Effective Aug. 28, the city of Chula Vista’s cultural arts manager position was frozen indefinitely due to the current budget crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lynette Tessitore, who held the manager position, was given the opportunity to stay employed by the city and has moved to the Development Services Department as a senior planner.
Tessitore served as the city’s liaison for its Arts and Culture Program for five years.
In an email, Tessitore announced the move on Aug. 24, thanking the community and the Cultural Arts Commission for the impact the program has had on the local, regional, state and national level supporting arts and culture. She also stated that the experience she gained in this position and the lessons learned can be applied to her new position.
Through emails and phone calls, Tessitore said she was advised to decline an interview.
Anne Steinberger, city of Chula Vista communications manager, said as part of addressing budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city had to make initial adjustments to address what it is facing. Steinberger said 10 positions had been frozen indefinitely, with some of the positions already vacant.
“For staff who had positions, there were options for them to stay with the city in different positions,” she said. “There is a position for Lynnette at the city.”
Steinberger said that with the Cultural Arts Program, activities were funded by money from Live Nation, which runs the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. The city received cultural arts programing based on ticket sales as part of its agreement, and that money helped fund the Cultural Arts Program.
“With no concerts this season there is no funding for the program in that manner,” she said. “We would get $80,000 plus a year and award grants to the Third Avenue Village Association for activating arts on Third Avenue, other organizations and nonprofits, and the city got funding to advance the arts.”
Steinberger said the Chula Vista Library is taking over the programming that the city can do right now through their activities. She said there was a lot of interaction between the library, communications and the program to promote cultural arts in Chula Vista in the past.
“For the foreseeable future, and we have heard through 2021 we are in this pandemic, this is how we will continue to promote cultural arts, so the programming will continue with activities for the community,” she said. “Obviously, there are no exhibits or in-person events right now. Our virtual programming and virtual cultural arts program will continue.”
Through the years, the Cultural Arts Program has funded and partnered with many cultural events, with its signature events being the San Diego Youth Symphony, Music in the Park, OnStage Playhouse, Chula Vista Art Guild, Remember Us The Holocaust, Fern Street Circus, HarborFest, Third Avenue Village Association LITerature on Third, HarborFest, one of the city’s largest events, should have been held Aug. 30. Steinberger said it is “quite the extravaganza” with 30,000 plus people going to the Chula Vista bayfront, with three stages and a strong presence of arts and arts activities. The community stage is normally funded by the Arts Cultural Program.
“We are adjusting to how we promote a lot of things,” said Steinberger. “We have virtual story hour, virtual recreation programs and many other virtual activities and this is where the Cultural Arts Program will fall right now. Lynnette did a great job with that program and really engaging with our nonprofits and arts community, but this is just the reality that the city is facing during the pandemic.”
Chula Vista Library principal librarian Erwin Magbanua will be overseeing the Cultural Arts Program.
Positions frozen
City County Admin Secretary-Mayor-Vacant
Administration – Executive Secretary -Transfer to Human Resources
Administration – Sr. Graphic Designer – Vacant
Economic Development – Sr. Fiscal Office Specialist – Vacant
Development Services – Planning Technician – Vacant
Engineering/Capital Projects – Engineering Technician II – Vacant
Fire – Fire Prevention Specialist – Vacant
Fire – GIS Specialist (non-general fund) – Vacant
Library – Librarian III – Vacant
Library – Cultural Arts Program Manager – Transfer to Development Services
