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Dear Mayor Sarmiento and City Councilmembers,
<br />We are Arts and Culture Commissioners MacNair, Russell, and Vu on behalf of the entire Arts and Culture
<br />Commission.
<br />As you make the final adjustments to the city's general budget, we urge you to invest in the burgeoning
<br />creative economy of Santa Ana as a vehicle for spurring strong economic development and for
<br />revitalizing the sense of community among the residents of our beloved "golden" city.
<br />Santa Ana's creative economy is not to be neglected in our work to rebuild post -pandemic. The Arts and
<br />Cultural Master Plan (2016) outlines what a powerful driver the creative economy is for the City of Santa
<br />Ana in contrast with other municipalities. Jobs in this sector, for instance, currently represent a higher
<br />percentage than other large cities across the United States. This economy spans employment and
<br />business in fashion, digital creation, media arts, music, culinary arts, theater, architecture, painting,
<br />literary arts, education, and more.
<br />It is important to also note that our city has much of the needed infrastructure and resources already in
<br />place to grow the creative economy further, in contrast with other neighboring municipalities in
<br />competition for these jobs. We have pipelines and pathways already in place, addressing our very
<br />youngest residents to our seniors. As such, it is a smart focus for investment to
<br />expand/strengthen/reinforce this growing economic engine in order to bolster employment and future
<br />business opportunities.
<br />City
<br />Census
<br />Bureau
<br />Population
<br />(2013
<br />Estimate)
<br />Total Number
<br />of Businesses
<br />(Jan 2015)
<br />Total Number
<br />of Jobs (Jan
<br />2015)
<br />Arts
<br />Total
<br />Arts -Related
<br />Businesses
<br />(Jan 2015)
<br />-Related Businesses
<br />Arts -Related Percentage of
<br />Businesses All Businesses
<br />her 1,000 that are
<br />Residents Arts -Related
<br />Total
<br />Arts -Related
<br />Jobs(Jan
<br />2015)
<br />Arts -Related Jobs
<br />Arts -Related Percentage of
<br />Jobs Per 1,000 All Jobs that
<br />Residents are
<br />Arts -Related
<br />us
<br />3.90%
<br />2.9M
<br />1.90%
<br />Laredo, TX
<br />248,142
<br />10,147
<br />85,444
<br />211
<br />0.85 2.08%
<br />1,711
<br />6.90 2.00%
<br />Santa Ana, CA
<br />334,227
<br />14,394
<br />165,524
<br />528
<br />1.58 3.67%
<br />3,442
<br />10.30 2.08%
<br />Riverside, CA
<br />316,619
<br />14,289
<br />142,200
<br />460
<br />1.45 3.22%
<br />1,369
<br />4.32 0.96%
<br />Anaheim, CA
<br />345,012
<br />18,020
<br />164,313
<br />706
<br />2.05 3.92%
<br />3,246
<br />9.41 1.98%
<br />Long Beach, CA
<br />469,428
<br />20,114
<br />172,421
<br />967
<br />2.06 4.81%
<br />3,565
<br />7.59 2.07%
<br />Portland, OR
<br />609,456
<br />49,441
<br />431,678
<br />3,438
<br />5.64 6.95%
<br />15,590
<br />25.58 3.61%
<br />San lose, CA
<br />998,537
<br />47,131
<br />391,623
<br />2,024
<br />2.03 4.29%
<br />6,579
<br />6.59 1.68%
<br />San Antonio,
<br />TX
<br />1,409,019
<br />69,341
<br />655,811
<br />2,929
<br />2.08 4.22%
<br />11,669
<br />8.28 1.78%
<br />
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