On August 17, 2004, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2117 which established the requirement of Art in Public Places for certain developments within the City. The following projects are required to provide public art or pay the "in-lieu" contribution:

• New residential projects consisting of the subdivision of ten (10) or more residential lots and/or construction of ten (10) or more residential units
• New nonresidential projects having total project costs of $500,000 or more
• Expansion and/or remodeling of existing nonresidential projects having a total project costs of $250,000 or more
• Mixed use projects consisting of both residential and nonresidential development that meet one (1) or more of the criteria listed above
• Capital improvement projects involving the construction of public buildings or facilities and having a project costs of $500,000 or more

When developers choose to pay the "in-lieu" contribution, they are required to pay 0.5% of the total project costs for residential development and/or 1% of the total project costs for non-residential development. Funds collected from the in-lieu contributions are deposited in the Art in Public Places fund. Monies in the Art in Public Places fund may only be used for the following purposes:

• The purchase, commission, and/or installation of public artwork
• Maintenance or restoration of public artwork
• Art education programs and events
• Plaques and signage
• Publicity and promotional materials for public art programs and functions
• Training and development for staff and commissioners involved in the administration of the art in public places program
• Other costs directly associated with the administration of the art in public places program as set forth in the annual program budget.

Per Section 17-74 of the West Covina Municipal Code, the Planning Commission is required to review the annual Art In Public Places work program and render a recommendation for the final approval by the City Council. The work program is to specify locations for artwork. The current fund balance for the Art in Public Places fund is $742,780. 

Planning Commission Approved Artwork
Since January 2024, the Planning Commission has approved the following artwork associated with development projects:

• 1611-1623 WEST SAN BERNARDINO ROAD (INDUSTRIAL CONDOMINIUMS) - Approved February 13, 2024
  • Bronze sculpture depicting a family walking located on the south side of the property in between the sidewalk and the building (front)

 

Required artwork cost based on 1% valuation	$119,270
Landscape Architect Review and Coordination	$5,000
Site Preparation/Grading	$6,735
Construction Plan, Foundation, and Assembly	$19,720
Bronze Sculptures/Statues	$87,815
TOTAL	$119,270

•  1115 S. SUNSET AVENUE - EMANATE HEALTH (QUEEN OF THE VALLEY) -  Approved April 9, 2024 
  • A geometric sculpture located on the southeast side of the medical office building (front)
  • A sculpture depicting doves in flight located on the walkway/landscaped area in between the medical office building and parking structure 

Required artwork cost based on 1% valuation	$930,000
Suspended Sculpture (Phase 1 - approved in 2022)	$235,025
Mural (Phase 1 - approved in 2022)	$89,400
Puzio Sculpture	$300,000
Petronzio Sculpture	$200,000
Sculpture footings	$28,418
Balance	$77,157

Existing Artwork Commissioned by the City
The last and only artwork thus far that the City has commissioned is the West Covina Veterans Memorial located in the Civic Center Courtyard. The West Covina Veterans Memorial was dedicated on May 30, 2016. The total cost of the design and installation of the West Covina Veterans Memorial was approximately $186,000 (including $10,000 raised by the Veterans groups). Prior to Memorial Day 2025, the Veterans Memorial received the following updates:

• The names of three World War II Veterans were added
• The 2021 ending to the Afghanistan War was added 

Proposed Projects
The Fiscal Year 2025-2026 proposed budget includes $200,000 from the Art in Public Places fund allocated towards painting and/or restoring the exterior of City Hall. West Covina City Hall was constructed in 1969 and was designed by architects Donald Neptune and Joseph Thomas. It is identified by Los Angeles Conservancy as an excellent example of Brutalist Style architecture. Due to its unique architecture, the painting and/or restoration of the West Covina City Hall exterior qualifies to be funded by the Art in Public Places fund. 

Future Artwork
In 2022, the City Council created an Art in Public Places subcommittee consisting of Councilmember Lopez-Viado (City Council member representative), Commissioner Gutierrez (Planning Commission representative), Sherry Fischer (Community and Senior Services Commission representative), and the Community Development Director (staff representative) tasked with reviewing artwork proposals for placement at Orangewood Park Skatepark, as directed by the City Council. The Subcommittee met twice to discuss ideas for artwork to be identified in a request for proposal (RFP). The RFP was posted, but no proposals were received. City staff reached out to an art consultant for assistance and when the project was being discussed, it was discovered that the condition of the Skatepark was not a suitable candidate for artwork placement at the time. 

Staff is recommending that the Planning Commission consider recommending that the City Council utilize a portion of the Art in Public Places fund to commission a new public art installation in the City. The potential artwork could be in the form of a mural or a sculpture in a city park, or another form of art in a public area within the City.

Staff is also recommending that the Planning Commission recommend that the City Council re-establish the Art in Public Places Subcommittee, comprised of one (1) City Council member, one (1) Planning Commissioner, one (1) Community and Senior Services Commissioner, and a staff representative appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council.