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Arts commission urges council to fund arts specialist as staff readies five‑year master plan
Summary
Arts commissioners and residents urged Costa Mesa to immediately recruit and fund an art specialist and not pause programs while the city develops a five‑year arts and culture master plan; staff said a contract for plan preparation is scheduled for June 16 and the fund will be returned with program costs for adoption.
At the May 12 study session, arts commissioners and members of the public urged the council to keep the city's arts programs active and to immediately fund an art specialist position the commission says is essential to running grant programs, coordinating events and supporting community partnerships.
Alisa Cho, chair of the Arts Commission, told the council that page 127 of the budget narrative had not been updated to reflect council direction and that the proposed $30,000 placeholder for salary on page 124 signals either a hiring delay or elimination. "Without them, all this art stuff in Costa Mesa just is effectively on hold," Cho said, urging immediate recruitment and full funding for the position.
Staff responded that half a percent of Measure Q cannabis retail tax (about $242,000 annually) is earmarked for the arts and culture master plan; staff expects to bring a contract award for master plan preparation to council on June 16 and then return the completed plan to council for adoption along with a funding package for programming and personnel. City manager Kingsley Gallardo Daley said the $242,000 is intended to support arts programming going into the next fiscal year, and staff expects to identify the full personnel and program cost when the plan is complete.
Several council members and public commenters echoed the commission's concerns. Public commenters described the arts specialist's role in administering grants and partnerships, and said many arts programs — including ArtVenture and arts‑in‑parks initiatives — rely on dedicated staff time. One commenter asked whether private funding or public‑private partnerships could supplement city funding during the planning process.
Staff committed to follow up: to provide clearer line‑item detail in the budget book, to return with a complete personnel and program cost following master plan completion, and to consider midyear adjustments if revenue trends allow additional allocations.
