San Diego is reversing unpopular proposed budget cuts to arts organizations with $6 million in funding redirected away from expanding the city’s convention center and a $3 million philanthropic donation.

The deal announced Friday morning was characterized as a crucial precedent for collaborative arts funding moving forward that could help avoid the outcry that comes every spring when cuts are proposed.

“We’re calling for a regional funding approach that brings together local governments, philanthropy, businesses, tourism leaders, labor and the cultural community itself,” said Councilmember Kent Lee, who helped broker the deal with Councilmember Henry Foster. “Our vision is to build — and then to protect — something stronger than we’ve ever had before.”

The Prebys Foundation, which provided the $3 million donation, endorsed Lee’s vision for a regional partnership to adequately fund local arts.

“What is being announced today represents a new precedent for San Diego,” said Grant Oliphant, chief executive for Prebys. “Our goal is not to substitute for government. But we must and will work alongside government to strengthen the system.”

During a news conference outside City Hall, the group provided no details about how such a collaboration would work. But they said the county government, which created a $3 million grant program for arts organizations in April, would be involved.

“No single jurisdiction, foundation or organization can do this work alone,” said County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe. “I look forward to the county being part of these conversations.”

The collaboration will be crucial in future years because other members of the council stressed they wouldn’t support using convention center money for arts in subsequent years.

Council President Joe LaCava said taking the money away must be a one-time move to reverse arts cuts in this year’s budget, which the council is scheduled to finalize Tuesday.

“We must weigh the importance of the convention center to our local economy,” LaCava said.

Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, whose central urban district includes the convention center and many of the city’s most prominent arts organizations, agreed.

“I think it’s a viable solution for this year, but I do not want to do that again next year,” he said. “Expanding the convention center and generating additional revenue from visitors to San Diego will benefit everyone who lives here.”

The Prebys donation was contingent on the city making at least some restoration to its $11.8 million in arts funding, which was proposed to be completely wiped out in Mayor Todd Gloria’s budget proposal.

The $6 million will come from Measure C, a hotel tax increase that provides money for homelessness programs and an eventual expansion of the convention center.

Some of the Measure C money earmarked for the convention center expansion will be rerouted this year to help pay off some debt from the center’s1998 expansion.

That will free up money normally used to make that debt payment to cover arts funding. The move initially raised legal questions, but City Attorney Heather Ferbert recently signed off.

The city could have moved $12.1 million using this method, but the city’s independent budget analyst recommended the more conservative approach of taking $6 million.

“Given the need to balance long-term convention center needs, we do not recommend that the full debt service payment be paid for from Measure C,” the IBA said. “But using Measure C to pay up to $6 million of that debt service to free up funding for arts programming could, combined with funding from other groups, provide a meaningful amount of support for arts programming.”

To bring the $9 million closer to the $11.8 million arts organizations got during the ongoing fiscal year, the city will also restore $1.35 million in grant funding for cultural events and festivals.

Lee said that makes total arts funding in the new budget $10.35 million, shrinking the year-over-year cut to $1.45 million.

When the opportunity to apply for the new county arts grants is factored in, local arts organizations could be in similar financial shape when next year is compared to this year.

Christine Martinez, leader of Arts and Culture San Diego, said Friday that she was encouraged and relieved.

“Over the last several months, San Diego’s arts and culture community came together in extraordinary ways,” she said. “Everyone united around a common belief — arts and culture matter and city investment matters.”

Bob Lehman, executive director of San Diego ART Matters, agreed.

“Today is about what happens when the people of a community come together with a shared vision,” he said.

The city is facing a serious budget crisis, and no one who has spent time in public office would suggest otherwise. San Diego is confronting difficult fiscal realities that will require hard decisions about priorities, services and long-term financial stability. But those challenges should not lead elected officials to abandon longstanding agreements or attempt to shift responsibility for the city’s structural problems onto one of San Diego’s most important civic partners.

That is why recent comments from Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera about the city’s contractual public safety obligations around Petco Park are so concerning. At a time when San Diego is preparing to welcome new Padres ownership, this is not the first impression the city should be making. Suggesting that the city may disregard existing commitments sends the wrong message about whether San Diego is a reliable partner.

Framing this as Padres versus arts and culture is not accurate. The city knows what its contractual obligations are, and difficult budget decisions should not be made by pretending one of San Diego’s strongest civic partners caused the deficit.

It also ignores the Padres’ longstanding commitment to San Diego. Unlike the former San Diego sports team that left the city, the Padres stayed, invested and helped transform East Village into one of the country’s most successful urban ballpark districts. The organization continues investing in the ballpark, the Ballpark District and the broader community while helping shape the area into a vibrant sports and entertainment destination.

The Padres have invested approximately $150 million into Petco Park, improving and modernizing a city-owned facility while creating a thriving destination that supports local businesses, jobs and tourism. In fact, Petco Park was just named Sports Facility of the Year by the Sports Business Journal, underscoring its status as one of the premier venues in all of sports. Gallagher Square has become a year-round public gathering space for families and community events, while the Padres Foundation invests millions of dollars each year in youth sports, education, military families and underserved communities throughout the region.

Public safety around the ballpark is critical to this continued success. Residents and visitors should feel safe riding transit, walking city streets, parking nearby and staying after games and events. The Padres fund substantial police and public safety costs associated with activity inside the ballpark. The city is responsible for policing public streets and maintaining safety in the surrounding public areas. That is not a special favor to the Padres. It is part of the city’s contractual obligations and its core responsibility to maintain safe and functional public infrastructure.

An independent analysis by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. found that Petco Park activity generates approximately $913 million in regional economic impact annually while supporting thousands of jobs and generating millions in tax revenue that helps fund essential public services.

If City Hall is serious about fiscal accountability, it should examine its own spending first. A new San Diego County Taxpayers Association report found that since fiscal year 2021, City Council offices have added 51 positions, a 47% staffing increase, bringing total council staffing to roughly 160 positions and the total council office budget to about $22.5 million. Those additions cost taxpayers nearly $10 million annually, even as San Diego’s population remained essentially flat.

Notably, Councilmember Elo-Rivera approved additional staffing increases for council offices again this fiscal year, even as the city’s broader financial outlook continued to deteriorate. That makes his criticism of the Padres particularly misplaced, given that council operations grew dramatically under his watch, including while he served as council president.

San Diego’s financial challenges are real but solving them will require City Hall to look inward, make responsible fiscal decisions and address the structural issues that created this deficit in the first place.

San Diegans are already facing one of the highest costs of living in the country while watching the city struggle with homelessness, deteriorating infrastructure, public safety concerns and basic services. Residents deserve a serious conversation about how City Hall plans to address those challenges and restore long-term fiscal stability, not attempts to pit civic priorities against one another or shift blame onto longstanding community partners.

Cities earn strong reputations by keeping their word, especially when budgets are difficult. San Diego should honor its agreements.

Roberts was a San Diego City Council member from 1987 to 1994 and a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors from 1995 to 2018. Kersey is the president and CEO of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and a former San Diego City Council member. 

CHULA VISTA – Fourteen league and section championship banners hang from the outfield wall at Mater Dei Catholic High School’s softball field. In center field, two replicas of the state of California are displayed on the fence, representing the Crusaders’ two Southern California Regional titles.

Said senior center fielder Bella Harris: “We have a legacy of winning on our home field.”

On a sun-soaked Thursday afternoon, Mater Dei Catholic added another chapter to its home-field history.

Trailing 4-1 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Crusaders scored six runs — five coming with two outs — to rally and beat Point Loma 7-4 in the semifinals of the Southern California Regional Division 1 playoffs.

Mater Dei, the reigning Southern California Division 1 champion, will play for its second straight SoCal championship at home Saturday against La Habra.

“They weren’t going to go down,” said Crusaders co-head coach Liz Centrullo. “They kept fighting. They have the ultimate belief in each other and themselves. That’s what this team does. They do it for each other.”

The Crusaders’ sixth inning began with Oregon-commit Maya Matties lacing a single to left. UCLA-commit Charlize “Chuck” Masingale followed with an RBI double. Sunny Sosa hit a tapper in front of the plate. The ball appeared to glance off Sosa in fair territory, but the umpires ruled it didn’t.

Runners were on first and third with no outs and the score 4-2.

After a fielder’s choice and ground out, the Crusaders still trailed by two, now with runners on second and third. To the plate stepped senior second baseman Liana Quinones.

“This is the turning point of the game,” Quinones said she told herself. “My teammates are relying on me. And most importantly, trusting me. It wasn’t (ital)if (end ital). I had to get it done.”

Quinones hit a hard ground ball that was booted for an error, two runs scoring. Point Loma intentionally walked Arizona-commit Arri Romero, who leads the team with 31 RBI.

Harris ruined the strategy by driving in the go-ahead run with a single.

“There was a lot of adrenaline,” said Harris. “It’s the moment you always train for, practice for and hope for.”

The game marked the third time Mater Dei Catholic (30-3) and Point Loma (24-10) met this season. Mater Dei won all three, 2-1 back in March and 5-3 on Saturday for the San Diego Section Open Division title.

“It’s our first loss like this the whole year,” said Point Loma coach Bill Hunyady. “Usually, we’re able to hold leads. But this is a testament to the best team in San Diego County (Mater Dei Catholic). We had three swings at them and weren’t able to get a win.”

Point Loma took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on a massive three-run homer by left-handed hitting freshman Remington Spangler. The ball sailed over the right-field fence, beyond the bushes, crashing into a tree in a neighboring backyard.

“She roped that,” said Centrullo. “I tip my hat to her.”

Spanger pitched the first four innings, allowing just one run on two hits. But five walks and a hit batter ran up her pitch count. While she came in with a 0.83 ERA and had struck out 85 in 59 1/3 innings, she was making only her second start of the season and tired against the Crusaders.

Point Loma went to its bullpen and Mater Dei rallied.

Minutes after the game, Spangler walked about the visitors’ dugout, collecting her belongings. Asked what was going through her mind after a heartbreaking loss, the freshman said: “That I’m going to miss my seniors.”