SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Arts Council (CAC) has announced its selection of 10 new California Cultural Districts. These districts amplify the program and expand the original cohort established in 2017 by further representing the thriving creativity, diversity, and unique artistic identities of communities throughout our state, driving cultural, economic, and social vitality.
The following are established as California’s newest state-designated cultural districts:
- American Indian Cultural District, Yelamu (San Francisco) – San Francisco County
- The Arts and Culture District, Riverside – Riverside County
- Arts District Liberty Station, San Diego – San Diego County
- Black Arts Movement Business District, Oakland – Alameda County
- Dos Rios Arts and Culture District, Modesto – Stanislaus County
- Downtown Merced Cultural District, Merced – Merced County
- Downtown Oxnard Cultural District, Oxnard – Ventura County
- Historic South Los Angeles Black Cultural District, Los Angeles – Los Angeles County
- San Jose Japantown, San Jose – Santa Clara County
- Watsonville Cultural District, Watsonville – Santa Cruz County
“The announcement of our newest California Cultural Districts comes on the heels of the release of The Future of California Is Creative, the first strategic plan for the Creative Economy,” said California Arts Council Executive Director Danielle Brazell. “Arts, culture, and creative businesses employ people and strengthen social connection which are the conditions for vibrant communities. Cultural Districts are an integral part of our economic, civic, and cultural ecosystem that fuels innovation, reflects California’s diversity, and shapes the stories we tell and export across the globe. I offer my heartfelt congratulations to our 2025-26 California Cultural Districts cohort!”
“On the eve of our agency’s golden anniversary—and here in the Golden State—it’s wonderful to have this opportunity to honor the real treasures of California, and the things that we truly value and enrich who we are: diversity, innovation, artistic and cultural expression,” said California Arts Council Chair Roxanne Messina Captor.
These new districts will receive $10,000 over a two-year period, official state certification, technical assistance, and access to joint marketing and branding resources. The designation period will run from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2030.
About the California Cultural Districts
The California Cultural Districts program was established through Assembly Bill 189, authored by Assemblymember Richard Bloom and signed into law in 2015, granting the CAC the authority to identify, designate, and promote areas of concentrated cultural activity.
The program helps communities harness their unique cultural assets to stimulate local economies, attract tourism, preserve historic sites, and support vibrant, inclusive creative economies. Districts are selected through a rigorous, equity-centered application process that emphasizes authentic community partnerships, vision clarity, and demonstrated cultural depth.
Selection for the California Cultural Districts was conducted through a multistep process, including an open application phase, a peer panel review, site visits for semi-finalists, and finalist selection. The program is highly competitive and received interest and submissions from dozens of communities across the state.
“As we celebrate California’s new cultural districts, I want to also recognize the incredible amount of time; hard work; blood, sweat, and tears; heart and soul poured into the proposals by all of our eligible applicants for 2025, in particular the communities who were selected as semifinalists,” added Brazell. “We fully anticipate to move into a semi-annual cycle with robust technical assistance for all future applicants to this program.”
Learn more about California’s 24 state Cultural Districts at caculturaldistricts.org.
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The California Arts Council is a state agency with a mission of strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. It supports local arts infrastructure and programming statewide through grants, initiatives, and services. The California Arts Council envisions a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.
Members of the California Arts Council include: Roxanne Messina Captor, Chair; Leah Goodwin, Vice Chair; Gerald Clarke; Caleb Duarte; Vicki Estrada; Roy Hirabayashi; Alex Israel; Dorka Keehn; Phil Mercado; Nicola Miner; Rick Stein. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.
The California Arts Council is committed to increasing the accessibility of its online content. For language and accessibility assistance, visit https://arts.ca.gov/about/about-us/language-communications-assistance. To read this announcement in Spanish, please use the website’s Google Translate tool by clicking the “Translate” link in the upper righthand corner of this page.
El Consejo de las Artes de California se compromete a aumentar la accesibilidad de sus contenidos en línea. Para obtener ayuda con el idioma y la accesibilidad, visite https://arts.ca.gov/about/about-us/language-communications-assistance. Para leer este anuncio en español, utilice la herramienta Google Translate del sitio web haciendo clic en el enlace “Traducir” situado en la esquina superior derecha de esta página.
