San Diego’s City Council budget committee put the mayor on notice Wednesday: don’t plug the city’s deficit by trimming the arts. With a roughly $111 million shortfall projected for next fiscal year, the panel urged keeping the arts’ share of hotel‑tax revenue intact, a clear message ahead of spring’s budget fight.
Budget Committee Sends a No‑Cut Message
The committee voted unanimously to instruct Mayor Todd Gloria to maintain arts funding at the same percentage of hotel-tax revenue as this year, 4.28%, rather than accept cuts, as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Councilmember Kent Lee called the move “a way for us to really put a foot down this year — to say that the council wants to see no less than 4.28%,” and members said the guidance should shape the mayor’s winter budget options.
What the ‘Penny for the Arts’ Pledge Means
The request sits alongside the 2012 “Penny for the Arts” plan, a five‑year roadmap to phase arts funding up to 1% of hotel room revenue. As outlined by the City of San Diego, that “penny” equates to roughly 9.52% of the city’s 10.5% transient‑occupancy tax pool, a target the city still hasn’t reached…