Don't Cut Culture in Oakland!
Mayor Lee, Oakland City Council, and City Administrator Johnson
1. Oakland’s Arts Are in Crisis
Our cultural sector is still recovering from the pandemic—and now it's being hit with more cuts at every level. Oakland's Cultural Funding Program was slashed from grants of $10K–$24K to just $6,500. Many organizations also lost federal support from the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities. This is unsustainable.
2. Leadership Is Not Optional
Freezing the Cultural Affairs Manager position is a costly mistake. This role helped raise over $7 million in public-private funding during and after the pandemic. Without a Cultural Affairs Manager, it grossly limits our ability to build partnerships or bring in outside dollars. You don’t raise money without vision and a solid team to carry it out.
3. Partial Funding with Strings Doesn’t Help
Restoring part of the budget is a start—but tying the hands of Cultural Affairs staff hurts everyone. These professionals know how to allocate funds strategically. Let them do their job and get resources to the artists and organizations who will keep the cultural ecosystem alive.
4. Cultural Organizations Are Community Infrastructure
Oakland’s arts nonprofits multiply every city dollar to deliver free festivals, after-school programs, and cultural events. They create safe spaces, amplify voices, and bring healing to communities—especially for our youth, immigrants, and communities of color.
5. Cultural Centers Are Essential in These Times
In a climate of rising censorship and division, our cultural spaces are more than venues. They are places of resistance, celebration, and connection. The community needs them now more than ever.
6. Democracy Dies in Darkness
There has been almost no time for the community to understand the Council’s priorities and changes to the Mayor’s budget. Please do not rush to vote WITHOUT COMMUNITY INPUT. Do not vote to approve the budget on June 11.
Sponsored by
To:
Mayor Lee, Oakland City Council, and City Administrator Johnson
From:
[Your Name]
We ask that you keep the staffing of the Cultural Affairs Division whole - particularly the position of Cultural Affairs Manager.
Without cultural leadership, we cannot build back from the City cuts we had to sustain last year, the national and statewide cuts we are experiencing now, and the future cuts on the horizon.
Without cultural leadership, we cannot build cross-sector partnerships or raise outside funds that will keep arts & cultural activities alive.
We ask that you invest in the cultural sector broadly - for economic development and tourism, for community spaces that are places of belonging.
We ask you to give space for democracy! There has been almost no time for the community to understand the Council’s priorities and changes to the Mayor’s budget. Please do not rush to vote WITHOUT COMMUNITY INPUT.
Do not vote to approve the budget on June 11.