Josephine Villasenor

City: Long Beach City
Position Seeking: Councilmember

Question 1: Please share the most meaningful arts and cultural experience you had growing up.

When I would go to my family’s Pow Wow’s. I am Tongva, Mescalero Apache and Cherokee Mexican- Indian, Spaniard, Polynesian, Irish, Argentinean, Filipino, and Japanese. Having the Arts and Cultural is the best thing we can do for ourselves but also for our children. I am more open to anything and everything that life has to offer. I appreciate being exposed to the Arts and Cultures of my family. When I went to the different celebrations I was so amazed in how rich, how talented the people are.

Question 2: What do you think should be the role of City Council in the development and support of the region’s arts and cultural infrastructure?

I think that the City should be in the fore front of making sure that the Arts and Cultural are protected and supported throughout the City. We need more Museums and more school trips to the ones that are already established here in Long Beach. We send our children out of the City to other places, which is great but also hurts us too in the process. We need to make sure there is funding available to the Arts and Cultural. Maybe have Festivals, Parades and Celebrations that highlight Arts and Cultural in the City.

Question 3: What’s your vision for the city? What role, if any, does art and culture play in achieving that vision?

I want to make Long Beach the go to City for everyone from around the World to even our own backyard. Art and Culture goes hand in hand with any event that is thrown here in Long Beach. From an Veterans day event that display Arts, that shows what our soldiers go through to Beach Street Fest that show cases the Arts and Cultural aspects of our City. My vision is to have an Arts and Cultural event in every neighborhood in Long Beach from Bixby Knolls to MacArthur Park to the West side of Wrigley.

Questions 4: A recent report by the Otis College of Design found that 1 in every 7 jobs in LA County is supports the creative sector and economy in Los Angeles County. What strategies, if any, would you pursue to enhance the region’s creative economy (i.e. cultural tourism, indirect and direct jobs, nonprofit and for profit organizations)?

I would look for funding, have neighborhood art walks to showcase local talents, also partner with the long beach public access channel to shine a light on local artists through out long beach as well as our cultural side.