RILEY RAINS / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Musicians orchestrated symphonies to echo the concerns of the people, artists painted murals of dissent. Actors, musicians, poets and photographers stood defiant against a backdrop of handmade signs in a civil protest against the budget cuts. Hundreds of  San Diego creatives gathered outside Civic Center Plaza to protest San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year. 

The plan — released on April 15 — reduces funding for arts and culture from $13.8 million to $2 million: an 85% decrease. This plan will most directly impact city employees, hours for public spaces like libraries and recreation centers and grants for A&C festivals. Nonprofits that rely on annual grants from the city will also struggle to keep doors open. 

San Diego Mesa College Art Professor Alessandra Moctezuma is the chair of San Diego’s Commission for Arts and Culture; Moctezuma stood in the center of the protest and gave a speech. 

“It felt like a kick in the gut,” Moctezuma expressed on April 20 to reporters at KPBS. “The arts are not just expression, they are how communities find agency, connection and power. The arts are not a luxury. They foster economic growth, but just as importantly, they provide connection, healing and hope.”

USD students across campus are frustrated by the budget cuts. USD senior and co-president of the Humanities Center Annela Rice aired her grievances.

“We see time and time again organizations disregarding the arts as if they aren’t the backbone of society,” Rice continued. “Places like Balboa Park and the Art District aren’t just buildings and places, they’re where community is built through artistic expression. To know that a USD alumni is degrading something I am so passionate about is very disheartening.”

The  budget addresses San Diego’s massive fiscal deficit: over $115 million.  As    inflation  combines with cut federal aid, the city  faces more debt than ever seen before — and San  Diego is  not alone.  Los  Angeles   is  facing   a  $200  million  deficit,  San  Francisco is dealing with a $643 million gap and Sacramento is coping  with a    $66   million  shortfall. 

The FY2027 “all-cuts” budget is prioritizing closing San Diego’s deficit. The $6.4 billion plan reduces funding for recreation centers, museums, libraries and arts in San Diego. 

As  the  37th   mayor  of   San  Diego, it is part of Gloria’s job to propose an annual budget addressing community concerns. Gloria addressed San Diego residents  on April 15  at  the  City Hall. 

“This is a balanced, responsible budget that confronts a $118 million deficit directly,” Gloria said. “It makes the tough decisions now — including targeting reduction to staffing and support functions — to protect the services San Diegans rely on and keep the city on solid footing.”

Gloria argued that the spending plan will allocate funds toward public safety, road repair and homelessness; however, with this redistribution, other services will be slashed.

USD Associate Professor in Accounting Erica Berry responded to the A&C budget cuts in regards to her expertise. 

“Arts are usually the first thing to go when people are trying to cut budget, so that hurts,” Berry explained. “But in the end if we don’t have the funds to pay for it, then we don’t have the funds to pay for it. It is always a matter of money coming in, and money coming out. It’s got to equal zero one way or another.”

Some students are particularly upset about the proposal because the mayor is a USD alum. He is a magna cum laude  graduate  with a dual-degree in history  and  political science — both majors are within the College of Arts and Sciences.

USD senior Blanca Gonzalez works   at  the   Creative  Zone. Gonzalez reacted to the San Diego mayor’s college years. 

“It’s crazy he’s an alumni,” Gonzalez   admitted. “I   can’t   believe that. I feel like the  majority of our students are CAS, liberal arts, so I  think that this goes against what our University believes.”

The nonprofit arts and culture sector generates more revenue for a city than one  might expect. A 2022  study  conducted   by   The  City of San Diego’s Arts and Economic Prosperity found that the arts and culture industry supported 16,900 jobs and produced over $275 million in tax revenue. 

Attending concerts or museums results in money spent at parking meters, childcare centers, restaurants and neighboring businesses. Local attendees of entertainment events spend an average of $34.94 per event beyond admission — a figure significantly less compared to tourists who are drawn to San Diego for its art. In 2022 alone, the San Diego arts and culture sector created $1.2 billion in economic activity. 

This pattern holds true across the country. Around 4% of the national economy consisted of arts and cultural production: equivalent to $1.17 trillion. CEO of San Diego Magazine Claire Johnson called it “The most expensive  mistake  a  city can make.”

“Disinvesting in arts and culture is not painless or prudent,” Johnson argued. “If San Diego wants to be a city people want to live in, invest in, and believe in, arts and culture cannot be treated as expendable.

USD first-year Larissa Montano heard about the budget cuts while watching the news last week. Montano commented on how FY2027 will affect USD students. 

“Personally I was annoyed, mad and angry,” Montano exclaimed. “[This] is not a very good idea for the city of San Diego. Humanities events that happen on campus and in San Diego as a whole help with mental health and encourage being creative before a stressful period like midterms or finals. This will affect how people see school and the overall health of everyone.”

Budget review hearings are scheduled  between May 4  and May 8, with a  council vote  in early June. The public hearing will take place in the  City   Council  Chambers in  downtown   San Diego.