Pico Rivera council approves music mentorship pilot with Andy Vargas Foundation

The Pico Rivera City Council on Feb. 14 approved an agreement with the Andy Vargas Foundation to begin a pilot music mentorship program in March, voting 5-0 to fund the effort. The council said the program will operate from the city’s renovated teen center and pair industry professionals with local youth.

City staff and foundation leaders told the council the program — branded 'Song' for Sparking Originality in New Generations and now called Sounds of New Generations — is structured as a one-year pilot that will begin with a three-month, in-person cohort of about 14 students who will meet two weekends per month. Participants will learn songwriting, music production, recording and music-business fundamentals, and will have opportunities for scholarships and live performances at city events, officials said. The council motion approved the agreement and associated funding; the transcript did not specify the dollar amount.

Pam Ugar, staff lead on the item, introduced the proposal and highlighted partnerships the foundation has secured to supply equipment and instruction. "They will inspire, they're going to mentor ... and focus on underprivileged youth," Ugar said, noting the program will use the city teen center as its base. Andy Vargas, identified in the meeting as a longtime professional musician and president of the Andy Vargas Foundation, said the program is "more than a music camp" and aims to build confidence, discipline and real-world skills in students.

Council members asked how students would be selected; Vargas and staff said recruitment will include outreach to the teen center, school principals and arts departments, and the program will use an application process while trying to accommodate all interested students. Council member questions also suggested making a cohort project about Pico Rivera and packaging sample jingles for the city’s production staff; Vargas said those ideas could be integrated into the curriculum.

The approval followed a public comment session in which local community partners, including Art Limon of the Los Angeles Lowrider Alliance, praised the program and the council for supporting creative opportunities for youth.

Next steps noted at the meeting: staff will finalize the program rollout and photo opportunities were scheduled to mark the council’s approval. The pilot is expected to begin in March with the first cohort; the council did not set additional funding conditions on the record.