Tell Mayor Thao and the Oakland City Council: Save the arts in Oakland!
Mayor Thao and the Oakland City Council
Studies have demonstrated that exposure to the arts can improve educational outcomes, enhance creativity, and even improve mental health.
Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention has expressed its belief in the importance of cultural activities as well. Arts and culture not only enriches the lives of residents, but also attracts tourists, providing a boost to the local economy.
The arts and culture industry contributes significantly to the economy, and cutting funding to this sector could have detrimental effects on our city’s economic recovery.
The bottom line: Oakland thrives when its arts and culture community thrives. Sign our petition to make sure Mayor Thao and the Oakland City Council hear our message loud and clear.
Want to learn more? Click here. Contact the city council directly by clicking here.
Sponsored by
To:
Mayor Thao and the Oakland City Council
From:
[Your Name]
I understand that this is a difficult budget cycle, but I am contacting you to ask that you maintain the current budget of the Cultural Affairs Division and allow it to be kept whole in this budget cycle.
This means a budget allocation of $2M in city government funds for grantmaking (equal to the 2021-2023 allocation of funds), with a total cost - including staffing - of $4,199,809. As it stands, CAD is approved for a staff of 7, but has 3 vacancies. It must be fully staffed to make grants with city funds as well as funds raised from private sources, manage the public arts holdings and process, as well as assist the sector and council districts with technical support.
Please consider the long-term impact in Oakland if funding for arts and culture was cut. Please maintain the budget of the Cultural Affairs Division.