Contra Costa County’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved plans for an Arts Council to promote the development of local arts and culture.
Previously, the Contra Costa County Arts and Culture Commission advised the board on matters related to the arts. As a government agency, the commission was limited in terms of where it could get funding and how it could be spent, and in March 2022, the Board of Supervisors dissolved the commission following a series of resignations from commissioners.
A planning committee was formed to explore the creation of a nonprofit arts council with more flexibility for fundraising and spending, and the Board of Supervisors has approved $262,500 in funds from Measure X, a half-cent sales tax approved by county voters in 2020, that will be used to pay salaries of arts council employees, as well as expenses such as office space and web development.
The board on Tuesday approved plans to seek a contractor to work with county officials and execute the council’s planned services. The goal of the new art council would be to connect the local art community and advocate for the arts in local government matters, said senior deputy county administrator Lara DeLaney at the board meeting.
The county also plans to have the council create a database of art within Contra Costa County, including a list of art and cultural organizations, art in public places and local artists. Additionally, the council would have a $1.1 million grant program for the arts in Contra Costa County beginning in 2025 with funds from local sales tax funds.
Contra Costa is the latest county to explore an arts council to facilitate local arts and culture.
Fifty-three of the 58 counties in the state currently have an arts council or are in the planning stages to develop one. Contra Costa County is home to over 300 arts and cultural organizations, according to a presentation from the council’s planning committee.
Maybe they will put up more spirit poles. How about some equity art? Don’t think that is a joke. It is real possibility. This is california.
Increasing number of government employees is NEVER seems to be a problem in CA.
There are more than enough retired folks who might be willing to volunteer to do same work for free.
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Ya know come to think of it, are there ANY frugal elected public servants??
Then again to be one of the counties in the state without an arts council would be embarrassing and would look bad for any supervisor with ambitions to climb the DEM political ladder.
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An what’d they do with left over paint after defacing that Martinez street with blm ?
An Arts Council needs to be privately funded. There is no reason to fund such nonsense other than pandering to large re-election doners.
The losers on the County Board can even fix the county roads, or pick up the trash. What makes them think that they can do anything else worthwhile?
A new needless governmental council… more government is not the answer.
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How about promoting law and order?
While Rome burns, they’re fiddling with deck chairs on the Titanic
Find a friend and give them a government job with benefits it’s called cronyism. This needed to be privately funded.
Maybe if we put up nice art around CC county we can attract more criminals.
The road goes on forever and the party never ends.
This sounds good! Investing in the arts is needed and there are artists in Contra Costa that could benefit from this. How do we find out more?