DATE: March 11, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Library & Cultural Arts Department
TITLE: ACCEPTANCE OF LOCAL ARTS AGENCY LEARNING NETWORK GRANT FUNDS FROM SD ART MATTERS
RECOMMENDATION
title
Staff recommends that the City Council accept $20,000 in grant funds from SD Art Matters, awarded to the City to implement a capacity building project; and appropriate these funds to the Local Arts Agency Learning Network Grant Fund for the Library & Cultural Arts Department.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
In direct alignment with the Oceanside Public Library’s Strategic Plan 2024-2028 and the O’Arts: Master Plan for the Arts, the Library & Cultural Arts Department Director and Arts Commission Chair participated in the Local Arts Agency Learning Network (LAALN) initiated by SD Art Matters in a year long program. SD Art Matters, as a non-profit that supports the development of a strong creative sector through policy, education and advocacy within the arts, received a Prebys grant to work with local arts agencies throughout San Diego County. The network was a capacity building program to support staff, commissioners, and leaders of local arts agencies. Networking events and sharing of best practices in arts management amongst municipalities was highlighted. Representatives from ten municipalities throughout the County participated in the program.
At the conclusion of the network, funding was secured from the Prebys Foundation by SD Art Matters through the fiscal sponsor, Mission Edge San Diego, to provide municipalities $20,000 in funding to complete a community-specific goal related to strengthening arts infrastructure, arts/culture strategies, and arts/culture policy.
In order to identify and address a goal to fund, a progress review of actions outlined in the City Council approved O’Arts Master Plan for the Arts was completed. At year-six of the plan’s ten-year-scope, the progress to completion is approximately 60 percent. A major area in the plan not fully addressed is Goal 2: Enhance Oceanside’s cityscape through creative placemaking. Work has initiated on wayfinding and placemaking with the recently-approved Downtown Placemaking Study aimed at creative placemaking in the downtown area, which could include gateway signage, wayfinding signage, and community-identifying elements such as signage and murals. In support of this work, the O’Arts Master Plan Strategy 1 under Goal 2 is to consider expanding the public art program and re-establish a reworked Art in Public Places policy with consultant’s input. The goal of this project is to have an updated policy to guide the growth of the public arts program in the City and be aligned with other municipalities throughout the County.
The adopted O’Arts Master Plan for the Arts reads:
Shorter-term actions:
1. Consider re-establishing the current voluntary art in public places policy and utilize the current CIP list to create new public art.
2. Consider the creation of a voluntary in-lieu fee allowing art to be placed off-site and more distributed throughout the community.
3. Target sites for public art projects in places identified through the O’Arts planning process aligned with community desires.
4. Include temporary as well as permanent art projects in the public art program.
Longer-term actions:
1. Explore the option of establishing a mandatory 1-2% public art requirement.
2. Explore the option of establishing a voluntary 1-2% public art component for private development.
3. Explore use of a contracted art professional as project funding allows.
With support from a currently formed Arts Commission ad hoc, an RFP will be developed to obtain a consultant’s services to assist in the development of a Civic Arts Policy to replace the aged Art in Public Places Policy and work toward completion of actions outlined in the O’Arts Master Plan for the Arts.
FISCAL IMPACT
The grant funds received will enable the Department to obtain consultant services to develop a Civic Arts Policy for City Council consideration. The following amounts received from SD Art Matters will be deposited and appropriated as follows:
|
Description |
Account |
Amount |
|
Revenue |
|
|
|
Local Arts Agency Learning Network Grant |
836204925272.4376 |
$20,000 |
|
Expenditure |
|
|
|
Professional Services |
836204925272.5305 |
20,000 |
|
Total |
|
$20,000 |
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
The Arts Commission considered the grant at its regular February 2, 2026 meeting and the Library Board of Trustees approved acceptance of the Local Arts Agency Learning Network grant funds from SD Art Matters at its regular February 24, 2026 meeting.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
Does not apply.
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Prepared by: CJ Di Mento, Library & Cultural Arts Department Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. Grant Agreement