Encinitas could get a 79-foot mural at the bowl of its famed Poods Skate Park. The city's arts commission votes on a call for artists Monday, Sept. 14.
The Encinitas Commission for the Arts will convene at 5 p.m. in the Poinsettia Room at 505 S. Vulcan Ave. to take up six action items, led by the skate park mural and a first look at strategic priorities for Pacific View Arts Center.
$30,000 mural at Poods
The proposed mural would cover a southwest-facing wall roughly five feet high and 79 feet long at the back of the bowl area at the Encinitas Skate Park, 429 Santa Fe Drive. Encinitas Friends of the Arts, a local nonprofit, has offered to fund the project with a total budget of $30,000, according to the agenda report.
If the commission approves the draft call, applications would open Oct. 5 and close Nov. 20. A community-led review panel would narrow the field to three finalists between Dec. 1 and Dec. 11. Each finalist would receive a $500 honorarium to develop a site-specific proposal. Final approval by the commission and City Council is tentatively set for January 2027.
The call is open to artists living in seven Southern California counties: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura. Proposals will be scored on artistic quality (40%), alignment with the skate park site (40%) and alignment with the city's public art mission (20%).
Commissioner Jennifer Marakovits proposed the mural as a work plan item. The City Council approved the commission's work plan May 27, and the commission held a special meeting May 18 to discuss possible mural themes.
The skate park, in Encinitas Community Park west of Interstate 5, has appeared on at least one national list of top U.S. skateparks, the San Diego Union-Tribune has reported. The agenda report describes the park as a defining part of the identity and history of skateboarding in Encinitas and Southern California.
Pacific View hours, logo on the table
The commission will also review staff updates on Pacific View Arts Center, at 380 W. F St., and choose a new logo from nine options prepared by Cultural Arts Division staff.
The City Council directed the commission in November 2025 to develop a vision for the center with "immediate, intermediary and future steps to grow into that vision," according to the agenda report for that item. Staff are exploring a sculpture garden at the front of the building and have ordered four permanent concrete picnic tables for the left side.
Proposed new operating hours would add evening access on weekdays: Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center would be closed Monday and Friday.
Other agenda items
Artist Katie Ruiz, creator of the Pom Pom Project community art program, will present designs for a visiting artist program at Pacific View. The commission will also discuss updates to the Sculpture Loan Program, select an artist for the city's Environmental Awards and hold a team-building session.
Arts Program Manager Laurette Garner is listed as the preparer of the agenda reports and will deliver the Cultural Arts Division report.
The meeting is open to the public.
The full agenda is available on the city's meeting portal.
Upcoming community dates
- Monday, Sept. 14 — Commission for the Arts special meeting, 5 p.m., Poinsettia Room, 505 S. Vulcan Ave.
- Oct. 5 — Skate park mural Call for Artists opens (if approved Sept. 14)
- Nov. 20 — Call for Artists submission deadline
