Just six weeks ago, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria was set to announce that all funding for arts and culture would be eliminated amid a major city budget shortfall.
But the mayor and City Council, aided by philanthropic support, thankfully backed away from that plan in the city budget passed last week.
The plan had faced protests from nonprofit leaders warning that the proposed elimination of arts and culture funding threatened the stability of the region’s creative sector, which plays a critical role in San Diego’s economy, workforce and quality of life.
Arts and culture organizations, they argued, support thousands of jobs, fuel millions of dollars from tourism, activate neighborhoods and foster a strong sense of community across all council districts.
Cutting arts funding may produce short-term budget relief. But time and again, it generates long-term costs — in jobs, in education, in economic vitality and in the social fabric of communities.
History has shown time and again that arts funding cuts rarely deliver the savings policymakers expect. Instead, they reduce economic activity, weaken education systems and erode the cultural infrastructure that underpins long-term growth.
This, we know, is happening at the federal level according to the CEO of Americans for the Arts, Erin Harkey.
“The President’s FY27 Budget Request proposes closing the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services — a direct threat to our country’s cultural and economic fabric,” Harkey warns.
As you may know, the federal program of grants for arts exhibitions in underserved communities across the country was canceled. San Diego is no exception. All arts organizations in San Diego and other cities still must scramble for donations. But at least, continued city funding will make it easier.
On the surface, the logic behind cutting the arts seemed compelling. Public resources are limited, and every dollar allocated to the arts is a dollar not spent on infrastructure, public safety or social services.
Critics argue that the arts should survive in the marketplace. If people truly value museums or theater, they will pay for them directly. Why should taxpayers subsidize experiences many may never use?
Mature policy making , however, does not force a choice between infrastructure and imagination, or between economic growth and cultural expression. It recognizes that thriving communities require both — and that each reinforces the other.
San Diego hopefully saw that too.
John Eger is professor emeritus in the School of Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State University. He previously served as telecommunications advisor to President Gerald R. Ford, legal assistant to FCC Chairman Dean Burch, and Senior Vice President of CBS.
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