Let's get advocating! Watch our Community Briefing and TAKE ACTION!

Thanks to everyone who attended our Creative Community Briefing on Saturday, March 11th at the School of Visual Philosophy. We’re so glad you took the time to join us and learn more about how you can help us make San José a more creative city.

To those who attempted to join us via Zoom, we humbly apologize for the technical difficulties, and we hope you had a wonderful Saturday despite the inconvenience. As a bit of reciprocity, we’re happy to share a video recording of the presentation on our YouTube channel. Subscribe today!

And here’s a link to the slide deck.

With six brand new City Councilmembers and a fresh face in the Mayor’s chair, it’s time for us to come together and refocus our advocacy as they begin to set a path forward. We can’t wait to get started with you!

With that in mind, here are 3 actions you can take right now:

1. Read up on the Mayor’s March Budget Message – his initial proposal of priorities for the city budget in Fiscal Year 2023-2024, which begins in July. Unfortunately, the arts get very limited mention. You can download a copy here.

2. Show up at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 21, beginning at 1:30pm at City Hall or on Zoom, when the Council will discuss the Mayor’s March Budget Message. Here’s the link to join via Zoom and make a comment. Not sure what to say? Here are some talking points.

3. Speak up in an email to the Mayor and City Council before the meeting asking them to prioritize arts programs in the FY23-24 budget. We’ll even write it for you. Here’s a ready-to-send email that you can personalize. Please send emails asap and no later than 12:00pm Tuesday.

We also encourage you to get involved with Californians for the Arts to learn more about advocacy at the state level, including Arts, Culture & Creativity Month (ACCM) in April. Visit their website and sign up for their newsletter.

Thank you for your support. Let’s get advocating!