HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/21/2020 Item 15, Ulz
Tonikian, Victoria
From:Eva Ulz <evaulz@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, 10 PM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Ill-Advised Public Art Policy
Dear Mayor and City Council,
I am writing to urge you NOT to adopt the new proposed public art policy banning commemoration of individuals this
evening. It is unnecessary and unpopular legislation that restricts San Luis Obispo's future freedom of expression
without actually adding any additional power for the city to control the types of arts that are placed on public land.
Writing for the majority in the Supreme Court decision in Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, Justice Alito underlined the
existing unilateral power of city officials to decide what monuments can be placed in a public space:
"\[A\]lthough a park is a traditional public forum for speeches and other transitory expressive acts, the display of a
permanent monument in a public park is not a form of expression to which forum analysis applies. Instead, the
placement of a permanent monument in a public park is best viewed as a form of government speech and is therefore
not subject to scrutiny under the Free Speech Clause."
(Pleasant Grove City v. Summum (2009) 555 U.S. 460 \[129 S.Ct. 1125, 172 L.Ed.2d 853\].)
The City Council itself, as well as city staff members to whom the council delegates, already has complete jurisdiction to
refuse any proposed monuments that it does not feel appropriate to the spirit of San Luis Obispo.
Please do not take this power of expression away from future elected officials and the future citizens they represent by
creating a ban on classes of art that will stretch long beyond your terms of office, and possibly even your lifetimes.
Strong societies depend on freedom from restrictive legislation and encourage--not suppress--discourse and
disagreement.
Sincerely,
Eva Ulz (Fina)
Current
Resident of San Luis Obispo
Member of the City's Cultural Heritage Committee
Executive Director of the Coastal Awakening
Former
Executive Director of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County
Member of the Jack House Committee
Member of the California Preservation Program Steering Committee
Foresight Committee Member, California Association of Museums
Board Member, Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos
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