From the Desk of 

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SJAA Team

San José Arts Advocates is a collaborative project driven by the San José creative community dedicated to education, advocacy, and action to support arts and culture.
October 18, 2024
SJAA Team

District 6 Candidate Responses We asked. They answered.

Earlier this month, due to circumstances beyond our control and the compacted campaign calendar, SJAA was forced to postpone and then cancel our planned Virtual Candidate Forum for San José City Council District 6. In lieu of a live forum, we presented our prepared questions to the candidates and asked that they submit written responses for us to share with you. 

We very much appreciate both candidates for their timely and thoughtful responses, which are presented here unedited except to remove some formatting for consistency and fairness. The order of candidate responses rotates from question to question, beginning in alphabetical order.

1. Describe your personal or professional experiences with arts and culture. Feel free to highlight any specific memories.

Michael Mulcahy

I have spent nearly my entire life on stage in the theater and remain very close to the arts industry today, both local and national. At 9 years old I sat center stage with my legs dangling into the orchestra pit, a burning candle in my right hand, singing “Where Is Love” to a packed audience as Oliver Twist. It was my first time on the Montgomery Theater stage in our beautiful downtown performing with Children’s Musical Theater San Jose. And over the next 50 years, I performed thousands of times on stages downtown and across the US.

Having grown up in a vibrant theater community, my passion for the arts evolved into a fulfilling journey in nonprofit work as the long-time Executive Director of Children’s Musical Theater San José (CMT), a public benefit corporation I helped grow into one of Silicon Valley’s most effective programs serving youth and families. The organization is nationally recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for its unique use of an arts-based curriculum to teach life skills, teamwork, responsibility to youth, and wrapped in high artistic excellence. I remain committed to CMT as a board member today and during COVID, my wife Kimberly and I chaired a successful Capital Campaign raising $2.5 million to help CMT open its new Creative Arts Center in District 6 on May 4, 2021.

I am a founding architect, board member and served as the Chair of Team San José (TSJ), responsible for managing the convention, tourism, and theater venues owned by the city. TSJ is the key agency responsible for driving the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT or Hotel Tax) which puts $.14 of every dollar spent on a hotel room night directly into the City’s coffers which then distributes out to various funds and specifically one that supports the city’s arts and culture grant programs.

My experience as an actor and arts leader, and as a parent of three daughters who are artists, has influenced a long-time connection with and commitment to raising up arts, culture, and creatives in my community, and it will remain an important pillar for me if elected to the City Council.

Olivia Navarro

Art and culture have been integral parts of my life and are deeply connected to my roots in San Jose. Growing up, I had the unique opportunity to work for KNTA 1430 AM and KLOK Radio, where I immersed myself in music and community engagement. As part of the promotions team, we organized outdoor music festivals, bringing people from all over the region into San Jose to celebrate music, dance, and culture. These experiences cultivated my love for the arts and showed me how they bring people together, creating vibrant spaces filled with joy and connection.

My connection to the arts has continued through my children, who have performed in the San José Jazz Festival over the years. Watching them grow and thrive in these cultural spaces has deepened my appreciation for the transformative power of the arts.

Beyond my personal experiences, I have remained actively involved in San Jose’s cultural life. I participate in events like Viva CalleSJ, which transforms streets into spaces of art, music, and play. As a neighborhood commissioner, I supported initiatives that celebrate the city’s diversity, including outdoor performances hosted by the San José Jazz Summer Fest. My broader engagement in the arts has allowed me to experience firsthand how creative expression can strengthen communities, foster inclusion, and promote shared understanding.

These experiences have shaped my understanding that the arts are not just entertainment — they foster connections, build social cohesion, and align with my values as a business owner and community advocate.

2. In our candidate questionnaire, you both expressed support for SJAA’s policy priority that the City of San José reallocate the 40% General Fund set aside from the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) to support arts, culture, and tourism programs. How, specifically, would you lead in getting this policy change accomplished?

Olivia Navarro

The TOT funds several vital arts initiatives through the Office of Cultural Affairs, including the San José Creative License Ambassador program and grants for small arts organizations. To lead the effort to reallocate the 40% General Fund set-aside, I would begin by convening stakeholders from the arts, business, and tourism sectors, such as the San José Downtown Association, Silicon Valley Creates, and Arts Commission members.  

Using my background in fiscal oversight with Measure T and my experience working with diverse communities, I will build a coalition across council districts to prioritize this reallocation. I would propose tying the reallocation to performance metrics, showing how investment in arts generates economic returns, improves tourism, and fosters public well-being. 

Most critically, I’ll advocate for the change early in the budget season — including both during the Mayor’s March Message discussion and during the city’s budget workshops to ensure it is part of early budget conversations.

Michael Mulcahy

We must first acknowledge that arts, culture, and tourism combined with our small business community of restaurants, shops and creative entrepreneurs is the recipe to bring Downtown San Jose back. It is this ecosystem of interdependent partners that has always brought us back. We must also recognize this coalition as an economic engine unto itself, as a job creator, revenue driver, and a lure for regional spending into San Jose boosting sales tax and TOT.

Getting city officials and key staff leaders to understand this formidable combination is critical and making the case for how these partners are the drivers is super important. I understand this, and in partnership, we will need to continue to educate and inspire others to understand it

too. Strong advocacy, deep social and financial analysis, and historical perspective is imperative here and I have been knee-deep in trying to make this case my entire adult life. I will be the Council leader in making this case.

And back in the primary when SJAA asked, here is more of what I said on this issue…Yes, I am on the steering committee currently working to make this happen with our next study session rescheduled to Friday, February 16, 9 – 11am. I support reallocating funds from the Hotel Tax to arts, culture, and tourism programs because San José residents deserve to reap the countless benefits they provide – and it is GOOD BUSINESS – as we can show that every dollar invested returns significant actual dollars to the general fund and millions in economic impact spending as a result. There is real data to back this up. We can look at other city programs and trends to show just how much they contribute to the community. According to the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 survey, 80 percent of attendees to arts and culture events agreed that “the event they were attending inspires a sense of pride in the neighborhood or community.” And as noted, these events strongly and positively influence the local economy. Those same attendees spend an average of $38.46 per person with local merchants beyond the cost of admission, and the one third of event attendees who travel from outside the county in which the activity takes place spend twice as much as their local counterparts — bringing in revenue which would otherwise not be in our city. Visitor spending is the lifeblood of the TOT and what Team San Jose was founded to drive. As for tourism, tourists often seek destinations with a diverse cultural scene, and San José is a premier destination – at least the arts community knows it – and we need to get louder on this point specifically. San José’s rich history and multiculturalism should be leveraged and invested in — there is no better use of funds gathered from the Hotel industry than reinvesting it in the industry’s future. Redirecting funds from the Hotel Tax towards these efforts not only serves the interests of residents but also secures the future of San José’s tourism industry.

3. Beyond TOT reapportionment, what other financial strategies do you support to secure more resources to invest in arts, culture, and tourism programs? 

Michael Mulcahy

At some point we may have to consider an arts and culture ballot initiative or district formation to raise funds to address the backlog of capital needs for our tourism and arts facilities. We are not there yet, but through the recent work on the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study, we learned of creative actions taken by other cities and states. For example, Philadelphia’s Percent for Art program resulted in numerous iconic public art installations, contributing to the city’s cultural identity. Portland’s Percent for Art ordinance has successfully supported local artists, enriched public spaces, and contributed to the city’s reputation as a hub for creative expression. These might be the seeds for forward-thinking approaches to urban development and community enrichment in San José.

As a member of the City Council, I would support measures to require large private developments to contribute resources to public arts and cultural programs in San José — but it must be done right to ensure we encourage investment in San José, not stifle it. In my professional life, I have invested in a number of properties along historic Lincoln Avenue in downtown Willow Glen, helping to revamp the area and stimulating our local economy. We donated retail space in the iconic Garden Theater to the local ArtHouse Studio for much of 2023. The space transformed into a student art gallery, hosting field trips and children’s art projects, becoming a community center facilitating culture exchange, a sense of identity, and bringing young people together. In one of our Sunnyvale projects, we were subject to a public art set aside percentage and created fabulous public art in partnership with that city and its

cultural community. During the Convention Center expansion last decade, TSJ hosted an international competition for an art project to adorn the plaza in front of the center. Even the public sector projects should continue to adhere to this type of commitment.

More recently, I have enjoyed promoting live music with local musicians at Lamella Tavern in Willow Glen. Giving local artists an opportunity to play live and earn is thrilling.

By integrating elements like live music, artistic sculptures, and murals, and a myriad of cultural elements into private and public developments, San José can promote a sense of community, extraordinary diversity, inclusivity, creativity, and civic pride while enhancing the overall quality of life for its residents.

Olivia Navarro

I support the Creative Industries Incentive Fund, which offers grants to creative entrepreneurs and increases funding through public-private partnerships with tech companies and businesses that benefit from San Jose’s cultural vibrancy. Given my experience as a business owner, I would also propose developer contributions to fund public art and arts spaces as part of community benefit agreements.

Another strategy is leveraging my nonprofit workforce development background to push for state and federal grants focused on creative workforce training. I also support expanding participatory budgeting, allowing residents to direct part of the budget to arts and culture, and ensuring community voices are part of the funding process.

Additionally, I will pursue state and federal grants earmarked for arts and tourism. Establishing a Cultural Impact Fund — fed by developer fees or a small set aside from economic growth initiatives — could create a sustainable revenue stream. I also support exploring a participatory budgeting process for community members to direct funding toward arts programs.

4. How would you ensure that creative industries are part of the City’s economic development strategies?

Olivia Navarro

San Jose has initiatives such as the San José Public Art Program and the San Jose Arts and Cultural Recovery Task Force. However, these efforts need more robust integration with economic development strategies. With my community engagement and fieldwork background, I would ensure that creative industries are explicitly included in urban village plans and economic revitalization efforts.

I would collaborate with the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (OEDCA) to expand small business resources for creative entrepreneurs, ensuring they have access to grants, marketing support, and affordable commercial spaces. Additionally, I would advocate for artist-in-residence programs within city departments to foster creativity in public spaces and community events, making the arts a visible and integral part of our city’s identity.

To accomplish this, I would ask the City Manager to explore a restructuring of OEDCA to ensure more extensive cross collaboration between the Economic Development and the Cultural Affairs teams, which generally operate in silos despite sharing a Director.

Michael Mulcahy

Former Mayor Susan Hammer and Councilmember Shirley Lewis certainly had a commitment to the arts from the dais. Perhaps no one since has stepped up for the arts in such a dramatic way. However, those were also the days of significant, direct cash subsidies and bailouts that did not work for several legacy organizations that no longer exist. We are still paying a price for that. This is why I am so committed to make the case for the arts as an economic engine, a key component to the underlying base of what makes San Jose unique and interesting.

My experience is unmatched, and for the arts, I am the only choice in this race. The combination of performer, executive, board member, fundraiser, advocate – along with my work as a founder of Team San Jose, hotelier, live music promoter, and restaurateur – is something we have never had on the dais. When it comes to making a choice of candidates in District 6 for those that love the arts, there is no comparison on record, experience, and understanding of the issues in how to champion the industry, individual artists and creatives.

5. The City’s Cultural Connection Arts Master Plan and Public Art Master Plan are both out of date. Will you work to secure funding to complete an update of these plans? What do you think are the most important issues that should inform the new plans?

Michael Mulcahy

I have been involved in at least three major strategy plans in this topic area; Cultural Initiatives and Downtown Development Strategy Task Force, of which I co-chaired. All well and good, but it took thousands of hours collectively of THE leaders of our sector and community. Right now, that time is best spent building on the advocacy and continuing education of our electeds, department heads, staff, and the community-at-large.

Does SJAA and its membership want to go into a planning process? Or do you want to spend your time further pushing to get the arts and culture industry on the economic and political map? Over the last 12 months we finally started talking about the arts eco-system as an economic driver. I think going into a planning process, taking you out of the educating and informing mindset, is a distraction. I recommend you spend the next 12-24 months continuing to make the case, then we can talk about an arts master plan.

Olivia Navarro

I will advocate for funding to update the Cultural Connection Plan and the Public Art Master Plan. As the cultural landscape evolves, these updates must reflect new challenges, such as gentrification and the displacement of arts spaces. With my background in oversight and strategic planning on Measure T, I will push for a comprehensive plan that addresses the intersection of arts, housing, and economic development.

The new plans should focus on equity, supporting underrepresented communities and grassroots arts organizations. They must also address the role of digital arts and innovation, aligning with San Jose’s role as a tech hub. Sustainability and public engagement should be at the heart of these plans, ensuring the community has ongoing input into the city’s cultural future.

6. District 6 is home to a number of creative businesses and nonprofit arts and cultural spaces. As a Councilmember, how would you support the retention of these vital assets for the quality of life for those who live and visit this part of San José?

Olivia Navarro

I support expanding the San Jose Spaces to Create Initiative, which offers affordable spaces for artists and creative businesses. Leveraging my experience working with nonprofits, I will connect creative companies with grants and resources to stay resilient.

Additionally, I would explore partnerships with developers to integrate arts spaces within new developments. This could include creating cultural hubs that anchor creative businesses, with tax incentives for property owners who offer long-term leases to arts organizations.

Michael Mulcahy

I have been involved in many facilities issues for arts over the decades. The most aggressive, creative, organized, and oftentimes lucky, find their way. The facility issue is a big one, I get it. And as a Councilmember, if I am aware of those that are impacted by this issue or by the path of development you describe, the more help my office can be. I do not see the City leading the way in fixing this issue, but I can see, as the city has done many times in the past, it being part of the solution. The City as a minority investor and enabler (i.e., planning/building) in well thought out facility plans is good business. The CMT Creative Arts Center is a fitting example. The City invested less than ten percent of the total capital needed after we had raised one million dollars. And there is another good one happening right now on the fringe of D3/D6 – an historic building, an arts collective with seed funding, an experienced private landlord, and a city that can help make the path cleaner and easier. This is a recipe I can get behind.

7. What is one idea you have to improve, enhance, and support arts and culture in District 6? Who are the key partners and stakeholders you would need to engage to make this idea a reality?

Michael Mulcahy

You are preaching to the choir. District 6 has a number of arts organizations that already call it home, and I will champion ways to make room for more. Gone are the days that the arts look for a handout, these are the days that we must think about a hand up, a collaboration, a partnership. The city council and other stakeholders should establish a program that leverages Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to expand arts education and provide opportunities for hands-on learning through public internship and apprenticeship programs. This type of program would engage with San José’s visual art studios, theater producers, performative art studios, graphic design agencies, digital media companies, and other creative enterprises to offer immersive experiences for students interested in pursuing careers in the arts. It would also offer opportunities for students that don’t know what they are interested in to pursue alternative paths. By bridging the gap between education and industry, PPPs can help inform those decisions and give San José’s students a leg up. Through mentorship, workshops, and practical training, students will gain valuable skills, insights, and real-world experience while contributing to San José’s vibrant cultural scene.

Partners include, but not limited to, the public and private schools and arts organizations in District 6, including San Jose Unified, the independent and catholic middle and high schools, and home school networks and day-care providers whenever possible. This is also programming that could light up some of our “relatively closed” community centers, such as the beautiful Gardner Community Center in D6.

Lastly, City Hall red tape and fees hamper organizations – arts, neighborhood associations, presenters/ producers – from truly celebrating, expressing themselves, and having good old fun in our public parks, streets, and city facilities. I believe we can show a net positive return on the investment in waived fees and reduced red tape that would far outweigh the risk-averse posture City Hall takes. The partners here include those agencies described above and City Departments like Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services and Office of Economic Development/Cultural Affairs.

Olivia Navarro

One idea is to launch a “Community Arts Activation” program across District 6, bringing rotating art installations, performances, and cultural workshops into community centers and parks. For example, River Glen Park and Gardner Community Center are near schools, providing a unique opportunity to engage students and families. The Rose Garden Branch Library and Rose Garden Park can serve as venues for exhibits and performances, encouraging residents to connect with local arts and culture.

I also plan to build a coalition with the San José Unified School District to introduce arts programs to youth. This partnership will create opportunities for students to visit museums and immerse themselves in various forms of art, including dance, performing arts, painting, and digital media. This partnership will ensure young people experience the transformative power of the arts, fostering creativity and cultural awareness from an early age.

Additionally, I would collaborate with small businesses along the Alameda Business Corridor to host arts-related events that attract foot traffic and support local commerce. Together, these efforts will turn parks, libraries, and business corridors into vibrant cultural hubs, enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.

Key partners include the San José Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Department, neighborhood associations, arts organizations like San Jose Jazz, and local schools. By engaging these stakeholders, we can create accessible, inclusive arts programming that reflects the diversity of our community and supports the development of future generations of artists and creatives.