Last night I attended the Santa Clarita City Council meeting to speak on behalf of the Santa Clarita Ballet Company in support of the City forming an Arts Commission. It was one of the most mind-numbing meetings that I have attended in quite a long time.

The meeting started at 6:00 PM and with all the usual business that needs to take place at these meeting; recognition of this group and that person. Last night it was the Saugus High Girls Cross Country State Championship with each team members name being called and the photo ops for the parents.

There was also the Southern Division City Clerk’s Association of California presentation of a certificate to City Clerk Sharon Dawson for receiving her Master Municipal Clerk designation. Frankly, the City Clerk deserves more than a certificate; she should be given combat pay for diligently and efficiently being at these meeting. My heart goes out to her.  

I honestly don’t know how some people can sit through these meetings without falling a sleep. The guy that gave the presentation on the Masters College master plan had such a monotone drone to the tone of his voice that I found my eyes starting to drop to half-mast. I had to get up and stand in the back of the chambers because I was afraid that at any moment my head would flop to one side and a bead of sleep drool would have crept out of the corner of my mouth then running down the side of my face.

Mayor Ferry was doing his best to try and keep the meeting moving along but it still dragged on regardless.

The fact that the Master College master plan has been working its way through the system at the City for five years is a glaring example of the inefficiency in the process. As was so aptly pointed out during the meeting, the College’s plan is creating jobs and having a positive economic impact on the valley. Not just in construction jobs but permanent teaching and administrative jobs. It is also going to increase student enrollment which will have a direct impact on the local economy.

It should not have taken five years to green light this project!

By the way, I am now convinced that if you get more than a 100 people at a community meeting you will no doubt have a crazy hat lady attending. There was a woman at the meeting last night that had on such an awful hat that I wanted to let her no that we weren’t at the Kentucky Derby; that it was in fact just a City Council meeting.    

It wasn’t until around 8:30 that they got to the Arts Commission agenda item. Rick Gould, Director of Parks, Recreation & Community Services, did an ample job recapping the what transpired at the October 14, 2008 City Council meeting on this subject. He then reviewed the research and suggestions that had been put together by the arts committee.

After Mr. Gould’s presentation there was a parade of speakers all in favor of the City forming an Arts Commission. It was mostly the usual suspects including former City Councilmember TimBen Boydston; Newhall School Board member Sue Solomon; Superintendant Marc Winger speaking as a private citizen; Arts Committee member Paul Strickland and many others. The common thread by all was emphasizing the need for the City to create an Arts Commission.

The City did the right thing by voting to form the Arts Commission even if it was a close 3-2 vote. How do you vote against the arts? Reagsrdless it passed!!

I am just glad that it didn’t take five years of debate and that it actually happened. Regardless of how the commission is set up and who is included or not it is a giant step forward the Santa Clarita valley arts community. No matter how you slice it that is a great thing! Kudos to the City for having the courage to make it happen last night; now the real work begins.

I have attached my full remarks from last night below.

Dave Bossert- Commentary

Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.

Spoken at the January 13, 2009 Santa Clarita City Council meeting

 Mayor Ferry, City Council Members,

I am here as Board member of the Santa Clarita Ballet Company to speak about the need for a valley-wide Arts Commission.

The Santa Clarita Ballet is one of several arts organizations that is growing and building audiences annually throughout the Santa Clarita valley.  Our community wants and appreciates great art, dance, music and theater. This brings culture to the community as well as opportunities for local talent to be involved in the arts.

Communities with established arts organizations not only bring recognition to their cities and communities but they attract prosperous residents as well. In essence, the arts are a vital part of our community’s refinement and of our cultural fabric.

The Santa Clarita Ballet was established in 1996 and is now 14 years old.  The Company has built a solid repertoire of contemporary as well as classical ballet works which have been presented annually.

Our Ballet Company provides the community with an annual Nutcracker with sold out performances at the Performing Arts Center every December. The Santa Clarita Ballet Companies presentation of The Nutcracker has become a valley tradition as some Council members know first hand.

What many people don’t know is that the Ballet Company also presents two additional performances of its Nutcracker as a student outreach program for the Newhall School District each year. Over the last eight years, this annual program has been praised by students, teachers and administrators alike. 

Most suburban cities in the United States do not have a ballet company such as ours presenting the artistic and professional level talent provided by Santa Clarita Ballet Company.

For instance, the City of Los Angeles which is the second largest metropolitan area in the United States and it does not have a resident ballet company. The Santa Clarita Valley does!

We need an Arts Commission because the current structure is not able to be effective enough. At this moment in time we need to help stimulate, coordinate and cooperate with our existing local organizations for the further support and development of the arts in this Valley. This is especially true during these tough economic times in which we have already seen the Santa Clarita Symphony cancel its 2009 season.

We need it as a resource that will encourage programs for cultural enrichment and to support those local cultural groups that are adding value to our community through the arts.It would provide fair and central financial assistance to these local arts groups and will help strengthen those organizations. It will also allow them to grow while encouraging new arts groups and programs to form. This in turn will help to expand and make stronger the role of the arts in education at our local schools and in other community organizations.

The formation of a valley-wide Arts Commission could also foster awareness and support from city and county officials which will only help build and nurture the arts allowing them to grow and flourish.

The City Council should embrace the concept of having a valley-wide Arts Commission. By voting to form an Arts Commission tonight you will in fact project a positive and meaningful act in support of our valley arts community.

Rather than a “top down” approach, which is so often the case, let the procedure be a “bottom-up” process that is more inclusive. Bring in those that have arts organization skill sets to help shape what this arts commission could be.

Allow for members of the community to be part of a committee that would go off and lay out recommendations for a framework and structure for an Arts commission. There are many who have already put in a tremendous amount of effort on this already.

 By allowing for a bottom-up formation of a local Arts Commission it will bring many different viewpoints together and allow for all to find common ground resulting in a beneficial and vibrant organization. This will benefit our valley communities in immeasurable ways for many years to come.

The one thing for sure is that such an arrangement will absolutely pay divides on many fronts long into the future.

Thank you for the time.