by John M. Eger
April 13, 2026
The Mayor of San Diego, Todd Gloria, is scheduled to announce tomorrow (April 15th) that all funding for the Arts would be eliminated. WOW!
These cuts were outlined in a City of San Diego briefing today, in advance of the release of Mayor Todd Gloria’s budget proposal on Wednesday. The City alerted arts organizations that the Mayor will completely “decimate” the arts budget – zeroing it out altogether.
I am not sure where this came from or why, but everyone , every arts or arts associated organization, every business or trade administration…every concerned citizen needs to object, and strongly.
Arts leaders warn that the proposed elimination of arts and culture funding threatens 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 support thousands of jobs, fuel $10.8 billion in tourism, activate neighborhoods, and foster a strong sense of community across all council districts.
Is this the beginning or the end of what many of us have desperately looked to, the hope that we will all wake up to a very basic fact: 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.
The country, and our city, will be losing jobs at an unparalleled pace that is going to rapidly increase, indeed accelerate, given the presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The start of the Trump administration saw mass resignations from the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The National Foundation on the Art and Humanities closed its program of grants to underserved communities and exhibitions across the country were canceled.
Almost all funding for federal agencies responsible for arts and culture has been cut. Now all arts organizations in San Diego and other cities must scramble for donations. Given what the city is now proposing, it’s worse than one can imagine.
Why is it that in The US, it is delivering another disastrous blow to the country. And San Diego too.
The reasoning feels practical, even responsible: in difficult times, governments must prioritize essentials over extras—roads over symphonies, math over music, housing over galleries. The past decade—and especially the years since 2020—tell a sad story about government budgets and the dilemma they face.
On the surface, the logic behind cutting the arts is 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?
It sounds sensible—until you examine what actually happens when arts funding disappears. If you object, as so many of us do, let San Diego Art Matters https://sdartmatters.org know how you feel before April 20, what you and your organization will lose, including people affected. Maybe, just maybe the Mayor and the Council will see the light.
Mature policymaking 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.
