Seated, from left: Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Randi Tahara, Kristin Sakoda. Standing, from left: Staff from the 2nd Supervisorial District and the Department of Arts and Culture — Kouffi Kouassi (SD2), Khalilah Anderson (SD2), Sonia Lopez (SD2), Christ Ah San (SD2), Miriam Gonzalez (Arts and Culture), Heather Rigby (Arts and Culture), Stephanie Wright (SD2), Tanyesha Jackson (SD2).
The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture has announced that Randi Tahara has been installed as president of its Arts Commission, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors’ long-standing advisory body for the arts.
The commission seats 15 members chosen by supervisors to represent each of the five districts in the county. Tahara was appointed to the commission by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell of the 2nd District.
Commissioners are diverse arts community leaders and staunch advocates for arts funding and resources for arts organizations, young people, and equity initiatives. Their role includes the approval of annual grant award recommendations that support nonprofit arts organizations and community-based arts projects across the county.
In the past year, they recommended more than $5 million in grants, including a significant increase adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2024 for Arts and Culture’s long-standing Organizational Grant Program.
“It is time to lean in and show who we are as Los Angeles County, particularly in the creative world where we can fully express ourselves and powerfully resist the erasure of our diverse communities,” said Mitchell. “President Tahara’s willingness to bring her lived experience to this role is very important to the residents of the 2nd District and throughout L.A. County, and I am grateful for her willingness to serve.”
“The Arts Commission is an important partner in advancing our work in support of an equitable L.A. County arts ecosystem,” said Arts and Culture Director Kristin Sakoda. “Commissioners are advisors, advocates, and ambassadors. They are appointed by the Board of Supervisors, and closely connected to the communities and organizations that they’ve engaged with for years. They each bring distinct arts leadership and expertise, and I look forward to working closely with Randi Tahara over the coming year in her new role as Arts Commission president.”
Tahara was born and raised in the South Bay area, where she grew up immersed in the Japanese performing and visual cultural arts. She trained in classical dance and shamisen. As an adult, she ventured into theater and film, which she continues to explore today. She currently serves on the boards of A Noise Within Theatre, the LAPD Museum, and Nihon Buyo Kai of California, a Japanese cultural presenting organization.
“I draw the comparison of a diverse cast coming together to mount a play, with the common goal of entertaining the audience members, to the arts commissioners coming together with the common goal to make quality arts and culture available to all within Los Angeles County,” said Tahara.
“I look forward to working with the staff of the Arts and Culture Department and the 14 other arts commissioners. Rarely do you find a group of leaders so focused on the single mission of uplifting and supporting the arts, arts education, training, employment, and the creative economy all working together.”
Tahara says she is grateful to outgoing Commission President Leticia Buckley, the CEO of L.A. Plaza de Cultures y Arts, for her leadership, wise counsel, and setting a high bar in leading the Commission.
“It’s been an honor to serve the residents of L.A. County as president of the Arts Commission,” said Buckley. “Over the last year, commissioners have successfully advocated for increased resources for artists, cultural workers, and arts organizations that provide critical social infrastructure for our region. I am proud of our collective work and look forward to continuing our efforts under the guidance of newly installed President Tahara.”
The mission of the Department of Arts and Culture is to advance arts, culture, and creativity throughout L.A. County. It provides leadership, services, and support in areas including grants and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations, countywide arts education initiatives, commissioning and care for civic art collections, research and evaluation, access to creative career pathways, professional development, free community programs, and cross-sector creative strategies that address civic issues. Visit LACountyArts.org.