Westword Describes Tier I of SCFD

A penny for your thoughts: How SCFD Tier I institutions use their funding

On September 15, 2025, Westword published a report written by culture editor Kristen Fiore on the operation of the SCFD. The introduction describes the financial crisis that initiated the effort of civic and cultural leaders to develop a funding mechanism. It was approved by the Colorado legislature and then the voters in a 1988 vote by 75 percent.

The Scientific & Cultural Facilities District has become a national model and has been renewed by the voters three times over the last 35 years. Fiore points out that:

While arts advocates occasionally complain about how SCFD funds are distributed, there’s no denying how the tax has enriched the overall cultural scene over the decades.

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A Penny for Your Thoughts: How SCFD Tier I Institutions Use Their Funding

Guidelines for SCFD Public Support and Sustainability

The Denver Art Museum is located in the Golden Triangle Creative District. Photo by Visit Denver

The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), the Denver metro area’s national model for regional funding of cultural facilities and programs, was developed in the mid-1980s in response to a funding crisis among the largest cultural facilities in Denver. A group of civic leaders assembled to respond to the shortfall and devised a solution, a number of pragmatic guidelines. The 1988 legislation was drafted based on those guidelines. Since 1988, the district’s basic principles have been reviewed and renewed by Colorado legislatures and voters repeatedly in three successful reauthorizations (1994, 2004, 2016). The basic principles:

1. Minimize bureaucracy and cultural-related politics and ensure accountability through a low-profile, non-controversial, non-partisan board.
2. Provide funds for operations, not capital. Encourage municipalities and private donors to fund capital; encourage ongoing fundraising.
3. In reviewing the qualifications of new organizations, the SCFD board must ensure the primary purpose of the establishing legislation is followed.
4. Provide a sustaining level of funding support for the largest regional cultural programs and facilities to allow for long-term planning and investments.
5. Fund organizations with more localized, specialized audiences by using budget and audience data to allocate funding. Employ audits/other measures for accountability.
6. Fund county level organizations based on their contribution of revenue to the total regional tax. Grants are recommended by community cultural councils (selected by county commissioners). Commissioners have final approval. Avoid cultural elites or special interests’ dominance.
7. Restrain bureaucracy with limited funding to ensure dollars go to cultural providers.
8. Include a sunset provision requiring periodic renewal elections to keep organizations’ focus on public service, access and fiscal accountability.

Modest updates were made in the operation and formulas in the statutes in each renewal election by the state legislature. They were then signed by the governor and endorsed by the electorate.

In California Sur a Quarter Century of Growth Stops

Session 2: Changing Demographics and Attitudes in Southern California
Left to right: Jon Gould (UC Irvine), John Nienstedt (Competitive Edge Research and Communication), Gaby Gonzalez (Policy and Innovation Center), Liz Hamel (KFF), Floyd Ciruli (Ciruli Associates). Photo courtesy of papor.org

Orange and San Diego counties, after growing by more than 50 percent since 2000, adding 1 million people each, stopped in 2020, the year of the pandemic. And growth has not resumed. At the annual conference of PAPOR, a panel described the political demographics and attitudes of Orange and San Diego counties. A comparison follows:

Orange and San Diego counties anchor California in the south. Each has about 3 million residents, but they have unique histories and many distinguishing characteristics. Importantly, they have different influential neighbors. Orange is south of LA, much like a sprawling suburb, and San Diego is north of Mexico, with a dominate municipality. Both counties have been in political transition in this quarter century but at different paces, reflecting their histories, cultures and demographics.

• Nearly equal populations of 3 million. After steady, sometimes feverish growth, it stopped after 2020 (pandemic). Similar to state, both counties lost population last four years.
• The White population in both counties at or about 50% dropped to 38% in OC in 2020 and 43% in SD. The second largest group in each county was Hispanic (Latino) with about a third of the population. Growth in OC went from 31% to 34% in 20 years but the Asian population zoomed from 13.7 in 2000 to 22% in 2020. In SD, Asian group grew from 9% in 2000 to 12% in 2020.
• Both counties have moved Democratic in the last quarter century with President Bush winning in 2000 but Kamala Harris and Democrats in 2024. The shift took place in 2008 with President Obama in San Diego and 2016 in Orange County with Hilary Clinton. Harris barely won OC (3%) in 2020, which remains competitive but she won with 17% in San Diego.
• Democrats have gained power in local offices in both counties and now have a majority of the board of supervisors. Republicans remain more numerous and officeholders more influential in OC.
• Outside of partisanship, both counties show independence going right and left on ballot issues. In 2024 Prop 36 on crime control won overwhelmingly in both counties – 75% OC / 65% in SD. Housing bonds, minimum wage and rent control lost in both counties. Several liberal positions such as marriage rights and school board passed.

RELATED
Political Change in California Sur: PAPOR Conference June 27, 2025
PAPOR - Political and Demographic Change in Orange/San Diego Counties August 11, 2025

SCFD with Romer, Mayer and Morgan

In 1985 trustee Rex Morgan (center) who chaired the board’s subcommittee for government affairs, initiated efforts that lead to creation of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District in 1988. Here Frederick Mayer, board chairman, joins Morgan at the signing of the original act by Governor Roy Romer (seated)
Photo courtesty of the Denver Art Museum

Governor Roy Romer, Denver Art Museum (DAM) board President Frederick Mayer, and member Rex Morgan join in a ceremonial signing of the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) legislation. Morgan was the DAM’s chair of the subcommittee for government affairs that initiated the legislative effort to create the act.

Others involved in the early formation of the SCFD from the DAM were Frederic Hamilton, Barry Hirschfeld, Julie Smith, Linda Spangler and Robert Rich.

The SCFD, after four decades of success, has become a national model of cultural funding. As the district begins its 2028 reauthorization, its founders and supporters highlight its guiding principles of being regional, frugal, accountable, and non-political.

Porter Front Runner – Low Ceiling

Katie Porter uses her whiteboard to make a financial point in the House of Representatives. Photograph: C-Span

Katie Porter’s upside in running for Governor is some residual name identification from her recent unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign and her hard left image in a liberal party. Her downside is a surly reputation with congressional witnesses, staff, and ex-boyfriends. The unpleasantness and non-party attitude contributed to a weak showing in the senate race.

An additional weakness is to be running in a Democratic-dominate state with a poor reputation on taxes, regulation and cost of living. There is no reason to believe four years of Katie Porter won’t contribute to the four congressional seats the state expects to lose in 2030.

Much of the party leadership is looking for an alternative.

READ ARTICLE:
She’s famous for taking on CEOs. Can Katie Porter win the California senate race? The Guardian, Feb 29, 2024

Trump Shifts to Crime, Anti-DC

Members of the National Guard stand by at Union Station, August 14, 2025 in Washington. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Donald Trump has always linked immigrant deportation with crime reduction. The poor public reaction to ICE and DHS raids has caused the White House to shift its rhetoric to criminal enforcement with the National Guard in D.C. as the visual.

A host of recent polls show that as deportation has ramped up to meet White House quotas with masked, armed agents at schools, parks, store parking lots, hospitals, car washes or just roving, public support has dropped. What had been Trump’s best issue is now negative. Crime fighting remains a popular rationale for deportation. The President has targeted DC as “crime infested,” along with most Red state large cities, and he is using the National Guard. Early polls show that using the military in cities may be as controversial as the ICE raids.

• 53% approve Trump’s crime approach but only 43% approve his deportation tactics by August (APNORC). 55% of Americans said Trump goes too far deporting immigrants. Up ten points since February.
• 8 in 10 say crime is a major problem in large cities (APNORC poll). 55% okay to use military or National Guard to assist large cities but only a third (32%) believe they should take control major city police departments.
• ICE, the nation’s biggest law enforcement agency, is seeing its favorability rating collapse since the start of Trump’s term. It was a positive 15 points and now is 3 points negative (39% favorable vs. 52% unfavorable) (YouGov-Yahoo survey late June).

Johnston’s Bond Package Facing Challenges

Park Hill Golf Course Photo via Colordo Golf

Denver voters will be asked on November 4th to vote on a $935 million five bond package for buildings, roads, bridges, parks, and recreational centers/libraries. Over the last twenty years, Denver mayors have won voter approval for many bond packages, often at or in excess of half a billion dollars but not without challenges, and this year they are formidable.

Denver voters are concerned about the economy and especially the cost of living, and feeling powerless to stop or influence the direction of the national government.

• Economic uncertainty has people cautious about their finances and especially concerned with the cost of living.
• Denver’s city government is in financial hard times exacerbated by the federal government causing a budget shortfall, a hiring freeze and layoffs.
• The mayor, two years into his term, is dealing with a down economy, poor city financials and considerable criticism from various civic factions. Polls show his approval rating is low. In 2024, his affordable housing proposal lost a city-wide vote.
• The bond package assemblage process and major elements received criticism from various stakeholders, especially city council.

A view of the Park Hill Golf Course in northeast Denver, which closed in 2018. Photo via Colorado News Online

However, Denver city government and various interest groups will conduct a major campaign, or even several. Early polling is positive. The Denver Post has endorsed it and a major theme is repairing and investing in what Denver has. History suggests it should pass even handily, but many observers today are cautious.

Eddie Robinson, the Nicest Guy

Edward A. “Eddie” Robinson

Barry Hirschfeld said it best:

“Eddie was the sweetest... he didn’t have a mean bone in his body. In the almost six decades we worked together in the Jewish and secular community, he always showed up. He was always there to help, regardless of whether the need was large or small. He will be sorely missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him and call him a friend.” Barry Hirschfeld, JEWISHcolorado Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and founding leader of Colorado cultural funding organization, the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.

Eddie was a long-time president and member of the Denver Zoological Foundation board and a stalwart supporter of Denver and Colorado’s tourism, hospitality and cultural organizations, including the nationally recognized SCFD.

Eddie will be missed.

Peña Administration 1983–1991 Honored

The Denver City Council officially recognized the accomplishments of Federico Peña and his administration with a proclamation on August 25.

In attendance and in the picture were David Miller, David Greenberg, Tom Gougeon, Steve Katich, Happy Haynes, Catherine Archuleta, Zeik Saidman, Steve Kaplan, and many others.

A great team.