Arts & Culture

How artists are protesting the mayor's proposed funding cuts

Bob Lehman, executive director of San Diego ART Matters, addresses hundreds gathered outside City Hall to protest the mayor's proposed funding cuts to arts and culture. Kate Morrissey/Daylight San Diego

Before a City Council meeting on Monday, leaders from San Diego's arts and culture organizations blasted Mayor Todd Gloria's proposal to slash their funding.

Photo Essay by Kate Morrissey, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp

Mayor Todd Gloria has proposed to slash arts and culture funding in the budget for the fiscal year that begins in July.

On Monday, leaders from art organizations across the city gathered outside City Hall to denounce the mayor's $11.8 million in cuts to arts funding. The mayor also cut funding for youth programs, libraries and many other city services, saying that the reductions are necessary because of a budget deficit.

People hold signs criticizing the mayor's proposed budget cuts in Civic Center Plaza. *Kate Morrissey/Daylight San Diego*

Several of the arts leaders pointed out that while many areas of the city budget are seeing proposed cuts, the police department's budget grew by about $14 million — more than the arts reduction.

As a demonstration of youth advocates wound down, a group of musicians who were angry enough about the cuts that they decided to make a last-minute band played in Civic Center Plaza.

A band of musicians plays songs in protest of Mayor Todd Gloria's budget cuts. *Kate Morrissey/Daylight San Diego*

A group of arts leaders led by Arts and Culture San Diego and San Diego ART Matters blasted the mayor's proposal.

Bob Lehman, executive director of San Diego ART Matters, said that the arts and culture sector generates about $10.8 billion for San Diego. He said that the proposed budget would drop the spending on arts per San Diego resident to about $1.40, well below what other large cities spend on arts and culture.

He passed out pages with names of arts organizations and the amount of funding they would lose in the coming year if the City Council adopts the mayor's proposed budget.

People attending a demonstration against arts funding cuts hold printed pages listing organizations whose city grants would be eliminated by Mayor Todd Gloria's proposed budget. *Kate Morrissey/Daylight San Diego*

A man with an upright bass stands next to a man holding up a piece of paper that says Casa Familiar $24,603 eliminated. Another man with a tuba stands next to them. — A musician holds a printed page listing an organization whose city grants would be eliminated by Mayor Todd Gloria's proposed budget. *Kate Morrissey/Daylight San Diego*

Alessandra Moctezuma, chair of the San Diego Arts Commission and professor, said the proposed budget felt like a kick in the gut — and completely unexpected.

"The arts is not just expression — they are how communities find agency, connection and power," Moctezuma said. "The arts are not a luxury. They foster economic growth, but just as importantly, they provide connection, healing and hope."

A woman in a blue skirt and light-colored top stands at a podium surrounded by people with colorful signs — Alessandra Moctezuma, chair of the San Diego Arts Commission and professor, addresses a crowd of hundreds in Civic Center Plaza, speaking against the mayor's proposed funding cuts to the arts. *Kate Morrissey/Daylight San Diego*

Alex Villafuerte, Pacific Arts Movement executive director, said that many organizations have already lost federal funding because of cuts from the Trump administration, and that some have also lost foundation funding that came as matches to that government funding.

"When we see a proposed city budget that eliminates arts and culture funding, it feels like the city is also walking away from us," Villafuerte said. "And for many organizations you see here today, city support is the difference between staying open and shutting our doors."

After Lehman led the crowd in a chant of "Save the arts!" another group of arts leaders whose organizations focus on supporting Black, Indigenous and artists of color took the stage.

A woman in a green top and black skirt speaks at a podium surrounded by people with colorful signs — Julie Corrales of the Tierras Indigenas Community Land Trust speaks to a crowd of hundreds in Civic Center Plaza to oppose arts funding cuts. *Kate Morrissey/Daylight San Diego*

Julie Corrales, representing the Tierras Indigenas Community Land Trust, called out the first group of organizations for not more explicitly pushing back on the increase in police funding.

Corrales said that many artists of color do not have the generational wealth necessary to be able to live as artists if the city funding goes away.

"Artists are also the canaries in the coal mine," Corrales said. "We are frontline defenders against fascist propaganda. We are catalysts for revolution. And in these tumultuous times when we are fighting fascism and racism at the highest echelons of power, oppressing and subverting artists, especially artists of color, is a direct attack on that resistance."

Ana Hernández, executive director at Centro Cultural de la Raza, said that her organization had only recently started trusting the city enough to apply for arts grants.

"The proposal to gut city arts and culture funding — which is not a pause, it is an unequivocal move to elimination — feels like a betrayal and a continuation of politics as usual," Hernández said. "It is agendas built without and at the expense of communities of Indigenous people, communities of color and working class people."

As the speakers wrapped up their commentary to line up for the City Council meeting, a group of dancers — bboys and bgirls — started a protest cypher in the middle of the plaza. Dancing to funk and Hip Hop, the group, organized by the crew Cypherst8, expressed their frustration with the funding cuts through movement.