California Arts Advocates responds to Governor Newsom’s proposed 22-23 Budget

For Immediate Release

In his fourth year as Governor, it is clear Gavin Newsom is a friend to the arts. On January 10, Newsom introduced his 2022-23 budget to the Legislature. Included in it is over $80 million in new funding for arts and culture initiatives. The budget includes a one-time general fund of $30 million to the California Arts Council (CAC) to be spent over three years for Cultural Districts existing 14 pilot districts as well as program expansion. And, $50 million one-time General Fund for the California Department of Parks and Recreation to create new California Cultural and Art Installations in the Parks Program for state and local parks and $173,000 ongoing General Fund to the CAC to support the California Poet Laureate and California Youth Poet Laureate and other literary programs in all 58 California Counties.

In December, CAA sent their budget proposal letter to the Governor including $50 million to fund the CA Creative Workforce Act of 2021, SB 628 authored by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica). SB 628 was sponsored by CAA with broad support from labor and the entertainment, artistic and creative industries and signed by the Governor on October 9, 2021. CAA’s letter also requested the state to increase the ongoing general fund support for the CAC from $26 million to $40 million annually or to roughly $1 per capita per person.

“While we support the Governor’s January budget proposals for arts initiatives, we urge the Legislature to consider our suggestions,'' states Julie Baker, Executive Director of CAA. “The CA Creative Workforce Act is historic, the first creative workforce bill passed by any state in the country, but needs state investment if it is to truly benefit arts workers. For California to truly prioritize and commit to diversifying the creative workforce pipeline with living wages, SB 628 needs to be funded. In addition, one-time projects are exciting and helpful for the field, but what we know from our expertise in the field is that ongoing general support funds are critical for arts organizations and arts workers to sustain and continue to work in California.”

#CAArts #CACulturalComeback #CABudget #CALeg #CulturalDistricts #CAArtsWork #artsareessential #investinCAarts