TO: Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM: Jonathan Serret, Cultural and Community Services Director DATE: September 29, 2026
SUBJECT: Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts Operations and Programming Update
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Receive and file Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts’ (TOArts) annual operations and programming report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.
2. Approve successor Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between City and TOArts, to become effective upon full execution and replace existing MOU.
3. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act.
LEVINE ACT ITEM: No
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Staff time and associated costs for providing administrative support to TOArts are included in the Adopted FY 2026-27 Theatres Fund Budget.
BACKGROUND:
In November 2016, City Council consented to the merger of the Alliance for the Arts into the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Foundation (Foundation). In addition, City Council approved a MOU between the City of Thousand Oaks and Foundation detailing the public/private agreement with the combined new nonprofit entity now known as TOArts. The current MOU requires TOArts to provide the City with a written report in January and July detailing operations and programming for the previous six months and a work plan for the next six months.
TOArts is a nonprofit, public-benefit corporation which operates with oversight by an independent Board of Directors and serves as the official nonprofit partner of the City’s Bank of America Performing Arts Center (BAPAC). In 2025, TOArts TOArts Operations and Programming Update
September 29, 2026
became a direct employer and hired its own professional staff. Previously, staff functions for the nonprofit were provided through pro-bono support from Theatres staff in the City’s Cultural and Community Services (CCS) Department with reimbursement of salary and benefit costs for two full-time employees dedicated to TOArts’ operations.
In light of the long-ranging TOArts programs which stretch throughout the year, TOArts has provided an annual update for the last few years, rather than separate reports in January and July. This enables the organization to share a more comprehensive view of its activities, programs, and community impacts.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
The TOArts Board has submitted its annual report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2026 (Attachment #1), which summarizes the organization’s operations, programming, governance, development, financial activity, and community engagement during FY 2025-26. The report contains additional attachments including independently audited TOArts financial reports for FY 2024-25, TOArts Presents programming for 2025-26, and the adopted operating budget for FY 2026-27.
The report identifies continued investments in arts education and workforce development. Through programs such as Kids and the Arts, Access Arts, Trailblazers Education, and Arts Odyssey, TOArts provided students throughout the Conejo Valley with access to live performance, arts instruction, career exploration, and cross-disciplinary learning opportunities. Highlights included more than 6,600 Pre-K through eighth-grade students participating in Kids and the Arts field trips; $19,000 in Access Arts grants supporting arts education programming for over 1,300 Conejo Valley students; nearly 1,000 high school students from all four high schools participating in Trailblazers Education programming featuring National Geographic explorers and speakers; and support for a music production and audio engineering program at Conejo Valley High School in partnership with the Conejo Valley Unified School District.
TOArts also continued its workforce-development initiatives through the Creator’s Conservatory, Artist Incubator, and Youth Arts Leadership Academy (YALA). As part of the YALA program, participants organized and presented a capstone film festival in the Scherr Forum Theatre showcasing local filmmakers.
The annual report also describes TOArts’ broader community involvement. During the fiscal year, TOArts sponsored the City’s annual Pop-Up Arts and Music Festival; served as fiscal receiver for the Young Artists Ensemble; partnered with the County of Ventura to present the third annual ReFrame arts summit; and implemented the Thrive VC program. Thrive VC solicited photography TOArts Operations and Programming Update
September 29, 2026
submissions from throughout Ventura County and developed an exhibit displayed at the Kavli Theatre Gallery, Grant R. Brimhall Library, Newbury Park Library, and participating community locations, including Five07 and The Arterie. In partnership with the City’s Cultural and Community Services Department, TOArts also presented free community concert events at the Grant R. Brimhall Library.
As the largest single promoter at the BAPAC, TOArts presented 77 performances through its TOArts Presents programs. These events generated more than 61,000 tickets and attracted over 55,000 patrons. Programming included National Geographic speakers; musical concerts by Pink Martini, Kenny G, Il Divo, and George Thorogood; and comedy performances by Leanne Morgan, Bill Burr, Brad Williams, Sheng Wang, and Kathleen Madigan. In addition, the Dr. Raymond Olson Grants program provided financial assistance to offset theatre rental costs for 12 nonprofit organizations, including the BAPAC Resident Companies, thereby improving access to the City’s theatre facilities.
Over the past decade, TOArts has demonstrated continued organizational growth and has expanded its role in supporting arts, cultural programming, and community engagement in the Conejo Valley. Beginning in July 2025, TOArts became a direct employer of their staff, reducing reliance on City staff for pro-bono services. FY 2025-26 was the first full-year under the leadership of Executive Director Niki Chopra Richardson. The existing MOU has provided an important framework for the City’s relationship with TOArts; however, portions of the agreement are no longer reflective of current operations or the organizations’ evolving relationship.
Specifically, the existing MOU includes provisions related to the original merger, pro bono staffing services, and policy direction which are no longer applicable.
TOArts submitted proposed revisions to City staff to remove obsolete language, clarify current programs and responsibilities, and establish a framework that supports continued collaboration while preserving the organization’s operational independence. In recognition that the Cultural and Community Services Director no longer serves as TOArts’ Executive Director, the successor MOU proposes that the Cultural and Community Services Director serve ex officio as a member of the TOArts Board. City staff and TOArts representatives met to develop mutually agreed-upon terms for the successor MOU (Attachment #2), which is intended to provide clear guidance for the relationship moving forward.
TOArts remains committed to advancing arts and cultural opportunities in the Conejo Valley, supporting the local creative economy, and contributing to the community’s quality of life in furtherance of its mission: “Where the Arts Thrive for All.”
TOArts Operations and Programming Update
September 29, 2026
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goals:
A. Create a more equitable, accessible, safe, welcoming, and inclusive government and community regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, language, education, and/or socio-economic status.
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
G. Continue City's commitment to community and cultural programs and services (such as Performing Arts/Theatres, Libraries, TOTV, Visual Arts, Youth and Senior Programs).
H. Participate in public-private and multi-jurisdictional opportunities to ensure residents have access to high levels of parks, recreation, education and leisure programs and services.
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – TOArts FY 2025-26 Operations and Programming Update Attachment #2 – Successor MOU between City of Thousand Oaks and TOArts
CAD:901-40\js\h:\common\toarts\board\boardreports\260929 TOArts Update Staff Report