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Los Angeles Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Costa Mesa Arts Commission tests its power, as authority of citizen-led groups is disputed
When a city appoints citizens to serve on municipal commissions and committees, what rights and responsibilities do those individuals have to inform policy, make recommendations to city leaders and to generally get things done? That point is being pondered in Costa Mesa, the self-proclaimed City of the Arts, where some council members this week sought further clarity after learning about a dispute on the subject between arts commissioners and staff. Upon reviewing the city's arts budget during a May 1 meeting, commissioners recommended shifting $160,000 from a large-scale art installation fund to a public-private mural initiative that would support the painting of historical scenes on participating local businesses. Vice Chair Fisher Derderian, who proposed the motion, explained it would be a more immediate way of getting eye-catching art into public places, particularly if businesses chipped in to cover a portion of the expense. Historical murals would also be a fitting way to celebrate Costa Mesa's rich and storied past, while positioning the city for federal arts grants aimed at honoring America250, the nation's bisesquicentennial, in 2026, Derderian reasoned. 'We have to be ambitious. We have to have a vision that says let's get art out there tomorrow, if at all possible,' he said at the meeting. 'I don't think there's any reason we couldn't at least propose this as part of the budget and then, if it gets approved, really flesh out what the idea would be.' The move, which passed in a 4-2 vote, is more than a mere recommendation. It's a test of the civic reach of the Arts Commission, established in 2022 to function as its own legislative body, compared to the erstwhile advisory-only Cultural Arts Committee. The vote followed a discussion between commissioners and Director of Parks & Community Services Brian Gruner, who oversees the panel, regarding the roles and responsibilities of the group and its power to seek new funding sources and create public art programs. Derderian asked Gruner to clarify whether the commission could form a subcommittee to discuss incorporating art in future public works projects or displaying it on city-owned buildings. Or maybe the commission could call a study session or make a motion to the City Council to hold a discussion at a higher level? The answer was, essentially, no. 'We'd have to have a discussion and dialogue, and connect with [then-City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison] first and see what the recommendation would be from her,' Gruner responded. Costa Mesa municipal code seems to state otherwise, specifying the commission shall: '...by its own motion, conduct studies and investigations and hold public hearings as it may deem necessary for the formulation of policies, plans and procedures relating to arts, or to determine the wisdom and efficacy of such policies, plans and procedures, or to determine an action plan to pursue in implementing the city's arts and culture master plan and report its findings and recommendations.' When asked about the rights described in the legislation, Gruner said he could request the city clerk hold a training session for commissioners on how to properly interpret the law. Instead, Derderian took a different course. During a discussion on the city's arts budget later on, he made a motion recommending $100,000 in a previously approved art-installation fund, and an additional $60,000 in the new budget cycle, be repurposed for the historical mural initiative. The motion carried on a 4-2 vote. And, just like that, the Costa Mesa Arts Commission took a first tentative step toward independence. Derderian said in a follow-up interview he reviewed the city's municipal code after hearing public comments — particularly from Jim Fitzpatrick, a former planning commissioner-turned-cannabis consultant and vocal City Hall critic — indicating the commission had more power than it was being allowed to exercise. 'There's a real question as to what we're supposed to be doing and how we fulfill that purpose,' Derderian said Wednesday. 'We're developing precedent in trying to understand what our role is.' Although it's unknown whether the Costa Mesa City Council will approve the commission's recommendation, it seems city leaders are open to exploring the power of citizen-led municipal groups. Councilman Jeff Pettis said during a regular council meeting Tuesday commissioners should feel empowered to carry out the duties defined in the municipal code. 'I do not believe the Arts Commission is functioning to its full capacity,' Pettis said. 'I'm going to be watching every minute of every Arts Commission meeting going forward to ensure they are being able to function within their role as commissioners to their highest level of authority.' Councilman Mike Buley asked whether a council study session might be convened to clarify the responsibilities of the groups. 'We've got citizens donating an extensive amount of their time,' he said. 'A lot of them are very skilled and knowledgeable in their specific areas, and it's a resource we should rely upon. They should be given a citizen voice in what we do in this community.'
Los Angeles Times
12-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Costa Mesa earmarked a slice of cannabis tax revenue for the arts. Where is it going?
When Costa Mesa officials drafted the city's retail cannabis ordinance, they agreed to dedicate one-half cent of the 7-cent-per-dollar tax toward the implementation of an Arts & Culture Master Plan. But until recently, it's been unclear where the money's going. Adopted in 2021, the same year as the cannabis law was crafted following the passage of Measure Q, the arts master plan took years to create as public input was sought on how citywide art and cultural events, programs, policies and staffing might be developed over a five-year period. The document comprised existing events — like a utility box art program and the annual ARTventure — and also called for new commitments, such as establishment of the seven-member Arts Commission and creation of a full-time arts specialist, hired in 2022 at an annual salary of $120,000. Some saw the tax earmark as a shot in the arm for local arts, including Costa Mesa Mayor John Stephens, who helped draft the recommendation as part of a council-appointed cannabis ad hoc committee. 'Everybody, I think, realized it was a good thing to put money behind — here's a fund to hopefully spur and inspire some investment into public art,' Stephens said Thursday. 'My view was we'd see some great public art.' Now, with more than $3.3 million in total revenue having so far been generated from the legal sale of marijuana, the application of the arts funding is not so visible. Parks & Community Services Director Brian Gruner explained during an April 3 Arts Commission meeting the cannabis tax funds were not being accumulated for a special purpose, but were going into the city's general fund, from which arts programs and initiatives have historically been covered. Gruner told commissioners while city leaders initially projected the cannabis tax revenue would be sufficient to fund the total implementation of the master plan's programs — around $8 million annually — actual income has been less robust, possibly due to a cap placed last year on the number of dispensaries allowed to do business. 'Currenlty, the tax revenue coming in is not sufficient to basically fund the arts master plan, so the council has been supplementing additional funds from the general fund to help offset that,' he said. 'The council has been very, very supportive of the arts, and they certainly make that a priority to continue the funding, at least for the next fiscal year.' Total implementation of the five-year plan — which began July 2021 and ends in June 2026 — is estimated to cost $1,941,700, including a projected cost for next fiscal year of $457,300, according to figures provided by Gruner at last week's commission meeting. But given the arts master plan funding constitutes 1/14 of the total cannabis tax taken in, the city would have to earn $27,183,800 in revenue from dispensaries for arts and culture programs to be fully funded. By contrast, figures provided in the 2024-25 adopted budget show only $420,967 in arts-related cannabis taxes will have been collected by June 30. That the earmark is being returned to the city's general fund came as a surprise to resident Jim Fitzpatrick, a former planning commissioner-turned-cannabis-consultant who makes frequent appearances at public meetings to decry what he sees as waste and misspending at City Hall. 'Measure Q came after the Arts & Culture Master Plan. [The arts tax] was never intended to fund it,' Fitzpatrick said during the Arts Commission meeting. 'It was always intended to be incremental, over and above, to do more for the City of the Arts. Now [staff] is saying they're having to supplement it with the general fund. They've got it backwards.' City Finance Director Carol Molina, in the throes of preparing next fiscal year's budget, deferred questions about the cannabis tax to Costa Mesa spokesman Tony Dodero, who clarified that the city's intention was that the revenue would be the sole funding source for programs identified in the document. 'Ultimately, the money from Measure Q is supposed to totally fund the master plan, but at this point it's not. And, because of that, for the last three years the city's been taking money out of the general fund to fund the master plan,' Dodero said Wednesday. Stephens said while that's not exactly what he envisioned when the council approved the tax set-aside, he doesn't think of using the general fund to pay for arts programming as a 'subsidy.' 'My vision was that it would be tangible, that people would be able to see a tangible art piece and trace it back to the cannabis art funds,' the mayor said Thursday. 'But it's still obviously an additional source of funds we didn't have before. If that allows us to get [an arts specialist], that wasn't what I was thinking — but I don't disagree with that.'
