Pleasanton Civic Arts Commission adopts 2026–27 work plan, forms ad hoc subcommittees

The Pleasanton Civic Arts Commission unanimously approved a short-term work plan for fiscal year 2026–27 at its Jan. 8 meeting and voted to form four ad hoc subcommittees to advance public‑art priorities.

Rachel, a city staff member presenting the item, told commissioners that “current funding for the public art for the year 2026–27 is approximately $10,000 and is allocated for art conservation.” Commissioners used that briefing to insert clarifying language into the work plan: gathering public input on recent projects, adding commissioner training as a success measure and exploring sponsorship and donation opportunities for outreach activities.

The commission adopted the amended work plan by unanimous hand-raise. The motion to recommend the work plan for City Council consideration was made by Chair Coleman Knight and seconded by Commissioner Fry; the vote was recorded as unanimous.

In a separate unanimous motion, the commission formed four ad hoc subcommittees and named members: a Public Art Plaque and QR Code Subcommittee (Chair Coleman Knight and Commissioner Sazade); a Don Lewis Exhibition Subcommittee (Commissioner Sazade, Chair Coleman Knight and Commissioner Simmons); a Public Art Stewardship Volunteer Program Subcommittee (Commissioners Fry and Jiancola); and a Civic Arts Outreach and Community Engagement Subcommittee (Commissioners Simmons and Douly). Commissioners discussed limits on ad hoc size, reporting back at full meetings and aligning subcommittee timelines with the work-plan year that ends June 30, 2027.

Commissioners emphasized that the plaque/QR-code work will require staff coordination with the city website and IT to ensure linked content is accessible. Staff told the commission the subcommittees should research likely form factors (stickers, plaques or posts), costs and accessibility requirements to inform future budget requests.

The commission also recommended tabling the utility‑box art program for later consideration because of current funding limits. The meeting adjourned after routine updates on recent gallery programming and public‑art repairs.