The budget is coming for your street fair

Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget would make deep cuts to the city’s arts and culture spending, and a significant backlash is already underway.

But as our Drew Sitton reports, those bone-deep slashes to arts funding will also be deeply felt by community events across the city.

The proposed cuts would affect dozens of smaller events that rely on city money in their efforts to build community resilience, a crucial and often ignored aspect of creating a society that can weather disasters and changes.

That also means that local aid groups are losing still more funding — after already suffering through federal cuts.

If we needed a reminder of what can happen at neighborhood events that provide a place for a community to gather and celebrate each other, look no further than the scene this weekend when Alicia Keys delivered a surprise performance from the roof of a Barrio Logan skate shop during the Chicano Park Day celebration.

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