My name is Natalia Neira, and I serve as Co-Director of Emerging Arts Professionals SF Bay Area, representing a network of more than 3,000 artists, arts administrators, and cultural workers, many of whom live and work in Oakland, such as myself (district 1)!
I urge you to approve the Coliseum deal and dedicate the City's 6% ticket-revenue share to rebuilding Oakland's arts and culture sector.
Years of limited public investment have destabilized Oakland's arts ecosystem. Organizations have reduced programming, artists and cultural workers are leaving the field, and many are struggling to sustain the institutions that make Oakland a vibrant, creative city. Without dedicated funding, we risk losing an essential part of Oakland's identity and economy.
I ask that the City:
• Restore local arts and culture funding through this dedicated ticket-revenue stream.
• Invest in staff capacity to administer grants and secure additional foundation and federal funding, leveraging even greater resources for Oakland.
• Relaunch innovative arts initiatives and partnerships across City departments, Oakland Unified School District, philanthropy, and the private sector.
This is more than an investment in the arts. It's an investment in Oakland's economy, neighborhoods, small businesses, and community well-being. Please seize this opportunity to build a sustainable future for Oakland's arts and culture sector.
I am an Oakland community member, professional musician, arts supporter and educator. I support this proposal and urge the council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue from the Coliseum sale into the city's Arts and Culture sector.
Arts and culture are a defining point of Oakland's identity. The city has already lost a lot of previous funds for arts. This could create incredible opprutunity for arts to be supported and stay afloat in neighborhoods, schools and long standing cultural communities. A long term effect would be the benefit it could provide to Oakland's young students. It has been proven by various research how much arts and culture benefits youth by sharpening their academic performances and building community awareness. Long practicing artists who contribute to the town's rich cultural ecosystem can also benefit from this investment. This is especially important during this high time for nationwide lowered arts funding and the ongoing issue of artist displacement.
Please invest this reoccurring revenue to keep Oakland's historic artist identity and communities strong for generations to come.
As an Oakland community member, arts leader, and community arts supporter, I urge the Council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget; the Cultural Affairs Manager position (which brought in about $1 million a year in outside foundation funding) was eliminated, and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding still accounts for under 1% of the city budget, and a one-time $600,000 emergency fund was only a stopgap.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
As an artist living and working in Oakland for over a decade, I strongly support this proposal to bring more arts funding to Oakland. The model is already in place in other cities like Columbus, Ohio, and it would bring a new revenue source to our city when we need it! The limited arts and culture funding available to Oakland-based artists and so many artists have to resort to SF-based funding to survive, much less thrive. Our new Cultural Affairs Manager, Lyz Luke is a leader in the field and a trusted administrator among artists. She would smartly invest and strategize actions with these new resources! Oakland has long been a cultural beacon, and we need city investment in order for this to continue. Programs like grants for arts in schools, support for independent artists, general operating support for organizations like my local arts nonprofit (pateldanceworks), Temescal Arts Center, and festivals that support local businesses could all be reinstated or reimagined with this recommendation. I encourage you to support the Coliseum deal and invest at minimum, 6% in Oakland's arts and culture sector. Oakland can be an example for the whole state and country, demonstrating how the arts matter and that we can put our money towards keeping the arts ecosystem thriving.
As an Oakland community member, OUSD parent, trained artist currently in tech, community arts supporter, I urge the Council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding has been eliminated from the city's budget, and a one-time $600,000 emergency fund was only a stopgap.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
As an Oakland community member, OUSD parent, arts leader and community arts supporter, I urge the Council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding has been eliminated from the city's budget, and a one-time $600,000 emergency fund was only a stopgap.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
As an Oakland community member, arts leader and community arts supporter, I urge the Council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget, the Cultural Affairs Manager position (which brought in about $1 million a year in outside foundation funding) was eliminated, and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding still accounts for under 1% of the city budget, and a one-time $600,000 emergency fund was only a stopgap.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
Laura Anderson (Oakland resident and arts supporter)
As an Oakland resident and community arts supporter, I urge you to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget, the Cultural Affairs Manager position (which brought in about $1 million a year in outside foundation funding) was eliminated, and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding still accounts for under 1% of the city budget.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
As a lifelong Oakland resident, I hope you will invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector. Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding, has been cut from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490, the Cultural Affairs Manager position (which brought in about $1 million a year in outside foundation funding) was eliminated, and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students need stable funding. Thank you.
My name is Natalia Neira, and I serve as Co-Director of Emerging Arts Professionals SF Bay Area, representing a network of more than 3,000 artists, arts administrators, and cultural workers, many of whom live and work in Oakland, such as myself (district 1)!
I urge you to approve the Coliseum deal and dedicate the City's 6% ticket-revenue share to rebuilding Oakland's arts and culture sector.
Years of limited public investment have destabilized Oakland's arts ecosystem. Organizations have reduced programming, artists and cultural workers are leaving the field, and many are struggling to sustain the institutions that make Oakland a vibrant, creative city. Without dedicated funding, we risk losing an essential part of Oakland's identity and economy.
I ask that the City:
• Restore local arts and culture funding through this dedicated ticket-revenue stream.
• Invest in staff capacity to administer grants and secure additional foundation and federal funding, leveraging even greater resources for Oakland.
• Relaunch innovative arts initiatives and partnerships across City departments, Oakland Unified School District, philanthropy, and the private sector.
This is more than an investment in the arts. It's an investment in Oakland's economy, neighborhoods, small businesses, and community well-being. Please seize this opportunity to build a sustainable future for Oakland's arts and culture sector.
Thank you.
Natalia Neira
natalia@emergingsf.org
www.emergingsf.org
I am an Oakland community member, professional musician, arts supporter and educator. I support this proposal and urge the council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue from the Coliseum sale into the city's Arts and Culture sector.
Arts and culture are a defining point of Oakland's identity. The city has already lost a lot of previous funds for arts. This could create incredible opprutunity for arts to be supported and stay afloat in neighborhoods, schools and long standing cultural communities. A long term effect would be the benefit it could provide to Oakland's young students. It has been proven by various research how much arts and culture benefits youth by sharpening their academic performances and building community awareness. Long practicing artists who contribute to the town's rich cultural ecosystem can also benefit from this investment. This is especially important during this high time for nationwide lowered arts funding and the ongoing issue of artist displacement.
Please invest this reoccurring revenue to keep Oakland's historic artist identity and communities strong for generations to come.
As an Oakland community member, arts leader, and community arts supporter, I urge the Council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget; the Cultural Affairs Manager position (which brought in about $1 million a year in outside foundation funding) was eliminated, and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding still accounts for under 1% of the city budget, and a one-time $600,000 emergency fund was only a stopgap.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
As an artist living and working in Oakland for over a decade, I strongly support this proposal to bring more arts funding to Oakland. The model is already in place in other cities like Columbus, Ohio, and it would bring a new revenue source to our city when we need it! The limited arts and culture funding available to Oakland-based artists and so many artists have to resort to SF-based funding to survive, much less thrive. Our new Cultural Affairs Manager, Lyz Luke is a leader in the field and a trusted administrator among artists. She would smartly invest and strategize actions with these new resources! Oakland has long been a cultural beacon, and we need city investment in order for this to continue. Programs like grants for arts in schools, support for independent artists, general operating support for organizations like my local arts nonprofit (pateldanceworks), Temescal Arts Center, and festivals that support local businesses could all be reinstated or reimagined with this recommendation. I encourage you to support the Coliseum deal and invest at minimum, 6% in Oakland's arts and culture sector. Oakland can be an example for the whole state and country, demonstrating how the arts matter and that we can put our money towards keeping the arts ecosystem thriving.
As an Oakland community member, OUSD parent, trained artist currently in tech, community arts supporter, I urge the Council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding has been eliminated from the city's budget, and a one-time $600,000 emergency fund was only a stopgap.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
As an Oakland community member, OUSD parent, arts leader and community arts supporter, I urge the Council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding has been eliminated from the city's budget, and a one-time $600,000 emergency fund was only a stopgap.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
As an Oakland community member, arts leader and community arts supporter, I urge the Council to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget, the Cultural Affairs Manager position (which brought in about $1 million a year in outside foundation funding) was eliminated, and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding still accounts for under 1% of the city budget, and a one-time $600,000 emergency fund was only a stopgap.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
Laura Anderson (Oakland resident and arts supporter)
As an Oakland resident and community arts supporter, I urge you to invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector.
The need is real: Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding vehicle, has been cut severely. Its budget fell from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490 under the contingency budget, the Cultural Affairs Manager position (which brought in about $1 million a year in outside foundation funding) was eliminated, and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding amid the city's $130 million deficit. Local arts funding still accounts for under 1% of the city budget.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. Research shows expanded arts education lowers disciplinary citations and improves writing. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students deserve stable funding. Thank you.
As a lifelong Oakland resident, I hope you will invest the city's 6% ticket-revenue share from the Coliseum/Arena sale in Oakland's arts and culture sector. Cultural Affairs, the city's main arts funding, has been cut from $1,477,000 in FY 2023-24 to $837,490, the Cultural Affairs Manager position (which brought in about $1 million a year in outside foundation funding) was eliminated, and 48 grantee organizations lost about a quarter of their funding.
This funding reaches Oakland youth directly through community arts partnerships at school sites and through arts and rec programming. With over 1,200 students transferring out of OUSD last year to Piedmont, Berkeley, and San Leandro, a well-funded arts sector also helps OUSD retain families.
Please invest this new, recurring revenue in restoring local arts funding. Oakland's artists and students need stable funding. Thank you.