KPBS Midday Edition

Report Shows Arts And Culture Have Major Impact On San Diego's Economy

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Marissa Cabrera / News Producer, KPBS Midday Edition, Peggy Pico / KPBS Evening Edition Host

Published May 1, 2014 at 8:30 AM PDT

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

Report Shows Arts And Culture Have Major Impact On San Diego's Economy

GUESTSAlan Ziter, Co-Chair of the San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition and Executive Director of NTC Foundation Dana Springs, Executive Director, City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture

FY 2013 Arts and Culture Economic and Community Impact Report

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The San Diego Opera could close its doors, and the Ken Cinema barely escaped a similar fate. On the heels of these very public problems in the arts community comes an assessment of what arts and cultural institutions contributed to San Diego in fiscal 2013.

Released at a news conference Thursday, the report says nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in the region generate much needed jobs and revenue in San Diego's neighborhoods.

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Here are some of the findings:

Organizations funded by the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture received $6,042,338 from Transient Occupancy Tax.

6,516, total jobs supported by arts and culture organizations.

$108.8 million, total salaries paid to employees and contractors.

$3.1 million, amount of federal, state, county and tribal government funds received to match the city of San Diego's funds.

1.6 million tourists visit arts and culture attractions and businesses

Alan Ziter, co-chair of the San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition, told KPBS Midday Edition on Thursday that the economic impact from the arts is crucial.

“There are 9,600 arts-related and creative industry businesses here in San Diego County that employ 36,000 people, so that means they account for about 5 percent of the total number of businesses here in San Diego County.”

Despite current turmoil with the San Diego Opera and the Ken Cinema, Ziter says community support for arts institutions remains strong.

View previous reports here.

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Marissa Cabrera

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Marissa Cabrera worked as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and had previously served as a Newscast Producer for KPBS' Morning Edition. Before joining KPBS she reported on Vatican affairs, social, and cultural issues in Rome, Italy. She also contributed to a documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Marissa has worked as a multimedia journalist at various news stations in San Diego and Monterey as well as Columbia, Missouri. Marissa graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

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Peggy Pico

Peggy Pico served as the host of KPBS Evening Edition. Pico originally joined the KPBS newsroom as the science and technology reporter in 2010 after spending two years covering biotechnology and medical news in the Bay Area. Pico was raised in San Diego and has worked as a broadcast journalist in California, Arizona, and Texas. She previously reported for NBC 7/39 where she worked as a medical and science reporter for five years. Pico has won two Emmy’s and numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Associated Press, and the San Diego Press Club. She also received the USC Health Reporter Fellowship and is a member of California Chicano News Media Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

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