9:15am | At this evening’s City Council meeting, several council members will be introducing proposals that, hopefully, will examine how the City can be more proactive in supporting the arts. Before you jump out of your chair, either in celebration or ire, consider this: These are the first steps toward change. None will, in and of themselves, produce substantive change at tonight’s meeting. There are five proposals being introduced.
The first suggests the elimination of a permitting requirement for street performers. Since it was put in place, not a single permit has been issued and, according to the sponsors of the proposal, the City has no mechanism in place for processing applications, or issuing permits. There is also the small matter of the U.S. Constitution, and freedom of speech. Eliminating this rule makes perfect sense, but I’d go a step further and create language that welcomes street performers.
There is a proposal that suggests adding the Arts Council’s revised Cultural Master Plan to the City’s 2030 Plan. The 2030 Plan deals primarily with land use, and includes some arts related components, but how the Cultural Master Plan fits into it remains unclear. Also, the process of developing the Cultural Master Plan was never entirely completed. Although there was one public meeting to get input from the community, other meetings were promised, but never set up.
The Cultural Master Plan, on its own, has produced some positive results simply by acting as a working document for the Arts Council, but having it adopted by the City would be a significant step in the right direction.
In many cities, artists whose earnings from their art remain below a certain threshold are exempt from paying for a business license. Now, many artists with working spaces where no sales take place are required to pay for a business license. An examination of this practice will be undertaken and, hopefully, a more arts friendly policy will be enacted.
Another proposal suggests that the City Manager convene an advisory panel to explore ways the City can more effectively generate and manage funds in support of the arts. This is a great idea, only if something tangible is implemented as a result.
Something similar was done some years ago, when Beverly O’Neill was Mayor. The panel hired an expensive consultant from Irvine whose ideas were duplicated (for free) by members of the community. The panel ignored the suggestions of the consultant and the community, pitched one idea to the City Council, and never implemented anything. Hopefully, this new Committee will be more successful.
For me, though, the single most significant proposal being introduced tonight relates to how the City views, and manages, live music. For years, the City has seen live music as an obstacle to order, or a doorway to anarchy. At every turn, it has restricted the natural synergy that arises when art and music connect. As the law is currently written, no retail business can have music at all. No art gallery, book or music store, can legally have an acoustic guitarist strum a few chords. This must change.
In researching this issue, municipal leaders in San Diego, Austin, and Seattle have stated that live music, unfettered by excessive municipal restrictions, is a direct cause for their cities’ economic growth, including the attraction of Tech businesses and tourism.
We have an opportunity to reinvent this aspect of our City’s character. Through a revision of the Zoning code, and how permits are managed, we can bring a powerful engine of prosperity to every neighborhood. Best of all, it won’t cost a cent, and may even increase tax revenues.
Whether you’re an artist, a resident, or a business owner, these proposals will benefit your bottom line, and improve your quality of life. I urge you to come to the Council Chambers tonight to stand in support of these proposals, and let your elected representatives know that they’re headed in the right direction.
The meeting starts at 5:00pm, but parking and seating will be limited. A capacity crowd is expected.