Measure P update: How can city help artists who are left dangling without their grant money?
By Doug Hoagland
A two-headed challenge – with the clock ticking – confronts the City as it takes over arts grants under Measure P.
Challenge one: 32 arts organizations and artists still don’t have any of the Measure P money they were supposed to get in a 2025-26 grant cycle that wrapped up last fall. Ninety-seven other awardees are in line to get the final 10% of their grants if they file necessary paperwork on time.
The saga of Measure P: See past coverage in The Munro Review’s comprehensive archive
Challenge two: At the same time, staff in the City’s parks department has only 2 ½ months to craft complex guidelines for the next funding cycle that begins July 1. Staff is currently seeking public input about those guidelines, which will determine rules for awarding nearly $6.5 million in 2026-27. The Fresno City Council must give final approval to the guidelines.
The City’s challenge took center stage at the April 20 meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission, which provides oversight to Measure P. It was the same day that Suliana Caldwell, former operations manager at the Fresno Arts Council, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of wire fraud in connection with the embezzlement of $1.8 million, which included taxpayer money generated by Measure P.
That scandal led City Hall in February to seize control of the arts grants from the Fresno Arts Council and give administration of the program to the City parks department.
At the Commission meeting, Chair Kimberly McCoy expressed frustration that 2025-26 awardees are left dangling without receiving their Measure P money.
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“It’s really an unfair process, and I really feel for the arts community because they have taken a hit, and it seems like nothing is getting done fast enough,” she said.
Shelby MacNab, assistant parks director, responded that city staff is working nights and weekends to address issues. She added that she understands both the frustration and the urgency about paying out the 2025-26 grants. “If we could do it any faster, we would,” MacNab said.
It’s unclear when the payouts to the 129 awardees from 2025-26 will occur. MacNab said the City will reach out to them in the next 30 days to begin a paperwork process. When the 129 could expect to receive their Measure P checks is not clear.
To answer that question, The Munro Review emailed Sontaya Rose Schmidt, director of communications for the City. MacNab and her boss, parks director Aaron Aguirre, have said all questions must go to Schmidt. She did not respond to the email and has not responded to seven previous requests for information dating back to June 2024.
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In other action at the April 20 meeting, Johannus Reijnders, an advocate for greater transparency and accountability in the Measure P process, criticized the Commission for an agenda mixup that resulted in a grant recipient not being allowed to finish her online remarks.
Then, he told the Commissioners: “Everyone in this meeting right now knows how hard opponents tried to kill Measure P before it was even enforced by a court. Everyone in this meeting knows the same opponents are giddy right now for the chance to kill Measure P when they can prove bad faith. Please do better. Please do consistently better. And listen to your public.”
Heather Parish
Does Sontaya Rose Schmidt ever respond to anyone? Being a public communications officer usually entails communicating with the public, after all.