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Mayor urges long-term artist-housing funding from hotel BID and activation of Irvine Bowl
Summary
The mayor proposed dedicating part of a proposed 10-year Business Improvement District renewal to ongoing artist-housing funding and a land trust, and advocated activating the Irvine Bowl for year-round performances; the mayor referenced the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters history
Laguna Beach’s mayor urged creating a dedicated, ongoing funding stream for artist housing and a land trust as part of a proposed renewal of the hotels’ Business Improvement District (BID), and called for expanded use of the Irvine Bowl for live music.
The mayor said the BID — originally organized by hotels in 2001 — has contributed more than $20,000,000 in non-tax dollars to fund the arts and that the proposed 10-year BID renewal would include a hotel proposal to dedicate a portion of funds to artist housing on an ongoing basis. He described the move as a way to preserve Laguna Beach’s identity as an artist colony and said it could be paired with a land trust to maintain long-term housing for artists.
On programming, the mayor urged activation of the Irvine Bowl for year-round use, including live music in the fall and spring, and said the city council members on the Irvine Bowl policy committee have worked on policy changes to permit broader, year-round activity pending council approval. He mentioned film- and performance-series organizers who have approval to host live music this fall.
Why it matters: Laguna Beach has a long arts history — the mayor traced the Festival of Arts and the Pageant of the Masters to the 1930s — and city leaders presented artist housing and year-round arts programming as priorities to sustain that cultural character.
Details and limits: The mayor described the BID funding level and the hotels’ proposal in general terms, but did not provide a specific dollar allocation or timeline for when artist-housing funding or a land trust would be established.
What the mayor said: “You can't be an artist colony without artists living here,” he said. He called the BID’s more than $20 million in non-tax arts funding “something to take to the next level” by creating an ongoing funding stream for artist housing.
