State Assemblyman introduces bill to increase funding for the arts

Assemblymember Ian Calderon introduced Assembly Bill 1662, a measure that appropriates funding for grant programs and other efforts that increase access to the arts for all Californians.

“I look forward to working with the Governor’s office to determine an appropriate level of increased funding to arts programs,” stated Assemblymember Calderon. “The vitality of our state’s economy is highly dependent on the creative sector.”

According to the Otis Report recently published by the Otis College of Art and Design, in 2012, there were 1.4 million people in California who were directly or indirectly employed by creative industries. Total property, state, and local personal income, sales and other taxes generated by the creative industries was $13 billion.

The California Arts Council (CAC) was created by Governor Edmund G. Brown almost 40 years to encourage public participation in the arts, help building stronger arts organization that assist with the professional development of arts leaders, and to promote awareness of the value of arts. In the last decade, funding to CAC has been significantly cut due to the state budget crisis, impacting arts communities statewide.

CAC currently receives about $1 million annually in appropriations from the State Legislature. This budget is supported by a federal grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (currently at $1 million) and through the sales of the specialty license plates, amounting to approximately $3 million in additional revenue in 2012. Today, California spends about 3 cents per resident from the general fund to support arts programs– an amount significantly less than what other states invest.

“California ranks 48th in the nation of per capita spending on state art agencies,” stated Assemblymember Calderon. “The California Arts Council has truly done a tremendous job with their limited budget but we must fund arts programs at levels that reflect the contribution they make to the people of California.”

–Assemblymember Ian Calderon’s office