Q: Why a “Music and Culture Sustainability Policy”?
A: San Francisco should establish policies that sustain our artistic and cultural resources. As the City continues to develop and grow, we must preserve the culture that makes San Francisco a desirable place to live. Music venues, nightlife and cultural events not only provide an under-appreciated economic engine for San Francisco – they provide a context for people to find community. This is especially critical for at-risk communities that need to find support, such as LGBT youth who look to events like SF Pride to find support they sometimes cannot find at home.
Q: What is a “Music and Culture Master Plan Element”?
A: This Charter Amendment will call for the Planning Department and the Entertainment Commission to establish a section of the City Master Plan that addresses cultural events, nightlife and music venues. This Plan Element will be similar to the existing Master Plan Element for Arts, and will be established through a similar process, but will help address unique needs of outdoor events, nightlife and music venues that are distinct from other arts concerns, because of the permit, policy, health, public safety, planning, and other concerns that are at stake for these events and venues.
Q: Why should the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau contribute research and advertising funds for cultural events, nightlife and music venues?
A: The City of San Francisco Hotel Tax contributes millions annually to the San Francisco Convention and Visitor’s Bureau ($7,321,000 in FY 2005-2006, 4.5% of the total Hotel Tax). While economic data is regularly collected on the San Francisco hotel occupancy rate, SF conventions, restaurant sales, airport flights, and other key economic indicators of the fiscal health of San Francisco’s tourism industry, citywide analysis on the benefits of street fairs and nightlife is sorely lacking. The SF Music and Culture Charter Amendment will ensure that research and advertising dollars go towards the overlooked San Francisco creative economy, and that funds are applied to represent the cultural diversity of San Francisco.
Q: Why is an online permit issuance website needed for the Entertainment Commission?
A: It is hard to do business with San Francisco largely because the permit issuance system for the City is so complicated and ambiguous. The website required by this Charter Amendment will mandate City Departments to articulate their permit criteria and create a system of efficient permit issuance. The City should streamline its permit system so that San Franciscans can benefit from the music, culture and entertainment provided by our creative culture without excessive red tape.
Q: Why is there language to fund the Entertainment Commission through this Charter Amendment?
A: The Entertainment Commission has never been fully funded as it was originally intended, and the City has suffered because of this. Planning for Halloween, for instance, has been lacking in part due to lack of dedicated staff who can focus on managing this citywide event. The voters are being asked to make planning for outdoor events, nightlife and music venues a priority, and the estimated additional funds envisioned by this measure are approximately $500,000, a small figure in the larger scheme of the City Budget. |
