Arts commission urges clearer reporting, dedicated public-art funding and subcommittee authority

Fisher Derrarian, vice chair of the Arts Commission, told the Costa Mesa City Council on July 8, 2025, that the commission seeks clearer reporting pathways, authority to form limited subcommittees for research, and dedicated funding for public art as the city prepares a new master plan.

“what does it mean to be the city of the arts?” Derrarian asked, summarizing the commission’s question to council about civic identity and public art investment.

The presentation was part of a broader study-session review of the city’s commissions and committees. Staff told the council the city has three commissions and eight committees and recommended specifying how commissions such as Parks and Community Services and Arts provide recommendations — for example, by a memorandum from the commission chair when a majority supports a recommendation.

Derrarian proposed four areas of change: a formal reporting pathway so commissions can communicate recommendations to council, clarified authority for subcommittees or ad hoc investigatory groups, a dedicated public-art funding stream, and work on a civic-identity strategy tying city branding to arts programming. He suggested the cannabis tax revenue that the city currently treats as general-fund revenue could be used to implement the Cultural and Arts Master Plan and to commission visible public art.

Derrarian provided budget figures during his presentation: he said the arts budget in recent budget discussions was about $457,000, with roughly $240,000–$250,000 devoted to arts programming — a figure he described as approximately 0.11% of the general fund.

Director Gruner told the council staff has budgeted funds to develop a successor master plan and intends to begin work with the commission this fall. “We do have the budget to go ahead and move forward and develop a future master plan,” Gruner said, adding staff would engage the commission and the public and expected to start discussions in September with a target to finalize the new plan by the end of the fiscal year.

Council members and the city attorney discussed legal limits under the Ralph M. Brown Act for subcommittees. The city attorney cautioned that extensive work conducted out of public view by subcommittees can raise Brown Act issues: if “all the real work is being done by the subcommittees and then they just bring it forward,” that can “avoid the whole process” of public meetings, she said. Several council members proposed a process for limited, time‑bound, scope‑limited ad hoc committees focused on research, with public reporting back to the full commission and then to council.

Council members debated who should approve ad hoc committees. Some council members said approval by a council liaison and the city attorney is appropriate for committees; others suggested the city manager could review staff-resource impacts for commissions, or that the mayor could serve as liaison where no standing liaison is assigned. Staff recommended adding language similar to the Finance and Pension Advisory Committee guidance: a memorandum from the chair can be provided to council when a majority supports a recommendation.

Procedural action: early in the discussion Council member Repetas moved to allow the Arts Commission presenter to exceed the standard three-minute public-comment allotment by a couple of minutes; the motion was seconded and approved by the council.

Why it matters: the current Cultural and Arts Master Plan is ending in fiscal year 2025–26, and the commission argued the city should make public-art funding and civic identity more visible to residents and visitors. Commissioners and council members said clearer rules and expectations would help volunteer commissioners use their time effectively while respecting public‑meeting law and staff capacity.

Next steps: staff will work with the Arts Commission to begin master‑plan discussions this fall, clarify ad hoc/subcommittee procedures in the commissions and committees handbook, and consider language to formalize a chair memo/reporting pathway for commission recommendations.