a deal announced last week.

The plan comes after Mayor Todd Gloria proposed slashing all but $2 million from next year’s budget, drawing fierce opposition from arts groups and their advocates. That would make San Diego’s arts and culture fund one of the smallest of the most populous cities in America, according to an inewsource review.

Led by councilmembers Kent Lee and Henry Foster III, the new proposal would redirect $6 million of hotel tax revenue that was initially planned for paying off debt tied to the Convention Center. About $1.35 million would be restored in grant programs that support local artists, cultural festivals and more.

It also comes with a key funding source: a $3 million donation from the Prebys Foundation.

Grant Oliphant, the foundation’s president and CEO, said in an interview that Gloria’s budget was the “latest incarnation of uncertainty around arts funding.” The city has historically struggled to fulfill its own goals for arts funding — and the latest proposal still is $3.45 million short of the city’s arts funding levels this fiscal year.

“We really want to see this corrected permanently,” Oliphant said.

Arts funding across the U.S. varies widely. New York City would allocate $239 million toward its Department of Cultural Affairs next fiscal year under the mayor’s proposed budget, for example, and the city of Los Angeles has a $24 million Arts and Cultural Facilities and Services Trust Fund.

Dallas, which is estimated to have tens of thousands fewer residents than San Diego, has proposed allocating over $16.5 million from its general fund to its Office of Arts and Culture.

But the latest proposal would put San Diego slightly above arts budgets for the more-populated cities of Phoenix and Philadelphia. Phoenix is proposing $9 million for its arts and culture office next year, while Philadelphia is proposing about $6.8 million.

With a more than $140 million deficit, balancing San Diego’s budget has been particularly challenging this year. Gloria’s budget also proposes slashing millions of dollars in funding parks, libraries and more, while both police and Fire-Rescue would receive an increase in funding.

Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera told inewsource that the city’s arts initiatives in particular have been “perpetually underfunded,” but never “to this extent.” Previous budgets reduced the arts money, he said, but Gloria’s proposal is “more of an elimination.”

“Arts and culture programming is what makes San Diego a community and not just a place on a map,” he said. “It’s what gives a place soul.”

The City Council will vote Tuesday on the budget. Gloria has until June 17 to issue any vetoes.

The nine-member council needs six votes to override vetoes.

Editor’s note: The Prebys Foundation is a financial supporter of inewsource. A list of contributors can be found here, and more information on our editorial independence policy can be found here.