The Oakland City Council on Dec. 2 voted to reinstate the city’s cultural affairs manager position, Oaklandside first reported. The decision comes after artists campaigned for the city to rehire for the position, which oversees public arts funding and raises money for cultural programs through private grants.
After former Cultural Affairs Manager Roberto Bedoya retired in 2024, the City of Oakland eliminated his position in its latest budget, passed in June 2025. That move prompted an outcry from Oakland artists and leaders from prominent organizations like the Oakland Symphony, Oakland Ballet Company and Living Jazz, who argued that the cultural affairs manager serves as a crucial liaison between Oakland artists, the city and funders.
“As simply as I can put it, the arts will not get by without this position,” artist and activist Cat Brooks told KQED in July during a protest on the city hall steps. “Anyone who is in the Town, lives in the Town or loves the Town knows that arts and culture is our heartbeat. So if you’re interested in the heartbeat of Oakland, this position matters to you.”
Hired as the cultural affairs manager in 2016, Bedoya authored the city’s first cultural plan, lobbied against cuts to the arts and raised millions of dollars through public-private partnerships — which is crucial, supporters maintained, considering Oakland only allocates about 1% of its budget to the arts. The cultural affairs manager also oversees the Cultural Affairs Commission, a volunteer body of arts advocates that advises the city.
“The most positive narrative that we have for Oakland right now is our culture,” said Cultural Commission Chair Vanessa Whang at a July 1 city council meeting. “That’s why we get mentioned in The New York Times.”
