Recently, San José Arts Advocates hosted our first-ever series of candidate forums with the incumbents and challengers vying for City Council Districts 4 and 6 in the November 2020 elections, which could swing the balance of power on the council. Over two nights in early September, we engaged the four candidates in a wide-ranging conversation...

Now is not the time to divest from the important community building and reflection work that is done by our nonprofit arts sector. Sadly, that is exactly what our city leaders are proposing.

The horrific murder of George Floyd and countless other Black lives at the hands of police officers have left all of our communities agonizing in pain and grief. At San José Arts Advocates, it has been difficult to articulate the outrage and despair of this moment, yet we know that silence is not an option.

With the misguided adoption of Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) this past January, Sacramento is undercutting fundamental parts of the ecosystem for the performing arts in California. The law has resulted in a multitude of scenarios in which artists are losing opportunities to create and California audiences are losing the opportunity to benefit immeasurably from experiencing...