Arts Panel Proposal Causes Fierce Debate : Ventura: A consultant calls for a cultural affairs commission. But some critics say it would only expand the city’s bureaucracy.

Hired to chart Ventura’s cultural future, a consultant has set off a fierce debate among arts leaders by calling for the creation of a city cultural affairs commission.

The commission, to be made up of City Council appointees, would dispense grants to local arts organizations, advise the council and move into the cultural spotlight now occupied by the private, nonprofit Ventura Arts Council.

Arthur Greenberg, a consultant with AMS Planning & Research of Petaluma, told arts leaders Wednesday night that the proposed new agency could boost arts funding and give the arts community clout “that it now does not have in City Hall.”

But several arts leaders said the consultant’s 58-page draft report seemed devoted to expanding the domain of the city Parks and Recreation Department instead of expressing ideas from the community.

The widespread perception “is that we’ve been led along on a leash to help build city bureaucracy,” said composer Jeff Kaiser, one of the 25 members of the city Cultural Plan Steering Committee.

The consultant’s report was prepared under a $57,500 contract with the city. The draft will be forwarded to the City Council, but city officials are not certain when.

“We have a public relations problem,” steering committee Chairman Marshall Milligan said. “We have a problem with trust in the process.”

Sonia Tower, cultural affairs coordinator in the recreation department, said city officials had been careful not to push any particular agenda and included five Ventura Arts Council supporters on the steering committee.

“We set about a good, honest process,” Tower said.

“The idea of a commission is based on what we think is best for the community, having heard from a broad section of the community,” Greenberg said.

Among the report’s recommendations:

* A city grants program that would evaluate and support Ventura-based cultural groups.

* An “artists’ senate” to work through the Ventura Arts Council on issues such as work and living space for artists.

* An effort to find a building for a 300- to 600-seat performing arts facility.

* A city-run artists’ studio and exhibit facility, and an expansion of the Ventura County Museum of History and Art.

The report suggests that the Ventura Arts Council coordinate technical assistance to other groups, unite with the proposed cultural affairs commission to raise funds, oversee arts education and join in a marketing campaign to raise the city’s cultural profile.

The estimated cost of the consultant’s recommendations would increase the city’s spending $132,750 the first year, $351,000 the second and $282,000 the third. Money for the increases, the report said, would come from new federal and state grants, along with income from fees and ticket sales.

The city now spends about $350,000 a year on cultural programs and another $450,000 on special events.

Parks and Recreation Department officials had hoped to see the consultant’s report accepted by the steering committee Wednesday night, and to present recommendations to the City Council by March.

Instead, divided committee members spent three hours wrangling over the document and resolved to meet again in City Hall at 7 p.m. March 5. By then, eight task forces led by committee members are expected to formulate responses to the report.

“We may need to meet a few more times before we can come to consensus on a lot of these things,” said Beth Cohen, manager of the project for the recreation department.

For eight months, Greenberg held meetings with local arts leaders. He summarized their goals in his report, sometimes subordinating them to his own recommendations, set in bold face.

Many of the recommendations are in step with national trends. San Francisco, San Diego and many other cities have established commissions to offer grants and coordinate efforts in their arts communities.

But several committee members said they were startled to see the consultant’s ideas stressed so heavily without having been discussed.

Several also said they couldn’t recall a city cultural affairs commission being a top priority on any task force’s list.

Laura Zucker, executive director of the Ventura Arts Council, said, “There are a lot of good arguments in favor of the creation of a commission.” But she warned that without careful attention, a city program could emphasize “community arts” efforts, intended to educate and entertain as many participants as possible, and overlook “professional arts” designed to encourage top-notch work.

Also, Zucker said, the report’s cost estimates seemed unrealistically low.

The Arts Council receives about $85,000 of its about $180,000 annual budget from city contracts for services such as operation of the nonprofit Momentum Gallery on Palm Street.

The Arts Council also runs a grant program that annually distributes $10,000 in city money to local artists. The funding proposed by the consultant, Zucker said, doesn’t seem enough to pay for the responsibilities delegated to the arts council.