The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal Wednesday to use millions of dollars in county funding to bolster the region’s arts and culture scene, with a focus on diverse and underserved communities.
Key components of the initiative include:
Artist Grant Program ($1 million annually): Direct, low-barrier funding for individual artists, prioritizing underserved communities and supporting both emerging and established creatives; Artist-in-Residence Program ($250,000 annually): Placement of local artists within county departments to address public challenges through “creative, community-informed” approaches; Artist Space Grant Program ($500,000 annually): Expanding access to affordable creative spaces, including county-owned properties for public arts programming; Binational Creative Economy Investment ($250,000 annually): Strengthening cross-border arts and cultural collaboration in the San Diego- Baja California region; Arts and Cultural District Designation Program: Formal recognition and support for “culturally rich areas” across the county, with a focus on historically underfunded communities; Black Arts and Culture District Investment ($500,000 one-time): Supporting infrastructure, programming and economic development in nine blocks within the San Diego community of Encanto. The program will also offer help to artists in navigating the application system, based on a recommendation from Aguirre. Desmond, who represents the northernmost portion of the county, said the proposal would turn the county’s coffers into the city of San Diego’s personal ATM.Proponents Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe, along with Paloma Aguirre, were in favor, while Jim Desmond was opposed. Their colleague Joel Anderson was absent.
Before voting, board Chair Lawson-Remer said the funding initiative “has really been a labor of love,” with participation by many community members. She cited Chicano Park in the Barrio Logan neighborhood and the county Administration Center — a New Deal-era building lauded for its architectural beauty, as examples of why arts funding matters, and “can (happen) at a time when people are divided and feel hopeless — and uplift the best in ourselves.”
Board Vice Chair Montgomery Steppe said the investments “are not solely cultural in nature — they are economic drivers, that enhance tourism, workforce development and the county’s overall quality of life.”
Desmond said he strongly supports artistic programs, adding that the city of San Marcos had one when he was its mayor — but said the county needs to focus on its unincorporated regions. Desmond noted that many of those speaking in favor during a public comment period live in the city of San Diego, and the county should not have to rescue city programs.
“There are some major flaws with this initiative as it is,” he said, adding that it didn’t seem to feature metrics, accountability or guardrails.
“It’s hard to deliver on something that sometimes is abstract,” Desmond said. “This is how fraud starts —government dollars go out the door.”
Lawson-Remer responded that the program will have specific guidelines, including reports from the chief administrative officer.
Aguirre said she was really excited to support more funding. “Arts and culture are part of who we are,” she added.
Most public input on Wednesday, including from the county’s Arts & Culture Commission members, was favorable.
An Encanto neighborhood resident and barbershop owner said arts are transformative and “(take) us places that nothing else can besides traveling.”
One critic said it made no sense for the county to spend money on arts with so many San Diegans struggling financially.
County arts support comes as the city of San Diego continues its budget process. Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget would slash all arts and culture grants to the tune of nearly $12 million.
“Our residents are hungry for these arts programs in so many communities,” Lawson-Remer said earlier. “The proposal includes up to $2.75 million in total funding, with $2.25 million in ongoing annual investments, to launch and sustain everything from an artist grant program, to investments in the Black Arts and Culture District, to an artist space grant program and a binational creative economy investment and artist in residence program.”
San Diego isn’t the only government entity proposing to roll back arts funding as grants and other sources from Washington, D.C. begin to dry up.
“Too often our Black, brown and immigrant neighborhoods have been overlooked,” Montgomery Steppe said. “Arts and culture are not optional — they are foundational to a thriving, inclusive San Diego County. Today, we are making the choice to move that vision forward.”
“New staff. New grant programs. New designations. And a sizable chunk of it headed straight into the city of San Diego,” Desmond wrote to supporters. “Let me remind you what the city of San Diego looks like right now. Streets that flood because storm drains went uncleaned for years. A budget deficit so deep they’re closing libraries and rec centers. Homeless encampments the city refuses to enforce against. A downtown most families won’t visit after dark.”
Desmond said colleagues are using general fund money “that pays for our deputies, fire prep, mental health beds, and roads in North County.”
Arts leaders, however, said the funding could be the step needed to preserve programs.
“Today’s investment signals that the county recognizes and values the power of diverse voices across the arts sector,” said Gaidi Finnie, executive director of the African American Museum of Fine Arts. “The Black Arts and Culture District stands as a vital hub for cultural expression and creative enterprise, and this investment affirms the county’s commitment to advancing arts and culture in an inclusive and meaningful way.”
According to the supervisors, the proposal also includes efforts to work with philanthropies, advocate for expanded arts funding and establish the county as a designated Local Arts Agency through the California Arts Council.
“San Diego ART Matters and the broader artist community commend the county’s long-overdue historic investment in the arts,” said Bob Lehman, executive director of San Diego ART Matters. “This initiative transforms passion into purposeful, strategic action — placing the creative economy at the table of our region’s future.”
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