Earthquake Safety Readiness

connecting County departments with arts organizations and individual artists and creating fluid mechanisms and equitable standards of practice for departments to contract with and pay for arts services; 2) developing training for County staff on the policy and providing limited project-based consultations to guide how departments can work with and engage artists and arts organizations; 3) collecting data, monitoring, and evaluating new and expanded program activities that are launched by long-term Cultural Policy implementation and publishing outcomes and findings to support public transparency; 4) encouraging County departments to apply for funding from the Productivity Investment Fund to support arts-based projects and interventions that address Board and Department Priorities; 5) launching and managing projects that recognize artists, culture bearers, and cultural organizations and celebrate cultural heritage and artistic expression of diverse communities as a regular part of the County’s annual Heritage Month celebrations to increase visibility, combat cultural erasure, advance narrative change, and recognize contributions of communities of color. This strategy provides the Department of Arts and Culture with the staffing and resources needed to take the next step in policy implementation to realize the vision of the BOS. 14.5 There has been some meaningful incorporation of the policy, but wide-spread investment into it by many other Departments has not yet happened. Under-support and inaction are largely caused by an unfamiliarity on how to engage with the policy’s directives. Structural silos create communication barriers between Departments and DA&C. DA&C provides leadership, accountability across County departments and agencies to support implementation and ensure arts and culture are utilized appropriately, but without additional staff, they can only do so much. 14.6 Before a Creative Strategist is embedded, there is an intensive exploratory period. Interested Departments work closely with DA&C during this time. The cross-sector division facilitates inter-departmental relations, reference guides and opportunities but 345 does so on a project-by-project basis. The initial “six-ish month process” used during the pilot phase does not provide not enough time to prepare before an artist is embedded with their host department. DA&C reports this process being pushed to a year or more. 14.7 There is currently no infrastructure in place to support the work for cross-sector engagement/Creative Strategists. DA&C is resource-poor. Internal programming needs to be solidified, sustainable, and customizable. Unless funding is found for additional staff, resources will continue to be drafted as one-off projects. The unintended consequence is continued under-support of the Countywide Cultural Policy, and specifically the Creative Strategists, by DA&C and the County at large. When Departments do contact DA&C for guidance on cross-sector engagement, DA&C has reported feeling deficient in their ability to help. There are currently two members assigned to this division who are working at capacity with no room for expansion. 14.8 The DA&C is under-supporting Countywide Cultural Policy Item 2: Advance arts and culture in every sector of civic life. This is not due to negligence or intent by the department, but because the Creative Strategist program is still operating under a COVID- informed budget model. Strategy 15 of the Strategic Plan informs BOS and CEO how a fully funded program would operate in advancement of the policy guidelines. 14.9 The County’s high-priority initiatives have taken precedence in the Annual Fiscal Year Budget Plan over DA&C’s requests. To truly embrace the Countywide Cultural Policy, Departments must internalize the unique role a Creative Strategists can play to address areas of high need. The possibilities for creative problem-solving are endless. There is not a question of either/or, and CEO should not have to, for example, weigh “the arts” against Care First Jail Last diversion initiatives. Strategists can be utilized in tandem with other methods of engagement. 14.10 Cross-sector work left behind after a Strategist’s residency are considered “legacy frameworks” and “legacy toolkits”. They are meant to act as a guide for future Strategists, as well used by in-house project coordinators. The frameworks and toolkits are much more cost effective and require minimal administrative preparation because the program infrastructure has already been created. 14.11 The DA&C needs an entrepreneurial pivot. The success of the cross-sector/Creative Strategist program depends on connecting with diversified funding sources, especially with looming contingencies overhanging the County budget. This will allow the Department room to identify long-term program goals. 14.12 The DA&C needs an entrepreneurial pivot. The success of the Department depends on connecting with diversified funding sources, especially with looming contingencies overhanging the County budget. This will allow the Department room to identify long-term goals. 14.13 DA&C cannot fully monitor the ongoing use of a toolkit or guide left as an artist’s legacy guide post-residency. Legacy kits are created with the expectation that new processes for administering specific, non-arts government functions are in place. Thus, the process remains embedded long after a Strategist’s engagement. This assumes a Department understands how to administer and interact according to the framework unaided. Currently, 346 guidance and support is available, but offered in a limited capacity. Project continuity is a crucial component to maintain. 14.14 There is a well-documented wealth of creative capital to draw upon from the local arts ecology. The County contains more working artists than any other county in the United States. Most of these are found in the entertainment sector. Historically, DA&C and LACAC have minimal engagement with the film and television industry. 14.15 The DA&C needs an entrepreneurial pivot. Additional funding and revenue streams need to be secured before big ideas can take place. 14.16 Many County Departments hire consultants to evaluate an area of interest and provide action-item recommendations. This is done with intent to identify and include consideration for diversity, equity and inclusion.