Oceanside CA— The Oceanside Arts Commission, under direction of the Library Department of the City of Oceanside, has been notified that their proposal for a state-designated cultural district has reached semi-finalist status in the California Arts Council Cultural Districts pilot program. With the adoption of AB 189, the state legislature put in place a new tool for the development, support, and preservation of California’s extensive and diverse cultural assets. The legislation allows the group to determine areas of unique cultural benefit.
The California Arts Council will be visiting Oceanside and its downtown area on May 10 for a stakeholder meeting and tour. If selected, Oceanside would partner with the Oceanside Museum of Art and MainStreet Oceanside on one of the first cultural districts in the state. The area would receive state certification, branding materials, technical assistance, joint marketing support, and developmental evaluation of the cultural districts program. A list of the semi-finalists can be found at https://www.caculturaldistricts.org/semifinalists.
Current members of the Arts Commission are Chair Ann Worth, Vice-Chair Robyn Goodkind, Jonathan Fohrman, Maria Mingalone, Karen Williams-Graham, Hamid Maleki, Rebecca Pierce Goodman, and Valerie Brockbank. For questions, contact arts_commission@ci.oceanside.ca.us or 760-435-5614.