Measure P Cultural Arts Subcommittee opens its doors to public in a belated effort at transparency, but tensions remain

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Nevertheless, one critic called the Oct. 6 meeting “a joke.” And that underscored a stark reality: Deep differences – perhaps irreconcilable – divide some in Fresno’s arts community over Measure P.

Ward began the meeting by stating the Subcommittee was publicly sharing the areas of the city that organizations and projects recommended for 2025 Measure P grants would serve. The areas are identified by zip codes, with accompanying narratives. That information was attached to the online agenda for the Oct. 6 meeting posted by the City Clerk’s Office.

Grant applicants in 2025 were required to submit the zip codes as a way of addressing a flash point that arose in 2024 when Commissioner Jose Leon-Barraza said Measure P money was not equitably distributed in southwest, southeast and south central Fresno.

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But no one who addressed the Subcommittee on Oct. 6 spoke about the zip codes. Instead people made the arguments about the grants program – pro and con – that have dominated recent meetings of the Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission.

Ward acknowledged “missteps” in the grants program involving conflicts of interest, bias and unclear communication to applicants. Furthermore, she added, community members have served as the “eyes and ears” of an “imperfect” process who brought “valid concerns” to light.

She also said the Subcommittee is working to address those issues and that all interested parties “need to commit to a collective problem solving.”

When members of the public got their turn to speak, Christina Soto said bluntly: “I think this meeting is a joke, honestly. The fact that it wasn’t made accessible until a few hours ago is a joke, and we are the punchline. The community is the punchline.”

Soto apparently referred to the fact that some 2025 grant applicants received an email from the Fresno Arts Council at noon on Oct. 6 about the meeting starting at 4 p.m. that day. That gave them only a few hours notice. (After Soto spoke, Ward asked City Clerk Todd Stermer to clarify when the notice for the Oct. 6 meeting was posted and whether it complied with the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. He said the meeting’s agenda was published online on Oct. 3 and therefore met the 72-hour notice requirement of the Brown Act.)

Soto’s outspokenness was noteworthy because she was a member of the Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission in 2024 before resigning earlier this year. “We are going to continue to keep showing up to hold you accountable, to hold the city accountable. This is our money,” she said.

Measure P is financed by a 30-year, ⅜ of a cent increase to Fresno’s sales tax that city voters approved in 2018.

Other speakers at the meeting illustrated the divide on Measure P that seems to have several fault lines, including funding allocations that favor large, legacy arts organizations over emerging, grass-roots organizations. Ome Lopez, one of the grass-roots artists calling for change, also said last week that the Cultural Arts Subcommittee needs to be more representative of Fresno demographics. The three Subcommittee members appear white, while a majority of Fresno residents are Hispanic.

Nevertheless, Joe Catania said at the Oct. 6 meeting that “something is working” with Measure P. He said grant applicants recommended to receive funding in 2025 range from Valley Public Television to Radio Bilingue, from Children’s Musical Theatreworks to Fiestas Patrias and Lend A Hand Posada. “These are diverse groups serving diverse elements of the community trying to further culture, arts and accessibility and experiences that people may not have otherwise.”

But Ashley Mireles-Guerrero said: “I see a blatant abuse of power and use of control tactics meant to pacify and silence community voices. It’s deeply concerning – and frankly disrespectful – to witness this level of disregard when what we are talking about here are public dollars. These are my dollars, the community dollars and taxpayer dollars.”

Mireles-Guerrero was one of 32 community volunteers who scored 2025 Measure P grant applications, and she also identified herself as a Measure P applicant, potential awardee, business owner and someone experienced with grants.

Meanwhile, Maggie Courtis – who scored Measure P grant applications in both 2024 and 2025 – told the Subcommittee that she had applied to many other grant programs in the past. She said she received little or no feedback from those programs. By contrast, she commended the Fresno Arts Council for arranging meetings this year where grant applicants could hear community volunteers discuss how they scored their applications. “That’s just unheard of,” Courtis said. “So I don’t get this [complaint of], ‘We’re not transparent enough.’ ”

Courtis also defended Lilia Gonzáles Chávez, executive director of The Fresno Arts Council, which administers the grants program. Critics have accused Gonzáles Chávez of making biased comments – for and against some applicants – during the public meetings where community volunteers discussed applications. “Throughout this whole process, I felt like Lilia was exercising extreme restraint in terms of her feedback. She would only [offer] input if she was asked a direct question, and she never gave an opinion. Sometimes, she gave facts or data about an organization,” Courtis said.

The Fresno Arts Council recorded those meetings, and critics have asked for, but not received, the recordings. Critics have said the recordings will document the alleged bias. At the Oct. 6 meeting, Johannus Reijnders formally requested that the Subcommittee release the recordings and transcripts under the Public Records Act. City Attorney Janz – who in an unusual move sat on the dais with the Subcommittee – said he would connect with Reijnders about his request, and he then left the dais to speak with Reijnders.

Meanwhile, Alicia Rodriguez, chair and co-founder of the Labyrinth Art Collective, said integrity and transparency are the root issues in the current conflict. Noting that Labyrinth received Measure P funding in 2024 and is recommended to receive funds in 2025, she said: “This isn’t a matter of winners versus losers or somebody not understanding the process. It’s a matter of how close is the process being adhered to.”

Rodriguez added that grass-roots artists are “being scapegoated” for halting the release of this year’s Measure P funds. “We’re not halting the process,” she said. “We’re pointing out very clear feedback. Follow the process that’s been laid out and follow it with integrity.”

Her final comment: “Integrity is going to rule over the almighty dollar for our organization and for our community, and that’s what makes people trust you.”