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or independent galleries, grassroots and community-based artists and organizations who make up the lion's share of Santa Ana's arts community. • Santa Ana Marijuana Tax revenue - When the marijuana tax was being discussed, arts funding was one of the proposed uses, but it was inexplicably removed at the last minute. Restoring funding from this program would provide significant revenue for the arts and culture program. 1% for the Arts/Hotel Motel tax - this has been an ongoing recommendation that would contribute a significant source of revenue. A voluntary Millage Fee that is sent out with utility bills. 2. Add one or two new staffers to the office. This was a recommendation of the Arts Master Plan, and sources of revenue were identified to achieve this. It is unfortunate to hear the Arts & Culture Office criticized by individuals who have benefitted greatly financially from the City's arts programs yet who prefer to attack the staff rather than offer solutions that would spread the increased workload and improve service overall. If two staffers are added, the recommendation is to add an assistant and a public art staffer to help with the work of the Arts and Culture Office. This would also free up time for the current Arts & Culture Specialist to identify and work on grants to solicit new sources of revenue for the program. 3. Create a policy for Arts Empowerment Zones. This was a recommendation we made that was included in the Arts Master Plan up to the final public review meeting, but was mysteriously removed before it was presented to the City Council for approval. This was a major betrayal to the community, as it would have created a policy for the City to determine where arts development should take place and also offer incentives to property owners and artist in the identified Arts Empowerment Zones. This would have addressed the practice of developers using artists to gentrify communities and also created a framework for the City to plan Cultural Districts in the City. Creating policy for Arts Empowerment Zones as fulfills several Master Plan priorities and would have a longterm positive impact on the city, its artists and its residents. 4. Utilize and pay respected arts professionals and not arts commissioners as panelists to judge arts grant proposals following best practices. This was also identified as a recommendation recommended in the Arts Master Plan. Using Commisisoners as panelists opens the process to conflicts of interest, as has been pointed out before in this very commission, and commissioners can also be lobbied by unscrupulous applicants, as we have also seen with this commission. Currently, we understand that the City requires potential panelists to provide their own insurance to be considered, and this is not only ridiculous, it chases away the very panelists who could best serve our arts community. Below are some recommendations from the Santa Ana Arts Master Plan that speak to and reinforce the call for these recommendations presented today, particularly with regards to funding sources to expand the arts and culture programming, staffing, etc. I encourage you to consider these recommendations and present them to the City Council and Mayor as key to making good on the promise of the Arts and Culture Master 3