The interim director of the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts stepped down over the weekend writing that the cultural center “cannot afford to pay” for his part-time contract, the latest sign of fiscal trouble at the neighborhood mainstay.
Derek Jentzsch, founder of Broderick Haight Consulting, a nonprofit consulting firm, assumed the role at the cultural center earlier this month. Jentzsch said he was scheduled to work part-time as a contractor at $1,250 per week, but he ended up working nearly full-time.
“No money was received or ever will be,” Jentzsch wrote in an email on Wednesday. “I waived any payment when it became clear that the center couldn’t pay any bills. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to work for free for very long. ”
Now, he wrote, “the center’s board can focus on what’s next.”
The center, a main cultural hub that offers classes, art shows and printing workshops, usually closes during the first weeks of the year, but has yet to re-open its doors. An initial opening date had been set for Jan. 13, but a lack of funds has delayed the reopening, according to board member Robert Sanchez.
Jentzsch’s experience, his connections to nonprofits and the arts and his willingness to take the position is what led to his selection as interim director, Sanchez said last week. He also lives nearby and frequents the center.
It is unclear who will take over the role or when the center will reopen.
At the moment, the center has only two paid positions — a facilities manager and an accountant. In January 2025, the former director, Martina Ayala, laid off most of the center’s staff and reduced the center’s hours of operation.
Last week the MCCLA’s board met with the city’s art commission, which partially funds the center and manages the city-owned property, to discuss an advancement in funds that are usually released in late March.
The conversations with the city will continue this week, Sanchez said.
Ayala stepped down on Dec. 15 after three years leading the organization.
“The Arts Commission has worked to secure the building during the extended closure and is working with the Mayor’s office to meet with organization leaders to determine next steps,” a spokesperson for the commission wrote in a statement.
