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<br />Araiza, Fatima <br />From:Joy Fire <joyfireblacksmith@gmail.com> <br />Sent:Monday, <br />To:eComment <br />Subject:Arts Funding - Item 30 Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget Work Study Session <br /> Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution when opening attachments or links. <br />Greetings City Council Members, <br /> <br />Thank you for listening to and reading public comments from concerned community members like me. I moved <br />to Irvine in 2014 and had somewhat of a difficult time adjusting to this new environment. When I finally found <br />out about the art walk in Santa Ana and started attending I knew this was something special, and Santa Ana <br />quickly became the center of my community and a place where I could feel at home in Orange County. It is the <br />unique artistic and entrepreneurial nature of the city, which has been cultivated by Santa Ana locals, that makes <br />this place such a jewel. And a large part of what has supported that entrepreneurial and creative local <br />community is funding for the arts. I have rented a small studio space in Santa Ana for several years now, this <br />city is one of the few places in Orange County that has these kinds of artistic spaces available. I do everything I <br />can to participate in and support my community, acknowledging the work and struggle of so many others who <br />have been here long before me and have worked so hard to make this city what it is. It is already getting more <br />and more expensive to live and work in Santa Ana for artists and creatives, and if these people are pushed out <br />Sana Ana will lose what makes it special. In order to continue to cultivate the beauty of this community I urge <br />you to consider the following. <br /> <br />1. Sponsor artist grants and events. The work of artists and the unique events that are hosted in Santa Ana draw <br />people here, which grows the economy. <br />2. Fully fund artwalk. This is so important to me, as it is what brought me to the city and how I was first <br />introduced to the incredible creative community here. If you lose artwalk I am afraid you will lose the soul of <br />Santa Ana. <br />3. Tax new developments in Santa Ana and give that funding to the arts budget. We all know housing is a huge <br />issue in California in general, so we do need new development. But giving a small percentage of funding from <br />these developments to go towards the arts will help to maintain the artistic beauty of the city that makes people <br />want to live here in the first place. <br />4. Fund the Arts Culture Master Plan fully. In comparison to other cities in Orange County Santa Ana has a small budget for the arts, <br />and look what the community has been able to do with that! More funding for this master plan will allow artists and artistry to truly <br />flourish. <br />5. More funding for the Arts and Culture Department. Again, the arts are the beating heart of this community and what draws people <br />here from all over Orange County. Fully funding the Arts and Culture Department will strengthen and support the incredible creative <br />diversity of the Santa Ana community and all of the many grassroots arts organizations and individuals who make it the special place <br />that it is. <br /> <br />Thank you again for your time considering these comments, and for your service to the city of Santa Ana. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Joy Fire <br /> <br />Pronouns: she/her <br /> <br />joyfireblacksmith.com <br />1 <br /> <br />