Parks and Community Enrichment Commission - Regular Meeting

Chair, staff is ready when you are.

Good afternoon, and welcome to Monday, June 8, 2026, 1 p.m. meeting of the Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Commission. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the roll to establish a quorum?

Thank you, Chair. Commissioners, please unmute for roll call. Commissioner Carter.

Present.

Commissioner Eisenberg.

Here.

Commissioner Hershey. Here. Commissioner Ohabu is absent. Commissioner Orozco. Here. Commissioner Smith is absent. Commissioner Wallace.

Here.

Commissioner Winlock.

Here.

And Chair Lovullo. Here. Thank you. We have quorum. Thank you.

I would like to remind members of the public in chambers that if you'd like to speak on an agenda item, please turn in a speaker slip before the item begins. After the item is called, we will no longer accept speaker slips. You will have two minutes to speak once you are called on. We will now proceed with today's agenda. Commissioner Heisenberg.

To the original people of this land, the Neesanam people of Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Miwok, Patwin Wintun peoples, and the people of the Wotan Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe, may we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together today in the act of practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous people's history, contribution, and lives. Thank you.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Next is the approval of the consent calendar. Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak on the consent calendar?

Thank you, Chair. We have no speakers for this item.

Thank you. Are there any commissioners who wish to speak speak on this item or any of these items in the discussion calendar? Looks like you know, is there a motion and a second for the consent calendar? Oh sure Commissioner Carter, sorry Commissioner Wallace I will second Did you did you want to comment

No, no, I was just going to move.

Perfect. Thank you. So we've got a first from Commissioner Carter and a second from Commissioner Wallace. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstain? The motion passes with opposition from zero commissioners, abstention from zero commissioners. We will now proceed to the discussion calendar. Staff, there is a presentation, correct?

There is a PDF that we can pull up. It is a reiteration of the race and cultural equity statement that was shared in your agenda in your book. It is a two-page document.

All right. It looks like Dr. Winlock, if you'd like to go ahead and speak.

Thank you. Bill, this is kind of a continuation of the discussion of our Creative Edge plan and also our race and cultural equity statement that is in the front of that area. And in our discussion, as we shared with you last time, that we were able to kind of share what the race and cultural equity statement was. the concepts that we were focused on, the areas of making sure that there's a cultural equity, that there's also diversity, There's also communities are represented, and also access, if you all have been seen or stated in the statement. What we wanted to do this time after looking at that is open it up to you all, the commissioners, as far as any comments around the equity, the raise in equity. Any thoughts about it? Does it stand well for you all? Do you feel that this is something that really represents where we're at? So we just want to have an open discussion just on the statement right now, just the commissioner's thoughts about the statement that was adopted. And again, this is the one that is adopted that we are using for the commission. We certified this version in June 2020, as you know, as a part of that. So I'll just open it up. Comments? Thoughts?

Commissioner Wallace, I see you're still on the board. Did you have any comments?

Any comments? Well, as we were kind of, did you, please.

So one of the comments that I have is, as I was reading through it, very well articulated, something that we can all understand and relate to. And one of the components of it that I really enjoyed that stood out to me was the outreach aspect. and engagement section of it, and the sentence goes, the ACCE Commission will advocate for equitable resources to support and serve multiple diverse populations specifically, right? So I really like the fact that we have that in there, that we can go out and advocate for arts and artists within Sacramento.

Great.

Thank you, Commissioner Wallace. Thank you, Chair. I have a couple of thoughts. So in the statement, we included this element of accountability and noted that we would sort of audit ourselves on a regular basis to see how we're making progress in implementing the statement. And I would love to know more about sort of how that has progressed over the years and to see the data shift. Because I think if we did have that data, it would demonstrate that the statement has achieved a lot of what it set out to do. And then we could understand where the gaps are as well and start to work on modifications to the statement itself that would take us further down that path. So that's my first thought. And then my second thought is that we also opened this up to the community to create it in the first place. And I would love to have it this continue to be an ongoing dialogue from the dais with the community about what elements they think we could do better on, because we have our own ways of measuring it and helping them understand how we're measuring, but also understanding where there's distance to be covered between their expectations and implementation.

Commissioner Wallace, you lead us right into what our next job that we were going to propose to the commission to look at. We're discussing the issue about should we form an ad hoc committee. And an ad hoc, after checking with our city, can only be made up of our present commission meeting members right now. And the number that can be on an ad hoc can be up to five, which is what we've determined. And so with doing that, one of the things that we'd like to propose is that we have a work group, an ad hoc work group, that will focus on the part that Maya just mentioned, the accountability part, about finding out what is it that we've done and what have we accomplished during this last, well, actually since the June 2020 version was accepted. And when you look at the accountability part, it talks about making sure that we've included it in our grants, that we've included equity in our grants, in our scholarships, and all of the things that we've kind of focused on. What we'd like to do with the ad hoc committee is to spend six months in looking at exactly what Maya has said. is give examples of how we have done, or give some data about how we have done our grants and how they have looked at addressing the different elements within the equity area, the communities that we've served, all those kinds of things to give us some outlook at what that data is. Doing this in the work group will also provide us two things. one, will give us what Maya is kind of suggesting. How are we doing? Have we been doing this? The other thing it could also do is set a direction for us to look at are there particular areas of the equity statement that we need to be addressing? Or be more intense. Could be the involvement of, are we involving all diverse factors? You know, when you look at the diversity issue within our There are a number of different areas that we wanted to make sure that the arts were involved in this diverse city that had access to all of the arts are there. Well, this would be a great time for us to check to see where we are with that. Have we met that? Have we done all this? This would require for a commissioner to be in. It would be meeting not at a commission meeting, but outside of the commission with our members. And we are looking for setting this up, say, starting in August when we come back after the break, having us up to maybe in that we would be ready to present the information that we've followed by December so that we could make sure that we have this and it would be a part of, you know, could be a part of our strategic plan for next year or those things that we could make sure that we're building in so we have that information. But our goal is to see where we are in the, especially in the issue of where it talks about the accountability. which is what this equity statement said, that the commission, we've said, we want to be accountable, and we want to make sure that, so let's get the data to see where we are and what's the status. So at this point, I'd like to just ask, this is a volunteer, I know that I want to serve on this with the work group. I just want to tell you that I have a lot invested in this equity statement over the years. You all know I've been on the commission for 100 years. My term is up. I won't be serving on it. I've really thought about the issue about this equity statement was really powerful in what we tried to make sure that's happening in our community as it relates to the arts. And I just want to see, what have we done before I leave? Have we done that? Have we met the elements? So I just have a personal kind of belief in it. So I have volunteered to, I'd like to be involved in the ad hoc committee. Other commissioners that would be interested?

Commissioner Smith?

I'm interested.

Great.

Yes.

Okay.

I'm interested, too. I do have to check my schedule, but yes.

Okay. That was it? You just wanted to say you were interested? No other comments? Yeah. Okay. Great. Commissioner Roscoe?

I also just want to say that I'm interested. While I do have to check my schedule, I would be excited to. Okay.

Great. Great. I'm very interested to know, because I know that you guys were super implemental, you and Commissioner Wallace, in putting this statement together. Was there not already plans for the city to follow up on this and keep track of this? Are there current reports or are we only just gonna have reports now that you're asking? Do you know anyone? It's a really good question. How have we been measuring it since 2020?

You know, I think that it was always going to be one that we would want to know whether that's happening in our practices or whether being bond because you, you know, many of us have served on being involved with the selection of, say, certain grants or certain scholarships and making that determination. You notice that in the selection of those and doing those grants, The equity statement was used in the processes and making sure we're reaching out to different communities. So I do believe that there was always the intent of making sure that the equity statement was not just a statement on the wall. It was actually in the practices and the involvement that we were doing throughout. So I do believe what this will do in the ANHA, it will give us some data about where we are and what we've done and have we addressed all elements that are in the statement.

But my question is, is Do we have any data since this has been created? We do? I think so. Yeah. Because that's a really good, like you said, we don't want it to be just on the wall, right?

Yeah.

Let's see what we have done and what can we actually show year to year so that we can identify those gaps, like you said, right? Are we keeping people accountable? Are we being accountable for equity and for everything that we're asking?

That's a really good point, Commissioner Wallace. Thank you, Chair. Yeah, I just wanted to add a little more flavor. I would say that a lot of things have been brought back to this body that are reflective of the statement. But I think what we haven't done is keep track of it and then consistently report out on it. But I'll say that there was a time when we had a meeting with Emmy Barnes, who's the equity officer for the city, on our scoring rubrics. So there's all these tools and conversations that have been ongoing. THAT I THINK ARE REFLECTED IN THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE NOW, AND TO STEVE'S POINT, WHO'S ON OUR PANELS, OUR REVIEW PANELS, AND THEN THE WORK THAT WE DO TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN BEING SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR APPLICATIONS. SO THERE'S ALL THIS GREAT STUFF, ALL THIS GREAT WORK, AND I REALLY WANT THE STAFF TO GET CREDIT FOR THAT WORK. AND THEN I ALSO WANT, I THINK, REVISITING THIS AND HAVING A DIALOGUE WITH THE COMMUNITY SIGNALS TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE we recognize that this is an ongoing process.

Yeah. I'd like to propose that we, in August, come back with what is going to be the work of the ad hoc committee with all of that and the time frames and all that kind of stuff that we would look at. If you would allow me to work with Jason on looking at developing what that's going to look like so that everyone's clear about what the responsibilities. We will include what is what we're expecting for them, for the work group to come out with, and one would be, as you mentioned, Chair, is the issue about making sure that that we have maybe a status of what has been done. That could be part of the work of them making sure that that's in place. So all of that we'll put together. So those that have volunteered, we're not putting you to work yet. You do have the summer. or the July, whatever that is. And then when we come back at our meeting in August, that we explain what it is. And then again, those that have volunteered, we wanted to just see that we have a critical amount that are interested in doing the ad hoc. And so if we could move it into that kind of realm, that would be our next step as we start to look at developing the ad hoc. And would that work?

If I could jump in, thank you for that, Commissioner Winlock. So absolutely there has been progress and movement in this direction, and as a priority of the Office of Arts and Culture, I think the evidence is partially in our processes, our current processes and our grants and programs and opportunities. That said, absolutely I think this is an opportunity to crystallize what this means for the work of the Commission body and what maybe has transpired to the operation of this Ad Hoc Committee. If I can look to our attorney, one of the elements I understand is that the Ad Hoc Committee actually does not have a set schedule. For example, if you didn't want to, say, wait a month or so to get certain aspects rolling, then that would be up to the purview of the ad hoc committee. And then I also just wanted to emphasize that if the commission does approve the formation of an ad hoc committee, then it is a requirement that a summary and dissolution report is produced at the end of that, just so that everyone knows if you are signing up to serve on the Ad Hoc Committee, then that is one of the expectations. But I wanted to look to our attorney to see if there's anything that I missed or any other cautions or advice for folks who are considering serving on the Ad Hoc Committee. And currently, I'm looking at maybe four or five, right?

Right, so under the city's ad hoc policy, the chair is the one that creates the ad hoc. There's no vote. The chair would also appoint the members, assuming they're volunteering. It's a maximum of, with an 11-member body, we can have a maximum of five members. The body will need to produce a summary and dissolution report at the end. And let's see, I don't see anything. Chair, when you create the body, you should establish a term for the ad hoc. The term cannot exceed one year. So if you want to set a shorter term, say it's a three- or a four-month term, that's fine. It's at your discretion, and you can extend it later.

And does the chair have to be on this ad hoc?

No. Your discretion of who's on it, it can include you. It doesn't have to.

Okay. I would actually love to see, after this ad hoc, this be a report that's continued every year, where it doesn't always have to be an ad hoc that's going to say, now we better have some numbers. Because one of my frustrations as being up here as a regular person. I want to see the details too. I just may not be as detailed in knowing what goes into it, right? But I definitely want to see the outcome from year to year to say like, yeah, this statement is actually working. That would be something that I would love to see year to year if everybody else, because my always frustration is we always talk to talk. I would love to talk and see some results and what the results are of us talking about what we're talking about.

Chair LoVillo, if I can respond. I think it's really up to this body what, for example, the shape of your annual report looks like. You don't really need an Ad Hoc Committee to say that you would like to insert a section in your annual report that speaks to this and some specific goals in your future year work plan. So I think that the outcome of the ad hoc committee could be instrumental in setting the foundation for what your future annual report would look like. I also think the requirement of an ad hoc committee is that it's not something that is recurring year after year. So this would be kind of like a one-shot situation. I think it may make sense to, if you're forming this ad hoc committee now, then to have it wrap, say, in November or December to coincide with when you are hoping for your annual report to be completed.

Anyone else? OK. Commissioner Hershey.

Procedural question. If we are going to create an ad hoc committee during this session, do all members need to be predetermined who's going to be a part of it prior to vote, or can others come in and add on and help with the research. Just curious how formalized it needs to be.

I think it just can't be more than five, and I'm the boss to say who's on there.

But I'll let you say. Yeah, that's correct. At the moment the committee is created, you also need to establish who's on that committee. And I would caution against having members drop off and adding on new members to avoid Brown Act issues. Ideally, whoever's on that committee stays on that committee, and we're not swapping out.

So we would have to say now who's on that ad hoc? Great. So from what I can see, we have active volunteers of commissioners Winlock, Smith, Eisenberg, Orozco. Would you like to be on there?

I heard that five is the max. If we need one more person, I'm happy to join.

OK. You are the fifth. You're the winner. And then do we have to say how long that term is going to be?

You could say up to a year, and then you're not constraining yourself, because that's the maximum. And just as a word of caution to the members who are going to be on the ad hoc, please do not discuss ad hoc business with members who are not on the ad hoc. Essentially, that information will come to the body as a whole through your report or through an agendized discussion, and that's the only time you should really be discussing ad hoc business with a broader committee.

Perfect. Don't talk to nobody that's not in this five that has already been said it, and you can only bring it here. on an agendized item. We got it?

Got it.

And the timeframe, I'll let you say since you'll.

Well, I would propose that we introduce the concepts of what's gonna happen in August and that we go until December. You know, that we have until that time to come up with a final report that we would present to the commission in December.

So within a year, up to a year? That means, does that sum that up, what he just said?

Sorry, so the term will be through the end of this calendar year? Sure, yeah, that works. The limit is 365 days. That's the maximum limit. So yeah, you could impose a shorter deadline to try and keep people up to a schedule. And then if you need more time, you can extend the term, again, up to a maximum of 365 days.

Perfect. So our final report will be in December.

with the introduction of it in August. Does that work? Do we need to make a motion? You know, you have a lot of power there. Look at her. Where's your scepter? Right here.

Perfect. Thank you so much. Thank you, volunteers, for the ad hoc. We will move on to the next item. Sorry, do we have any comments? for this item.

Thank you, Chair. Yes, we do have one speaker for this item. Lambert.

Yes, I'm a person that monitors equity and diversity statements at City Hall because I didn't even realize that statement was six years old. If a statement is six years old and there's still confusion, then you're studying too long. You're studying too long in six years. You should be able to figure out like an auditor. I'll give you an example. I was at budget audit two weeks ago and they were talking about equity in the workforce. And I believe that, uh, study was six years old and just me sitting there watching it, everything they talked about in terms of accountability has not been held accountable. For instance, the lowest salaries at city hall are mainly black people. And so I got up and asked is, does that mean black people that have degrees? How in the world can black people be at the bottom and you got all these equity studies and some of them had degrees? You know, because I'm a native, I have a lot. I'm from a big family and I have people that come to me and say, hey, I applied for this. I applied for that. I applied for this. And I said, well, let me go down there and find out what's going on so I can tell you what's going on. You know, they are a little reluctant to come up to this mic. It's not easy to come up here and talk like I do. And if you have a meeting and it goes until August, from August till the end of the year, and you come back and say, well, we're not sure or we're still working on it, then you're part of the problem.

Thank you for your comments. Chair, there is no other speakers on this item.

Thank you. Our next item on the agenda is presentation, phase two, presentation by Donald Gensler, design and license agreement, temporary public art application.

Commission, thanks for having me. Chair Lovullo, good to see you. I am really thrilled to be up here today to be able to discuss phase two of an applicant's submission of a mural at Lawrence Park, and also to be able to share a little bit that has transpired since I saw you just a couple months ago to introduce phase one. I will bring up the applicant, Brynjana Gallman, in just a moment, so hold tight. And I'm thrilled for you to meet her and hear directly from her about her project. But before I get into sharing with you the project, I wanted you to know that there was a discussion last time that This applicant has provided a very thorough application, done a lot of things that actually relate to Creative Edge, and noticed that there was a little bit of a budget deficit in terms of her funding. And I'm really pleased to announce to you that at the same time, while Ms. Gallman was applying for our temporary public art program, she also applied for a grant with the city for increased cultural activity on Stockton Boulevard. And folks, she got the grant. So it really is just nice to see those types of things come together. In fact, I had even at the, I always go to a final meeting community meeting where the artist or the applicant presents the work and I can physically witness the presentation. And somebody had gotten up and was kind of complaining, as happens sometimes, art's become a lightning rod for a lot of other things that people see maybe the city could do a little bit better. And so somebody had brought to me some of their frustration about the park and I had just commented, All I can say is I support this application and that what I have seen is that by you all being engaged and involved, more opportunities can continue to come. because there are limited resources, but I will say you all have taken the first step by working hand in hand with this applicant, a member of your community association, and supporting her project. So it's just really nice. I just really wanted to share that right off the bat. It's really nice to see when these things happen. And honestly, it wasn't because of me. It was because of the work of Breniana Gallman and the Neighborhood Association who has supported her work. So with that, this is Lawrence Park. This is the current restroom facility. There is a possibility that the restroom facility may be redone in somewhere between two and 10 years. And so the applicant is aware of that. That would mean that her mural wouldn't be there. but she and the neighborhood felt that it was really important to still move forward with this particular opportunity. And we support that as well and think it's also a very good idea. So this is part of her design. The idea being that it was kind of like an old 60s style postcard and she'll tell you a little bit more about that. But that people could come up and take pictures in front of Lawrence Park. And also the applicant proposed that there would be a community paint day to kind of kick things off. And that's what her plan is in August. They'll have a community paint day and people will participate in the actual painting of the mural, and then the applicant, Brynjana, and her team will finish both this side and some other parts of the mural. Wanted to share with you again that we do have a temporary public art policy, and the applicant here has followed that policy really well, and you can view the full policy document They're on our website. And whether you write down the URL or not, if you go to the Art in Public Places section, we have a resources page for public art. And it's there along with some other interesting documents. So for any project that we do in phase two, we brought you the artist before to share with you her work and really the location. And the location was approved by Youth Parks and Community Enrichment and any other affected organizations. city departments. Like I mentioned to you, I attended a neighborhood association meeting where I saw overwhelming support for this particular project and where we also notified both everybody there and other folks that weren't able to be there were emailed a survey. And so this is a survey put out by us, by our Art in Public Places program, and we asked that the Neighborhood Association distribute that survey. So you can see some of the process here of the people that responded to the survey and where their zip codes were. They don't have to be in the area, but you can see the overwhelming majority were in that area. Also, on that survey, there's questions about the design. And so, for example, how satisfied are you with the design? You can see 86.7, so really an overwhelming amount. And really some wonderful quotes, too. I love the colors used and how it complements the surrounding areas. So those types of things we appreciate, and we think it's a really important step in this temporary public art process. Again, do you think the project is appropriate for the location? And overwhelmingly, yes. And then also, just these kind of favorable comments. Love the intensity and bright colors. Beautifully reflects our community. It's been a long time in the making. Excited and happy to see it come to fruition. One other thing that has happened actually since this project started was the community also applied for a grant from Habitat for Humanity, and they received that. And so Habitat for Humanity came out and helped them do a park cleanup and even worked with the community members to prime the wall. And I think there's maybe some other things that are going to happen in the future as well. Brynjana may be able to fill you in a little bit more on that. And here is the final design. So there's the front area. I'm calling that Lawrence Park is the front. Then there's the back with those different figures. I'll be leaving this up also when Brynjana comes over so she can talk with you a little bit more about the design. And then the back side. shares with you the other two components. And I'll let her talk a little bit about how that design evolved and what the meaning is of that, because that's quite interesting too. There's really a micro community there that's been a very important part of that community and was involved in the process. So with that, I'd love to have the opportunity to bring Brynjana up.

Hi, everyone. My name is Brynjana. I'm a local artist connected to the Lawrence Park community, and I'm honored to present the Lawrence Park Mural Project. This community-driven art project will transform the park's restroom building into a vibrant reflection of the people who call this place home. What makes this project meaningful is that it was inspired and requested by the residents directly. Neighbors approached me and expressed a desire to see art and positive representation in the park about two years ago. As someone who lives within the community, I felt it a responsibility to help bring this vision to life. The mural has been designed with direct input for the residents and celebrates the diverse cultures and experiences that make Lawrence Park unique. Each wall represents a different aspect of the community, from the neighborhood's historical, and cultural heritage to the families, youth, and activities that bring life to the park every day. The west wing facing the wall pays a tribute to, which is the one on the left side in the slideshow. It pays a tribute to the history of Lawrence Park through a vintage Greetings from Lawrence Park poster card design inspired by the 1950s. This is the decade when the neighborhood was established and when many of the homes in the area that were built and still stand today. The north facing wall, which faces the playground, which is gonna be on the right side of this photo, honors the neighborhood's large Marshallese population. Many Marshallese families relocated from the Marshall Islands following decades of nuclear testing that began in the 1940s and left lasting impacts on the islands and their people. Today, Sacramento is home to over 50% of the Marshallese communities in California, with many families residing in and around Lawrence Park. This design incorporates colors and elements inspired by the Marshallese flag design, including the orange and white stripes that symbolize courage and peace. The wall celebrates a cultural heritage that has played an important role in shaping the identity of the neighborhood. The east-facing wall. On the right side, the east-facing wall features the word community alongside silhouettes of people of all ages participating in everyday activities that can be seen in the park at any given moment. You can see people walking, playing, gathering, and spending time together. This is something that you can drive by the park at any time of day and see happening around the park. It represents the shared experiences that connect us regardless of age, background, and culture. Finally, the south-facing wall On the left side, we'll overlook the basketball courts that highlights the power of sports to bring people together. The design features hands of different skin tones joined together with the heart-shaped basketball, representing the many different backgrounds, identity, and life experiences found in our neighborhood. While we may be all different, they still come together to have a shared passion through basketball. Community engagement is the heart of this project. Residents have shaped the idea of the mural to life with specific requests to what they'd like to see. Additionally, I am partnering with the neighborhood association to create a social event to encourage community members to be a part of the mural painting day, where neighbors of all ages can help create the artwork together. We also plan to partner with local organizations to bring resources and services into the park, creating an event that strengthens connections and increases access to community support. The outcomes I hope to achieve extend beyond the mural itself. I want to foster neighborhood pride, create a stronger sense of belonging, and transform an ordinary restroom building into a landmark that residents can identify with and feel proud of. I also hope to inspire the next generation of artists by showing young people that art can be a powerful tool for storytelling, community building, and positive change. At its core, this project is about the people. It's about creating a space where residents feel seen, represented, and connected. I hope that years from now, between the two and ten years that it's going to be up there, that this mural will continue to serve as a symbol of unity, creativity, and strength for the Lawrence Park community. Thank you for your time.

Thanks, Branyana. Branyana, just stay up here. So now we are available to answer any questions that the commission might have.

Yes, Steve. I was just wondering, how do you involve the community in the painting of it? Describe your process.

Are you talking about the design or painting it itself?

Well, I guess painting it itself. I'm just curious.

Yeah, so we plan to have a mural day on August 15th. So we would already have parts of the, we're going to paint, sorry, I'll go back to it for you. The one on the left side is going to be the main one that we're going to focus on on the community paint day. So it's already going to be sketched out on the wall where we're going to have cups filled with the paint specifically with numbers on it, almost like a giant paint by number. So that way kids, family members, whoever's walking by and comes in for the community paint day can have easy access to painting on and being part of the painting project. Thanks. Any other questions?

Well, I wanted to know what made you want to do it. Is it a park that you often go to? Do you live across the street? Do you see it every day?

Yes.

What put that out in your heart? Like, I need to hook this little park up.

Yeah, so I originally grew up in Colonial Heights, which is maybe on the other side of Stockton Boulevard of Lawrence Park. And I recently seen that they had gotten some artwork done on theirs. I'm like, this is something that I can see in my own neighborhood because I pass by Lawrence Park every day. I've been a resident there for about five years now. And then randomly someone from the neighborhood had seen my artwork previously for past murals that I've done. They're like, oh, we were talking about in the neighborhood association last week that this is something that we wanted to see at our park. So then I started sending the neighborhood association meetings where they already took surveys at a previous event that they had from a social event two years ago. for things that they would want to see changed in their park, and a mural was one of them. So after that moment, we started working together to get this into play.

Awesome. I love that you saw it, you saw the example, and then you're actually implementing, not just yourself, but the community too, of like, everybody can have a hand in this, so that everybody can feel ownership of it as they put their hand in. It looks like we have Commissioner Carter.

I just want to... really commend you on doing the work for this. This is a fantastic idea. The designs are amazing. I'm so excited to see this come to fruition, and I am all for it. I don't have a question, but I just want to commend you on this wonderful, wonderful project.

Thank you. Commissioner Smith.

To add real quick to When did you first come talk to us? Was it like four years ago?

I would say... Three years ago? I want to say it was towards the end of 2023. Yeah. I had completed a artwork for the city in Del Paso Heights, and I remember I came to a meeting here.

But you were part of the... the Dixieland alleyway project.

Dixieland alleyway project, yeah. I had two pieces of artwork there. And I remember I met Donald for the first time at another meeting that was here. And that was probably a week before the Lawrence Park Neighborhood Association came up to me asking me questions. So I asked Donald. I was like, well, you're the closest contact I have for arts in the city. How do I get started on this project? So that happened. around December.

And also it just happened to be at a moment where we were in a slight moratorium on the temporary public art project, but we've shared the application and Brynjana was not deterred. You know, she went through that moratorium period and then promptly submitted the application when that was over. And so anyway, just wanted to share that with you all that she's really persevered. It's been a multi-year process here.

And that takes a lot, because patience is what a lot of people have. And the patience is really what helps people win. And so the fact that you have the patience to just kind of see it out all the way through until they gave you the yes, it's really commendable. Thank you. Commissioner Smith.

I thought we forgot about this now. So thank you for remembering. Because I am, and we got Brownie, you know. Brownie used to be one of my interns. In high school. And so I don't know if I'll be the first person to cry up here, but I'm extremely proud. I'm thankful that you are bringing community together around art, which is something you have been doing since high school. And I'm thankful for paying homage to the local communities there and just changing the way that we interact with community and also bringing old school ways of doing it as well. So again, like everyone else is saying, I have nothing, no questions, but just to tell you that I'm proud of you. I can't wait to see the finished product and let me know how I can support it.

Thank you. Thank you. Commissioner Carter.

So this question is towards you, Donald. I know you mentioned the temporary art grant. Is that, how does that, is that still active? Is that, how does that particular work? Because I'm unfamiliar about the grant and could this be something that we use periodically throughout the upcoming years or something we use throughout the,

Yeah, thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify. It's not a grant specifically for our temporary public art program. Although at some point, maybe we will do a grant for the temporary public art program. I think it'd be a great idea. This was a grant through economic development, innovation and economic development department. And Breniana applied for this all on her own. Actually, you didn't even discuss it with me. I didn't even really know until her application was in that she had applied. And then they contacted me to ask about her application. And that's when I explained to them, yeah, we fully as a staff are supporting it and she's already passed phase one. And so they decided, the economic development team and their panel decided to award her this grant. And it was really a grant for kind of cultural Additional cultural, or I think there's maybe some different areas, right? But it was about being along Stockton Boulevard. So that's where this fit in because it's very close in location.

Okay. I do have one more question, too. That's okay.

But you bring up a really great point, and that is, and I say this also for the benefit of those folks that might be listening in or that might be, you know, watch the recording. You know, you should always take the time to look around and see if you have this idea, you have this project you're working on. Is there funding available? There may not be funding available from the city at that time. Maybe there's funding available from a different department. Maybe SMUD has some funding available. Maybe other groups have funding available. So those are things to look into and don't get discouraged. I mean, I guess that would just be what I would say is sometimes those opportunities are out there. You got to put in the work, but the opportunities are out

I would like to just add in that I applied for about six to seven grants, and all of them were smaller, like $500, $400, $1,000. And this was the only one that got approved, and it was enough to cover everything. So don't get discouraged. It's about having patience and perseverance and just keep going. Absolutely.

And my last question would be, and I'm going to wrap this up. In the presentation, I didn't see an end date for the mural. Was it going to start at August 15th and then was it going to complete it that day or how long is the?

So I plan to start it at the beginning of August. And like I said, just have the main sketches of the building by August 15th. Once August 15th comes, I'll be painting all that day with people coming in and out from the community. And I'll be working about three days a week for the rest of August until it's complete. So the finalized date is going to be the first week of September or the last weekend of August.

And you all do, again, you're giving me another opportunity to add a little bit more clarification. You all do also in your commissioner packet there, have the license agreement. So part of what phase two is, is for you all to review the design and then recommend approval of the project itself, that the project move forward. And so the license agreement that you see there, we work with our city attorney and that license agreement would be executed afterwards. And it does It actually gives you into August. I mean, not August. It gives you into October to complete the mural. And so she'll finish the mural by October. But it sounds like it'll be done before that. Also, interestingly enough, we have an opportunity to also distribute her grant funds. So we're going to cut down on a little bit of city bureaucracy. And she'll just have to do one contract that gives her the license to do the mural. and also allows us as a city to distribute through the Economic Development Department her grant funds. So, you know, different departments trying to work together to, when we can, you know, maximize some efficiency. I know, right? It really is. Thank you, Jefferson.

Thank you. Commissioner Wallace? Thank you, Chair. I think that this was the in-depth discussion the grant program came out of the work of the NDAT. It did, Stockton, yeah. Yeah. And I remember that the Office of Arts and Culture added additional funding to that grant pool of funds. It may have been both that and Mayorsville, but at least I know it was Stockton. And so I think we need to make sure that we inform the creative community when we have the economic development grants as well and so I hope that there's like a interplay between your department and well economic development and OAC so that when we're doing our When we share out on social media and stuff that like everybody's being made aware of those connective opportunities Well and again Commissioner, thank you for giving me opportunity to add some more context.

Melissa Cerone was part of the panel and and absolutely, it actually was advertised, both this very similar type of grant from the Economic Development Department was in effect for Del Paso Boulevard, which I know that you know, and that was, those were the two main areas, Del Paso Boulevard and then Stockton Boulevard, and so, So yes, and we did, I think there were a fair amount of arts related, and actually quite a few mural applications. This is the one that actually rose kind of to the top because I think they saw not only did she have the ability to do the mural, but really some kind of support with the area. And so that's what I would also say to folks when you're applying. don't just kind of apply in a vacuum. Talk to some folks and make sure that people know and you have those letters of support. So Bregnana did have quite a few letters of support for her project and showed that she was kind of very much entrenched with the neighborhood and the community. But yeah, thank you. And we'll continue to do that. We can always do better to let the arts community know about these opportunities. Yeah, I do know that some folks did apply for that Del Paso opportunity, and then clearly some applied for Stockton, too.

Well, congratulations, Renia.

Thank you. Yeah, congratulations. Any public comments?

Thank you, Chair. Yes, we do have one speaker for this item. Lambert?

I'll switch it to Del.

This is an honor for me because some of you may have remembered I put the pressure on City Hall to find out what's the story with this Breonna And I'm sure you're not aware of who I am, but I studied what was going on with you. I mean, it was so much talent. And then I just heard Del Paso Heights. So it got my attention more because I was in Del Paso Heights. I'm from there. And they brought somebody came up to me in the grocery store and said, hey, we appreciate you. bringing up by i think they said they were you you were their needs and so i was in the grocery store and i i didn't know what they were talking about because this is not my whole life coming down here and so it touched me and so i'm a big advocate of you to prove it out prove it right now as i study the uh... study that you had up there or the uh... staff report one thing i did notice in maybe it's it's been resolved but i thought i read where you have to pay a lot of it yourself now if this is a grant first i heard mister gives us a it's a grant and it's not a grant is from here that should be eliminated it's a lot of money come out of economic in innovation department they get a lot of measure you money this young lady should not be in debt for something she's going to paint on a restroom that might be demolished. So if it's demolished, she's going to go into debt for that. I'm a businessman. That's insane. I've seen the commissioner who used to be here come up here and talk about, well, we need 50,000, we need 20,000. And he talked about a written agreement. That's a stickler for me because there was no written agreement given to somebody on Del Paso Boulevard. Give her whatever she needs. If it's $25, $50, give it to her.

Thank you for your comment, Chair. There's no other speakers for this item.

Thank you. There is a motion. This is a passable motion item. Unless anybody else has anything to add on this item? Can I get a motion to pass and a second?

Motion. Second.

Thank you so much. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? Any abstain? Motion passes with opposition from zero commissioners and zero abstentions. Thank you. Our next item on the agenda is Cedar Chavez Plaza Park renaming process and implications for sculpture artwork within the plaza. Jason.

Thank you, Chair LoVillo. So I'm going to ask for the... The map actually has been brought up. Before we get into that, I'll just share an overview. This item is to provide background regarding a public kickoff campaign introduced by the Parks and Community Engagement Committee. They're supporting a public engagement and community outreach process for the renaming of Cesar Chavez Plaza Park in alignment with the city facility naming policy. This item is also to afford you all an opportunity to increase your awareness around this campaign, the renaming kickoff, to discuss implications of the park renaming for the public art within the plaza and to field your additional recommendations for increased community outreach and engagement around this effort. So as you can see the park is located between J and I streets and 9th and 10th streets. What I'm going to walk through next is just an overview of the presentation that was provided by Youth Parks and Community Enrichment staff through the Parks Commission's meeting on the 4th, which I just mentioned. There are three primary goals of this initiative. One is to ensure that the new name reflects Sacramento's values, history, and cultural diversity. Secondly, to conduct a transparent, accessible, and inclusive engagement process. And then three, to engage diverse communities, including multilingual and underserved groups. I can share that since this presentation was provided on the 4th, There is a new project web page. You could go to cityofsacramento.gov forward slash ccparkrenaming. That's cityofsacramento.gov forward slash ccparkrenaming. This website provides a timeline of the process, a series of FAQs, and additional details. So we're in what's considered phase one of the project. Phase two is going to engage community through a survey, which will be available starting this Friday through July 24. So starting this Friday, the 12th of June through the 24th of July. And a few months down the road by the time October comes around, a proposed name will be presented to City Council for approval. So this is really an opportunity for you all to share your ideas and recommendations to consider where, for example, might you reshare some of the additional information that's being shared by YPSE? Additional social media information will be rolling out shortly. There will be a toolkit that I can share with you as well, and YPSE staff is also making themselves available if you all have ideas. For example, we know that there was a D5 Art Summit earlier in the year, our D2 Art Summit earlier in the year, if there are additional activities like that, these might be opportunities to share information about this renaming process and to reshare the survey through July 24th. So the other part of this item I wanted to bring up Donald Gensler, our public places manager, who can share a little bit of the background for the actual monument, the artwork that is situated in what is currently known as Cesar Chavez Plaza. And Donald, if you could share with the Commission just basic information on your understanding of what the artist, what has been shared with the artist and basic communications and what this renaming process might mean for the monument piece itself.

Yeah. Thanks, Jason. So on purpose, there are no slides at this stage because I want you all to know that I personally have full intentions of coming back in front of this body. I think more discussion is warranted. prior to any decision being made. As many of you may be aware of the news that came out in the New York Times regarding Cesar Chavez and the city and of course the country has taken note of that. Um, the renaming process is for the park. There is a, an artwork, a sculpture, uh, by an artist named Lisa Reinerston. Lisa is a local artist, um, lives around the Sacramento area has been part of the Sacramento community for many years. Um, as well, her parents were part of the Sacramento community for many years. In fact, her parents were on that march. And so this piece was particularly important for the artist when it was commissioned. And so we've been in touch ever since. You may have noticed the piece was wrapped for a time in a black plastic. That has since been removed. I think that was following a little bit of a trend. And what I would like to kind of have you all think about, and maybe even discuss a little bit today, and then, like I said, we will come back to this item, I think it needs to be further discussed, is what are some of the potential options So I think nobody would, I mean, I think we all agree that the information that come out about charges of rape, child abuse, child molestation are really serious against this leader. That said, it's my hope that the Latino community and the United Farm Workers community has a distinct opportunity to discuss this issue. And I personally as someone who is a steward for this city-owned artwork. I don't want to rush to conclusion of what the answer needs to be. But I think we are open to all types of different possibilities. Let me just share with you quickly. A possibility might be to remove that artwork entirely, place it someplace else, or just place it in storage, or fully decommission it. deaccession it. Another option could be to actually leave it in place exactly how it is and perhaps in addition to that add an interpretive sign that explains both the history of the United Farm Workers movement and potentially explains these allegations and these charges against Cesar Chavez and how the community has reconciled with that. Another option is that the artist is willing and is interested in the possibility of potentially redesigning and potentially even removing Cesar Chavez from her sculpture. I think there may be a number of other options. I've been trying to pay attention to stories that have come out in Hyperallergic and stories that have come out in the New York Times. Judy Baca was in a fairly high profile story. Judy Baca is very well known, Latina. and Chicana muralist and activist based in LA. And they decided not to fully remove Cesar Chavez from a mural, but they decided to kind of add some different things to this mural, specifically the Great Wall in Los Angeles. But there have been other artists and curators. There's recently a curator who has done a show of photographs from the United Farm Workers' time and they did decide to remove some photographs that were of Cesar Chavez. So I think there are different approaches and as you may know, some cities have just outright removed things or covered them up or painted them over. One line that I do want to leave you with, though, that I thought was particularly powerful from Judy Baca was that she said, my culture has experienced a history of erasure. So I don't know that the answer automatically needs to be erasure. Now that's something I've been trying to kind of wrestle with. Again, it's not gonna be my decision, and I think that you all are part of this discussion, ultimately city council. It is a city-owned asset. City council will need to make a final decision on what happens with this city asset. But they will look to your recommendations. And so I just charge you with that. I'd like to have the opportunity for any brief discussion, get the conversation started, and then it will be to be continued.

So I'll leave it at that. Thank you, Donald. So again, I do want to emphasize that there is going to be a survey that will be available at cityofsacramento.gov forward slash ccparkrenaming. That survey is available to you all, anyone in the public. That's going to be live up through July 24th. That can be one way that you engage. you might also want to consider are there any activities events that you are involved in or may be involved in where you could uplift the opportunity to provide feedback for community members to provide feedback to this survey so there are two components that As a commission body, you're being asked to weigh in on at the moment. It is in this first initial launch phase of the renaming project, weighing in on the survey.

Could I add, actually, thank you, Jason. Jason brings up a really important distinction. The city is separating these two things out. Essentially, what happens with the sculpture will ultimately follow the decision of the renaming. So if the renaming means there's no longer any kind of relationship to the United Farm Workers movement for the park, it's possible the sculpture could be removed. We don't really know. But I just wanted to tell you that. If you look at the survey, there may not be. I did submit some questions on the survey. I don't know if those will be included. regarding the sculpture, the first step is the park renaming. So I do encourage you, just as Jason has said, I encourage you to be a part of that process. But please do keep in mind, I will come back to you regarding the sculpture. Whatever renaming process happens with the park, that's still a decision that the city will have to make. And I'd very much like this body to be able to provide some kind of recommendation or some thoughts to city council as they're deliberating and trying to make a decision.

As I was going to emphasize that, I think it goes without saying the Latino community, Latinx community, absolutely. I think we want to support any efforts to engage their voice. So while you're considering how you might uplift this opportunity, you can also consider how you might move forward in uplifting their voices to be included in this entire process as well. With that, I'd like to open it up for any thoughts, suggestions, and comments from the Commission.

Thank you. Jason, thanks for bringing us forward and keeping us involved in what's happening with that park as we all are concerned in the statue and those kinds of things in the timeline. I just want to just kind of say that the statue is a reflection of our diverse community. And I believe that that's what it was kind of representing. The unfortunate part about it is Cesar Chavez is the main person that's in that. So my belief is that we could still have that representation of our farm workers, our Latino, but I would not want to see him there. And that's really for me. And I just wanted to kind of say in that, because I don't believe we can, well, just personally, I just have a concern about honoring him in light of all of the information that we have found out later. So that's kind of my point.

Thank you for that, Commissioner Whitlock. I think that's very helpful. And like I said, the artist has considered a design revision that would remove that figure, that front figure. and extend the leg of one of the women that is part of the march. So that the sculpture itself is not just a portrait of Cesar Chavez, It's also meant to be a kind of sculptural mural of the United Farm Workers movement and all of these struggles that this group engaged in. And, folks, Sacramento was a big part of this. There are a lot of folks that are directly involved, were directly involved, directly involved with Cesar Chavez in so many levels here. So, yeah, thank you, Commissioner. That's really helpful.

Thank you, Dr. O'Habel. Thank you, Chair. Yes, I would agree. I think it would be highly insensitive to keep his image there. It would be insensitive to victims of rape and child molestation. A redesign would be a better option if we're not going to decommission it. But to keep his image there would not be the right move.

thank you. I may be on the other side of that because history is history right and regardless of any of his choices that he made he was still part of it, I don't think that he should be the main focus of it, but if he was part of it, he should still be in there somewhere maybe make more more people who were part of it also be more focal. But to say that you take him all the way out would be kind of dishonest in the process of how it happened, right? We would just erase him all the way together and just say, this work moved without this person. And if that wasn't true, then why would we change? Why would we say that it wasn't true?

Yeah. I mean, these are the exact things that we're kind of wrestling with. So, I mean, I really see absolutely both sides. The thought was maybe an interpretive sign is another thing that you clearly do talk about the history and even talk about these allegations and evidence against what this man did. Because I totally agree with you. I mean, the victims, some of which are very much connected also to Sacramento, Yeah, it's terrible and it's just kind of a horrible thing to see. That said, there have been a lot of figures throughout history who have not necessarily always done the right thing either.

I think we get into a slippery slope when we push people up so high and idolize people like that because that's where the fault is. We shouldn't be idolizing anybody, right? And it's really the work that we should be focusing on. What was the work that came out of the people as a whole? Because he wasn't the only person that did it, right? And so if we can get into the work. What was the work that happened? And maybe that's something that we highlight. He was still part of it, but the work is what we want to look at, right? And that's just me. I would just say that if we were to say that we take him all the way off, then that means that we're just also kind of changing history too. And so it is part of it. And I'm not saying that anyone else is wrong. I'm just saying to look at the whole picture, right? He was definitely implemental in that. I don't even have a yes or no. If he was taken off, it wouldn't hurt me. But I also say if he stayed on, he was still part of the process.

I think part of the reason that Commissioner Jong and folks here in the city asked us to start the conversation today is because we want you as a commission body to think about this. So you all can individually, and I do just urge you to individually think about this and think about what your position might be and maybe read some, If you haven't, you know, read beyond the initial articles, maybe read some ways other people have been grappling with this because there's been some really interesting literature. And it's also, you know, it's been a struggle for me to kind of decide what my opinion is on that. And right now I'm in a position of service. So I think ultimately we're going to do what's right for the city, but would really value your thoughts and opinions as you continue to learn more about this.

Thank you. Commissioner Carter.

I'll pass it to you in a moment. I think an important takeaway is one, considering our personal opinions, educating ourselves around the issues, but I think a larger part of this is around the process and how can we support the parks commission YPCE staff and their efforts and then maybe circling back when it comes time to have this discussion if it comes around to having a discussion around the artwork itself but I think both things can happen at the same time considering our personal our personal position around the piece and the renaming of the plaza, being educated in as many ways as we can, but then also as a body considering the actual process. I think it's important for community to see us engage, you all engage in honest, raw, authentic dialogue from your positions. But at the end of the day, I think we also want to support a process that is as open and genuine as possible.

Thank you for that, Jason. I kind of echo a little bit of what my colleagues have talked about prior to. And just one of the consideration was the cost of how much everything would be to remove the statue, reshape it in a way to, I guess, appease the majority of people. So is there any financial consideration being talked about so far?

I mean, the only thing right now that we have available, I mean, would be our maintenance fund for Art in Public Places. We do have funds available. We put 5% of every public art project we do into that maintenance fund. And so, you know, we do have funds available. We also have 450 works of art around the city to maintain. So, yeah, no, it's a real concern. We would look into options. Maybe there are even grant options. I don't know. But everything is going to cost some money. So that is definitely something that we're gonna have to look into. Certainly, probably the most expensive route would be to redesign, remove a figure, things like that. But it's not to say that that's not a possibility. But yes, Commissioner Carter, we'll absolutely continue to look into that. And when I come back to you, and again, Jason, I just wanna really point out here that, like Jason has said, We are following, YPSE is first gonna do the renaming, but ultimately I will have to come back to you no matter what, because we have to make a decision as Art in Public Places program, where is the city asset gonna go? And you all will need to help us make that recommendation to council. We should at least come to something, them with something. So yeah, you will hear back from me no matter what, but the first step will be the renaming of the park itself.

Do we have a timeframe as far as the renaming process of when they're gonna start to the official renaming?

Yeah, I don't think there's been a set timeline. Did the staff report, Jason, talk about when the process would begin?

Yeah, there are a number of phases. We are in that initial launch phase. In your staff report is an overview of the timeline and then also on the website, cityofsacramento.gov forward slash ccparkrenaming is an additional timeline, kind of bullet point down.

And the park was not always named Cesar Chavez Park. I think it was

central city park or something like that it could go back i mean there's all kinds of options are on the table right now absolutely so for for the record the current timeline uh states that this current period that we're in survey launches uh this friday through july the survey closes um actually the survey closes The 24th of July, so most of July, will be information gathering through this survey. August through September, staff will review and analyze community input. This is EPC staff. Then October through November, the Parks Commission will review these recommendations, and then City Council will consider and adopt the final park name. I imagine that is subject to change, but that's currently the information that we have at the moment.

Perfect. Commissioner Wallace. Thank you, Chair. I'm just going to spout off some ideas here. Cesar Chavez Plaza, as it's currently called, is the central public square of Sacramento, the city of Sacramento. And so I think whatever we do needs to reflect that fact and also all of the history that has happened there. So I think there's an opportunity to think about an education campaign as part of this renaming process and also about what we do around this artwork. I'd like to see us do this well as opposed to maybe how it's been done in other places. And I know that's really hard because I understand Judy Baca's point about erasure And so I think there's also this opportunity to sort of talk about the harm that happens within movements and to do some repair work, reparative work, like with the victims who've come forward or other folks who've been affected. So I think this is a really good opportunity for us to get real about how hard change is to make in the world and that we don't just leave behind the you know, the eggs would crack along the way that we have to do this repair for people who are harmed. So that's my thought. I also think it's... Oh, and one more thing, sorry. One more note. And I thought a place that did it really well was the Young exhibition with Kehinde Wiley a few years ago where they had a whole room, like, set aside for, like, people who were really impacted by the work that they saw because he had, like, all these bronzes of people, like, in various states of... death. And he was sort of confronting the legacy of the Civil War in some of the work in that show. And so I think there's probably lots of people in this region who have kind of thought about how you take care of the community in a process like this.

Thank you for that. And again, I think that's a great point that you bring up too. Let's look at how other people are dealing with similar difficult issues and learn, we don't have to completely reinvent the wheel, of course this is a very unique circumstance, but there are unfortunately similar emotional and very serious things that have happened. And so I do think we can learn a lot and urge all of you to kind of help us do that research.

I like dialogues like this because it's important to hear where everybody stands. I also think it's a really important learning point for the city. Stop naming things after people because no one is perfect and somebody's going to find something in someone. There's so many statues that we've seen across the country that have been removed because we're raising these people so high. Instead of naming them after one person, give it to the people. Name it after the people. Name it after the movement. Name it after not one person, because that seems to be the theme, that nobody went without hurting somebody. Yeah. Any other comments? Any public comments?

Did we go through those public comments?

Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you, Donald. Oh, yes, we do have a public comment.

Thank you, Chair. Yes, we do have one speaker for this item. Lambert.

As a person who came of age during this time, You know, I'm a baby boomer. It's a lot of things we saw coming up as teenagers, whether it was Vietnam or the Black Panthers or this movement. From my perspective, the people that were in this fight, they should be the ones led by the great Mrs. Dolores Huerta, who I met personally. That's a wonderful person right there. And she took a lot of courage to talk about what she's talking about. She could have went to her grave with that. But those are the people that should be really talked to, people who were the problem, the farmers and all of that and all these other people that were not in the fight, they should really have no insight, no sway. It should be the Latino, and don't forget about the Filipinos role in the, I remember when I went to Cesar Chavez's movie, and I didn't realize how important the Filipinos were. They were very powerful, and as a matter of fact, they were first, because the people who came second came from Arizona, and that was Cesar Chavez. So it's a lot that goes into that. And when I met Mrs. Werchter, she told me this. I didn't even realize it. She told me that her organization in the Black Panthers, they strategized together in college. That's a fascinating lady, Mrs. Dolores Werchter. I've met her. And, you know, my prayers go out to her and all of whatever happened. but it should come from the farm workers on what should happen.

Thank you for your comment. Chair, there are no other speakers on this item.

Thank you. We will go to the directors to report.

Thank you, Chair Lobulo. I just wanted to share a few updates. I think there are no less than three upcoming workshops. These are online workshops for the Birds and Benches Project. You've been hearing us share information about this if you follow us on Instagram, on social media, if you receive our newsletters. But I did want to share that you have an opportunity to visit our public public places website to learn more about these opportunities coming up this month where you get an up close and personal view and a bit of an education from some of our artists who are working with community organizations around the birds and benches program in Natomas. Then I also wanted to share that right now up in the Matsui Gallery, you can view liquid memories. It is being curated by Lorena Rodriguez. She is our current emerging curator. And this exhibition highlights the life-giving and culturally significant waterways of the region I want to give a shout out to the seven participating artists, Natasha Mez, Melanie King, Christina Conley, Lucia Berowitz, Michael Vicente, Elizabeth Davis, and Tanya Mariko Lieberman. And this exhibition is up through September 24th, right outside these doors. Monday through Friday, 8 to 4 p.m. This exhibition is free and open to the public and wheelchair accessible, so I encourage you to check it out. That's all for our director manager updates. Thank you.

Thank you. Next item is member comments, ideas, questions, meeting conference reports. Commissioners? That's looking like we don't have anything to report, which is okay. Commissioner Carter?

I request to speak. Okay. So I know a, what's this, June, April, last month we had talked about the D5R summit and coming up with the template. to see about how we can as commissioners come together collectively to put an event similar within each district or even have a just one big art summit event that happens in a central location within the city of Sacramento. So that's like I said, that's something I've been working on and put it together. That's something that I'm gonna talk to with a few colleagues on how we can go forth about doing so. So I just really wanted to get suggestions, not now, but maybe later on about some ideas on locations, times, dates, so on and so forth. to really put this together and make this an annual event or even a semi-annual event where it happens in the spring and possibly in the fall of the year. So if there's any suggestions, I would love to have them. And that is all.

Thank you. Commissioner O'Habel.

Thank you, Chair. I would like to invite everyone to District 3's Juneteenth event happening on June 19th, the People's Juneteenth Kickback. It's taking place at South Natomas Community Center Park from 530 to 8. There'll be free food, music, just a good time to celebrate what's happening, to celebrate the memory of Juneteenth. Thank you.

Anyone else? All right, last item are comments from the public.

Thank you, Chair. We have two speakers for matters not on the agenda. Our first speaker is Lambert, followed by Allison.

First of all, I wanted to say that

I was so curious with Brianna, because I wanted to know who the man and the young boy was. So I went outside. I'm a curious person. I went outside. That's a wonderful family there. That's a family. That's a family. And so I was thrilled. And they, of course, wanted to know about, they said they had heard about me and this and that. And I said, well, I have a... My family gave me something that I should give to people because I don't believe in giving out too many cards. So they gave me, my family invented a QR code. I'm catching up to them. And I had one on me and I gave it to them. And it's just wonderful to see that. And I made sure I emphasized to them that you should not be in debt when you walk away from that project. I don't care if they keep it up 15 years or 30 or whatever they're talking about. Don't step in there in debt. You step in out of debt and you leave out of debt. That's how you do it. And so they seem to appreciate it. Tomorrow will probably be my last time speaking because the cheesecakes and carrot cake have taken off in Southern California just like we prayed it would. And so now I'm going to be in and out of Sacramento until probably the holidays. So that might be some good news for some people and that might be some bad news for people. But a shout out to the millennials. I know they're listening. We're getting ready to go celebrate when I leave here. because they did a wonderful job. They took us global. They took us just incredible. Some of the women that played here at golden one in basketball, they've gone pro UCLA's women are now in the pros and they love our cheesecakes too. And they're millionaire women now.

Shout out to them. Thank you for your comments. Um, Alison.

Good afternoon. I'm Allison Cagley. I'm a resident of District 3 for the last 40 years. Started when I was 5. And I am the executive director of Friends of Sacramento Arts which was started back in 2018-19 at the invitation of the mayor and the Office of Arts and Culture to address K-12 arts education and had the pleasure and honor of working with Dr. Winlock for many years and I'm here actually to talk about state funding. So coming up in The end of this week will be some decisions at the state level. As you might recall, the Office of Arts and Culture in the city of Sacramento partnered with California for the Arts in April for the California for the Arts Summit and the Advocacy Day. And the Advocacy Day was a day for artists and art organizations and art leaders to visit with every assembly member and senator to talk about the importance of the arts and having state funding at a level that we can be proud of as a state. So we actually rank 35th in the nation in per capita arts funding. And we know that statewide funding at a thriving level will also positively impact the city and other local municipalities who are burdened with wanting to fund arts and arts organizations. So the more funding we have at the state level, the less pressure there is on the municipal level. So two areas, and I'll be sending Jason an electronic version, but I have paper versions of two different funding opportunities that we really want to encourage you to reach out to your constituents and encourage people to send letters and make phone calls to your assembly members and your state senators. The first one is the $50 million for the 50th anniversary of the California Arts Council. So the Arts Council for 50 years has stewarded statewide public investment in arts, culture, and reaching every district and expanding equitable...

Your time is up. Thank you for your comments. Our last speaker will be Jennifer. Saludos, everyone.

Saludos, everyone. Honored to be here. Thank you, Maya Wallace, for the invitation to community. I just happened to be here for a few hours. My name is Jennifer Andrea Porras. I've lived in this community between 1990 until about three years ago, moving to Oakland. And a lot of moving to Oakland had a lot to do with a recent article that was shared as a follow-up to the New York Times and a follow-up to the LA Times. And my story was one that was bringing the truth of surviving sexual assault from Cesar Chavez from the age of 14 to the age of 18. My parents live here. My son lives here. My niblings live here. My siblings live here. Much of my community lives here. And first and foremost, I would just like to thank all of you for the work that you're doing, the work that you're carrying on. And I didn't expect to be here today. I didn't know that I'd get to be here this long. I'm on my way to Louisiana to help a beloved transition.

and to the spirit world.

But I just wanted to ask that persons that were harmed by Cesar, but still committed their life to the work of the farm workers who feed the world, whatever colors we are on our skin, whatever cultures we come from, please include us in what you do moving forward. Please extend invitation for testimony. We have lived and survived through what we have, and we have the technologies and the knowledge to help those get through this endemic that's happening right now, tomorrow, and in the future, unless we physically do something to stop that.

Thank you for your comments. Chair, we have no other speakers for this item.

Thank you. Meeting is adjourned.