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Esports expo, Hummingbird and Teatro Espejo pulled for fuller CEIF consideration
Summary
Council members selected several arts and event applications for extra scrutiny — including the Rancho Cordova Video Game Expo, Hummingbird Theater and El Teatro Espejo — and discussed moving event-based requests into the microgrant program while setting aside funds to support at least one production or event.
During the CEIF staff presentation council members focused on arts-and-events funding and asked staff to pull three items for fuller discussion: the Rancho Cordova Video Game Expo (application 14), Hummingbird Theater, and El Teatro Espejo (Teatro Espejo).
Dr. Manuel Pickett, director of El Teatro Espejo, told the council his theater company has served local audiences for decades and urged greater representation in the CEIF awards. "We are one of the only theaters in town... 50% of our audience is from Rancho Cordova," Pickett said, and asked the council to consider the company when finalizing awards.
Donna Walters, executive director of College Esports, said the Video Game Expo has grown about 10% year-over-year, and that expansion to a two-day event would require significant internet and power upgrades. She requested $40,000 to support the expansion and said vendors had quoted roughly $25,000 for necessary internet upgrades.
Council members debated whether to increase the historic $10,000 microgrant cap (staff recommended $10,000 and noted the microgrant cap was raised from $5,000) and discussed whether Hummingbird’s previous awards ($20,000–$25,000 in prior years) justified a larger award this cycle. Several council members proposed partial increases — for example, identifying one production-level award in the $25,000–$35,000 range as a compromise while directing staff to obtain follow-up information from applicants about the number of productions and precise budgets.
Staff noted the performing-arts bucket had already been heavily designated and that any additional funding would come from the unallocated CEIF sum or other Measure H buckets if council so directed. Council members directed staff to track the requested changes and to return with an updated recommendation in June.
