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-------- Original Message-------- <br />Subject:Pubhe Comment: Agenda Item 75A-1 <br />Date:2020/06/16 9:08 am <br />From:Victor Payan <victorkmasamedia.org> <br />To:eCommentgsanta-ana. org <br />Public Comment: Agenda Item 75A-1 <br />Dear Santa Ana City Council Members, <br />I am a Santa Ana resident, the director of Media Arts Santa Ana, a Santa Ana -based arts organization, and <br />a member of the Steering Committee for the Santa Ana Arts and Culture Master Plan. <br />I am writing to advocate for the Council's continued budgetary support for critical services that strengthen <br />the local arts and culture sector and Santa Ana's creative economy. <br />The visionary funding provided by the council since the implementation of the Arts Master Plan in 2016 <br />has had a transformative impact on local artists and arts organizations in the form of arts grants, <br />affordable housing for artists, professional development services, the establishment of an Arts Commission <br />and a knowledgeable liaison through whom to strengthen relationships with the City. <br />This has provided Santa Ana's arts community with funding for innovative projects, pathways to <br />professional ization, opportunities for civic engagement and increased visibility. In turn, the local arts <br />community has contributed to Santa Ana's vibrant quality of life and has increased the City's reputation as <br />a national arts leader. <br />Additionally, it is well -established that cities with strong arts infrastructures experience reduced crime, <br />increased property values and significant revenue from sales tax, hotel tax, tourism, parking and spending <br />at restaurants. <br />Through the City's leadership, this growth has been guided by a commitment to equity and inclusion, <br />creating opportunities to engage youth, strengthening the arts infrastructure and developing Santa Ana's <br />creative workforce. <br />While Santa Ana's arts community is celebrated for providing engaging year-round services and <br />performances for Santa Ana residents, schools, businesses and visitors, the arts sector has suffered great <br />losses of income during the COVID-19 epidemic. <br />Nonetheless, this same sector has quickly adapted to provide critical free online programming, lessons, <br />workshops and community discussions to serve a wide number of Santa Ana's residents, including <br />students, seniors, homeless, immigrants, and veterans, who are also deeply affected by this crisis. <br />Santa Ana needs its arts community and City support for the arts now more than ever. I am asking you to <br />strengthen the City's commitment to the Arts and Culture Master Plan by: <br />Increasing the funding allocation for the arts <br />Restoring the Investing in the Artist Grant to its original $85,000 level <br />Exploring ways for the Arts Commission to partner on projects with other departments and <br />commissions, such as Parks and Rec, the Santa Ana PD, the Library, Planning and Building, Historic <br />Resources and the Youth Commission to increase the long-term impact of the city's investment and <br />better coordinate with the City's Strategic Plan <br />