California Leaders Announce Advisory Panel for New Southeast LA Cultural Center to Foster Arts and Community Empowerment
Local leaders, artists to guide the development of multi-arts facility that will address cultural equity and access
 SELA Cultural Center project rendering.
Courtesy of San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy
LOS ANGELES – In the spirit of Latino Heritage Month, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), California State Parks, the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC), California Assembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn today announced the appointment of nine members to the advisory panel for the Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) Cultural Center, a proposed multi-arts facility designed to support and uplift the local community. The panel, co-chaired by California State Parks Director Armando Quintero and Supervisor Hahn, will guide the center’s development as a vibrant cultural hub for artistic expression, education and community engagement.
“Congratulations to the remarkable leaders who will serve on the SELA Advisory Panel,” said CNRA Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to realizing this transformational cultural center, which will nurture and showcase the creative expression within the Southeast Los Angeles community for generations to come.”
Located near the confluence of the Los Angeles River and Río Hondo, the SELA Cultural Center will help address longstanding inequities in access to the arts, as well as improve access to open space and natural landscapes for the predominantly Latino Southeast Los Angeles community, which includes the cities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Commerce, Huntington Park, Lynwood, Maywood, South Gate and parts of East Los Angeles.
The SELA Cultural Center will be a gathering place where residents can experience, learn and participate in a variety of artistic and cultural expressions. The center’s roughly 85,000-square-foot complex will consist of multiple structures, including a performance hall, a music education space, recording studios, a dance theater, a cafe, workshops and galleries. Plans also call for a plaza, gardens and a parking lot. California State Parks will provide its expertise in programming and operations for the center.
“This project is about more than a community center; it's about creating performance and activity spaces that connect the people of Southeast Los Angeles to the arts – including music, performance, visual, film and media arts, youth and family programs and more,” said Director Quintero. “At State Parks, we pride ourselves on improving equitable access to such transformative and healing spaces that focus on people, culture and nature. I look forward to working with this panel and helping this center thrive as a cultural heartbeat of the community.”
“Southeast LA has never been short on talent – what it has lacked is a dedicated home for its vibrant artistic and cultural scene. That’s what we’re here to build, and that’s why both the expertise and local perspective that this diverse panel will bring is critical,” said Supervisor Hahn. “Their input is going to help ensure that we deliver a world-class cultural center that will offer SELA’s local artists every tool they need to succeed, and that will foster the next generation of talent in these communities.”
“I’m excited for this important step in the development of the SELA Cultural Center,” said Speaker Emeritus Rendon. “This group of expert panelists will not only provide important guidance on how to build and support an arts facility, but they will also help ensure the SELA Cultural Center is designed with our Southeast Los Angeles community in mind. Thank you to Supervisor Hahn, the California Natural Resources Agency and California State Parks for these outstanding appointments.”
“The RMC is proud to continue its support of multibenefit projects along the Lower LA River,” said RMC Executive Officer Mark Stanley. “This project will be a significant cultural resource for the community of the Southeast as well as the County at large.”
Assembly Bill 127 (Committee on Budget, Statutes of 2023) created the SELA Cultural Center Development Advisory Panel in statute to provide advice to the state and the County of Los Angeles on the development of the center. Per AB 127, CNRA’s Secretary appointed seven members to the panel and the County of Los Angeles made two appointments. The advisory panel will play a critical role in shaping the project’s future. Its members will advise California State Parks, RMC and Los Angeles County on the development and operations of the cultural center. The panel will also develop a vision statement, a comprehensive work plan and a recommended operations strategy for the facility. All this work will be informed by a robust engagement with the community, local governments, state agencies, tribal communities, artists and schools.
The members of the advisory panel are:
- Mark Flores, City of Lynwood Recreation & Community Services Department
- Dakota McMahand-Owens, Budding Artists, Lynwood
- Danaly Leon, Latinas Art Foundation
- Monserrat Hidalgo, NASA-funded researcher at Chapman University
- Dilicia Barrera, American Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
- Cynthia Fuentes, The Ford
- Kimberly Morales Johnson, San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians
- Gabriel Enamorado, Stay Arts
- Kristin Sakoda, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
The first meeting of the SELA Cultural Center advisory panel will take place in mid-October in Los Angeles.
About Latino Heritage Month
From September 15 to October 15, California celebrates the central role of Latinos throughout every chapter of this state’s history, and in the rich culture and prosperity as a state and nation. Read Governor Gavin Newsom’s proclamation.
CNRA’s theme for this year, “Latino Leaders: Shaping California and Our Futuro Together,” highlights the countless contributions of Latinos protecting natural and cultural resources and providing safe and responsible recreational opportunities. Several virtual and in-person events will be held throughout the state to commemorate the month. To view the list, please visit resources.ca.gov/LatinoHeritageMonth.
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The California Department of Parks and Recreation, popularly known as State Parks, and the programs supported by its Office of Historic Preservation and divisions of Boating and Waterways and Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation provides for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Learn more at parks.ca.gov.
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