LBPOST.com: Arts Supporters Rally At Council Meeting Tonight

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Arts Supporters Rally At Council Meeting Tonight

by Sander Wolff | Culture Agent | 03.02.10 |

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9:15am | At this evening's City Council meeting, several council members will be introducing proposals that, hopefully, will examine how the City can be more proactive in supporting the arts. Before you jump out of your chair, either in celebration or ire, consider this: These are the first steps toward change. None will, in and of themselves, produce substantive change at tonight's meeting. There are five proposals being introduced.

The first suggests the elimination of a permitting requirement for street performers. Since it was put in place, not a single permit has been issued and, according to the sponsors of the proposal, the City has no mechanism in place for processing applications, or issuing permits. There is also the small matter of the U.S. Constitution, and freedom of speech. Eliminating this rule makes perfect sense, but I'd go a step further and create language that welcomes street performers.

There is a proposal that suggests adding the Arts Council's revised Cultural Master Plan to the City's 2030 Plan. The 2030 Plan deals primarily with land use, and includes some arts related components, but how the Cultural Master Plan fits into it remains unclear. Also, the process of developing the Cultural Master Plan was never entirely completed. Although there was one public meeting to get input from the community, other meetings were promised, but never set up.

The Cultural Master Plan, on its own, has produced some positive results simply by acting as a working document for the Arts Council, but having it adopted by the City would be a significant step in the right direction.

In many cities, artists whose earnings from their art remain below a certain threshold are exempt from paying for a business license. Now, many artists with working spaces where no sales take place are required to pay for a business license. An examination of this practice will be undertaken and, hopefully, a more arts friendly policy will be enacted.

Another proposal suggests that the City Manager convene an advisory panel to explore ways the City can more effectively generate and manage funds in support of the arts. This is a great idea, only if something tangible is implemented as a result.

Something similar was done some years ago, when Beverly O'Neill was Mayor. The panel hired an expensive consultant from Irvine whose ideas were duplicated (for free) by members of the community. The panel ignored the suggestions of the consultant and the community, pitched one idea to the City Council, and never implemented anything. Hopefully, this new Committee will be more successful.

For me, though, the single most significant proposal being introduced tonight relates to how the City views, and manages, live music. For years, the City has seen live music as an obstacle to order, or a doorway to anarchy. At every turn, it has restricted the natural synergy that arises when art and music connect. As the law is currently written, no retail business can have music at all. No art gallery, book or music store, can legally have an acoustic guitarist strum a few chords. This must change.

In researching this issue, municipal leaders in San Diego, Austin, and Seattle have stated that live music, unfettered by excessive municipal restrictions, is a direct cause for their cities' economic growth, including the attraction of Tech businesses and tourism.

We have an opportunity to reinvent this aspect of our City's character. Through a revision of the Zoning code, and how permits are managed, we can bring a powerful engine of prosperity to every neighborhood. Best of all, it won't cost a cent, and may even increase tax revenues.

Whether you're an artist, a resident, or a business owner, these proposals will benefit your bottom line, and improve your quality of life. I urge you to come to the Council Chambers tonight to stand in support of these proposals, and let your elected representatives know that they're headed in the right direction.

The meeting starts at 5:00pm, but parking and seating will be limited. A capacity crowd is expected.

Related Stories: Create Long Beach, Robert Garcia, Arts Council, City Council, street performers, 2030 Plan, Cultural Master Plan

Comments

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15 Comments so far.

Tim
One need look no further than Laguna Beach to see the broad appeal art has as a draw to a city. These seemingly small steps are steps in the right direction.

JoAnne MacTaggart
Rock the paradigm man. I would add that "the outsider" artists introduce an opportunity atmosphere for a more inclusive community as well. Speaking from my former lives as resident and artist in Long Beach, Seattle and Decorah, IA. Currently with a focus on creative expression in the psychology of children.

Anonymous
The idea of making LB more art friendly is a great idea and these seem like a good place to start. As for the "elimination of a permitting requirement for street performers". What possible problems can be caused if this is done away with? Are there no street performers because this is in place or because the process is broken and needs to be fixed? I just don't want to see bums on the street doing unartistic things but claiming to be street performers.

markbixby
Nice outline and big picture thinking. More guitars & performers!

Ryan Banfield
I hope that the city will allow for more public performances on the beach. Many times Drum circles and other live music have been started by the beach only to be dispersed by the Long Beach Police. There is no harm in people getting together to have peaceful community!

Sander
Tim, there are many great examples of municipal vision in support of the arts. I hope that, as this process unfolds, our leaders use every available resource to engage the collective intelligence and experience of the residents. As for the street performer issue, the guidelines have never been clear, and the creation of the permitting process only confused things. There should be, as I stated, a clear and positive statement about what we want, not just what we don't want. Ryan, that's a great example of how an overarching vision for arts and culture can improve everyone's quality of life. I hope you all come to the Council chambers tonight.

Nancy
Thanks for the article Sander.

JimG--Downtown
Encouraging art is a worthwhile goal with a City-approved Master Plan an important step. Several of the initiatives, however, indicate a lack of knowledge of the Business License and Permitting chapters of the Municipal Code. A licensing and permitting expert needs to added to the group. For example, an entertainment permit is not presently required for a limited number acoustic instruments, which is known as Cafe Entertainment. George's Greek Resterant has had an acoustic guitarist and Greek dancers for years without an entertainment permit. It is also untrue that museums and book stores do not have entertainment permits. Just to name a few: LB Museum of Art, Aquarium of the Pacific, MoLAA. Also, it should be noted that the Cities that have income theashholds for business license requirements base their business licence process on gross receipts. Los Angeles, being one, requires a mini-IRS of 60 auditors to administer their system. Long Beach uses a more simplified process based on fixed fees for business categories. Other discrepancies appear in the proposed arts initiatives. In short the group needs to add some expertise to improve credibility. You need to know what the present rules are before you can change them. A commendable effort, good luck!

Michael
I'm waiting to see how lbresident blames this on unions.

Mela
To Tim.... Downtown Long Beach attracts a completly different demographic then downtown Laguna Beach. Cannot be compared. Diiferent levels of culture and disposable income. Apples to apples please.

To Mela
Did you ever consider that efforts like this can change demographics...

Mela
'The arts changing demographics,' sounds nice however, may be wishful thinking. Actually it is the other way around. The sustaining demographics creates an opening for the arts to flourish. Unless you can figure out a way to change contiguous neighborhoods surrounding the LB downtown arts district, including a direct freeway that pours into this area of downtown, better to put the money in another neighborhood where any arts program has a chance of measured success and brings in vibrant arts minded patrons that will support fine arts, not the stuff that attempts to pass for it in the so called arts district and draws a course crowd that would be better off in an arena or college campus ir at a local mall. The area is just not situated correctly to bring in the support from the people who do buy art. People that spout off things like "Rock the paradigm man' is just the sort that will contribute to the area not being successful in that way and translate into customers spending money in the area. More money spent, more chance that the area can support itself and gentrify. Reality cuts deep through a pie in the sky mentality that is not art-collecting-friendly for the people who do purchase and will truly spend money in the surrounding businesses. Location location [is not there].

forming circles
I'm a bit troubled by some of what Mela says. True we're not Laguna. True, there's room for improvement and broader vision. The designated "arts district" is not always the center of art activity in Long Beach -- I know a lot of artists doing interesting things in other areas of the city (and beyond). But there's no reason we can't connect the dots. Long Beach is full of amazingly talented people. And there are great things happening here. Is "buying art" the top priority? Or is it celebrating our city's rich creativity, cultural diversity and unique local character? To me, this second option fosters community. I may be an idealist, but I feel like if we can nurture quality art and support and celebrate our local artists of merit and those up and coming, this in itself will attract intrigued people and the community will grow and evolve. Long Beach has its own unique creative character. I'm excited by the possibilities of nurturing and building upon this character rather than trying to make our city into something its not. I realize that working toward change requires patience, perseverence, and courage. I applaud all those who are generously giving their time and efforts to this worthy cause.

Sander
JimG: The laws are very murky, but I've spent lots of time studying them, and asking lots of pesky questions. Here's what I learned: The real problems lie in the zoning code. As it stands now, there are primary and secondary 'uses' for any given property, depending upon its zoning designation. For example, a primary use might be a restaurant. In the code, there is a list of secondary uses approved for restaurants. Live music is one. Here's an important point, though: Any use not listed as approved is forbidden. So, in the secondary uses for restaurants, you won't find heavy industry. The only primary uses that have live music as an approved secondary use are restaurants and bars. Under the primary use of 'retail,' it isn't included as a secondary use, and so is forbidden. This means that, even if the business licensing office wanted to issue an entertainment permit to a retail business, they could not. Restaurants are allowed to have one or two unamplified musicians without an entertainment permit. This does not apply to any other primary use. The aquarium, MOLAA, and LBMA all have restaurants, thus allowing them to present live music. I hope I've helped clarify this!

Sander
Mela, redevelopment, for better or worse, has dramatically changed the demographics of people visiting the Downtown area. Gentrification, for better or worse, is underway in and around Downtown and will continue unabated, unless we choose to stop it. (Slightly off-topic, but rent control and other tools can help maintain cultural, economic, and social diversity in an area.) What is it that makes Laguna a destination for people looking to purchase art? Is it geography, history, or that rich people live in the City? I'd sincerely love to know what makes it a success. Also, I think it critical to understand that the 5 proposals approved on Tuesday aren't written to benefit the Arts District, or Downtown. They're written to benefit the entire City. Right now, I feel like there's all this energy that's being held back, perhaps unintentionally, by an old paradigm. These changes will help direct that energy, and allow it to become a powerful economic engine for every district and neighborhood. What's your vision, Mela?

Culture Agent

Sander lives with his wife, step-daughter, two dogs, two cats, two fish, and two aquatic frogs. He's an avid nature photographer, and enjoys creating close-up images of flowers and plants.

Sander Roscoe Wolff is a musician, artist, and was co-founder and Executive Director of LongBeachCulture.org, the City's first comprehensive, and free, arts portal.

He has served on the boards of the 2nd City Council Art Gallery + Performance Space and the East Village Arts District, curated a 6 month gallery exhibition in the Long Beach World Trade Center, and produced Songs For Bethune, a CD of original and traditional holiday songs by local artists, to raise funds for the Arts Council's Passport to the Arts program.

His work has been featured in local gallery exhibitions, in SoundWalk, and L.A. Siggraph's Photon Ballet. His current music project is Ain Soph Aur, a systems based improvisational duo.