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Here's a link to language advocating stimulus relief at CA level:

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STATE LEGISLATURE & BUDGET NEWS

News on current legislation and funding for the arts in California.

Table of Contents:

April 12, 2021 - CALL TO ACTION: SIGN-ON LETTER ASKING FOR $1 BILLION IN STIMULUS

Join California Arts Advocates, NIVA CA, CAM, and others in advocating for a significant investment in arts, culture, and creativity! The ecosystem of arts, culture, and creativity in California is vast and impactful, representing over 8% of the Gross State Product. The sector relies on revenue from live events, indoor attractions, gatherings and group participation, which has largely been shut down for over a year to stop the spread of COVID-19. According to some reports, the arts, entertainment, and recreation sectors will not fully recover from this public health crisis and muted economy until 2025. To fully address the recovery of our sector and to help stimulate economic activity, state advocates are building a coalition to support $1 billion in stimulus funds.

We need you! Please sign your arts organization, independent venue, cultural institution, creative business, museum, union, or service organization on as a supporter. Please complete this form to add your entity to the list of those urging the State of California to invest $1 billion in stimulus for arts, culture, and creativity. The deadline is April 28, 2021.

In January, the Governor makes his first budget proposal. In May, the Governor announces a revised budget. During the legislative session, lawmakers also introduce budget proposals for consideration.

California's annual budget process is subject to a constitutional requirement that the budget be passed by the legislature by June 15th of each year. If legislators fail to meet that deadline, they lose their pay until a budget is passed. The Governor then has until early July to sign it.

In order for arts funding to increase, we must let the administration and legislature know that investment is needed and arts and culture should be prioritized.

In 2020, February 21 was the deadline for all new bills to be introduced. August 21, 2020 is the last day to amend bills on the floor. By September 30 the Governor veto or signs all new legislation. January 1, 2021 statutes take effect.

Californians for the Arts reviews and tracks legislation that may have impact on the arts and culture sector. In this section, you will learn about the bills we are tracking and where we are in our process of reviewing for support or consideration.

See our dedicated AB-5 page for up-to-date
AB-5 news, tools & resources and advocacy efforts.

Call to Action from Americans for the Arts:
Support FY 2020 Pro-Art Appropriations

Last week, the U.S. Senate passed their version of the Interior Appropriations bill by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 84 - 9, that included $2 million in increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)! You may recall that the U.S. House bill, approved earlier this summer, provided a $12.5 million increase in funding to those agencies.

The Senate Appropriations Committee needs to hear from you now about your support for robust federal arts funding and how it supports your community and state.

As negotiations are ongoing to finish up FY 2020 funding, it is vital to call on U.S. Senate appropriators to include these remaining pro-arts funding levels in the final legislation.

This includes:

Education bill-includes arts education grant funds and a provision calling for maintaining a federal "report card" in arts educationDefense Department bill-includes language supporting creative arts therapies for service membersVeterans Department bill-includes language supporting creative arts therapies and $5 million for veteransJustice Department bill-includes a provision supporting inclusion of arts-specific intervention strategies for juvenile justice programs

Please take two minutes to send your message to your U.S. Senators. Thank you for taking action to support these end-of-year funding priorities.

Attention Artists, Creative & Culture Workers

We are tracking AB 5 the Bill that would codify the Dynamex decision and that presumes a worker is an employee unless a hiring entity satisfies a three-factor test, and exempts from the test certain insurance occupations, physicians, securities broker-dealers, and direct salespersons. (current exemptions)

If the Bill is passed, it would codify into the law that a person providing labor or services for remuneration shall be considered an employee unless the hiring entity satisfies all of the following conditions:

a) The person is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of the work and in fact.

b) The person performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity's business.

C) The person is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as that involved in the work performed.
The b portion of the test is the major amendment that could impact artists and the arts industries.

I f you currently identify as a self employed, contract worker but feel that under this new law you would no longer fit into this criteria, please send us any information on why it is of benefit to you to remain an independent contractor, why this could threaten your livelihood in order for us to build the case on why artists, creative and culture workers should be exempt from this decision.

Please email to membership@californiansforthearts.org
Posted April 8, 2019

Support Resolution SCR 33

Please show your support for SCR 33, a Senate concurrent resolution introduced by Sen Ben Allen and co-authored by Assemblymember Kansen Chu to designate April as Arts, Culture & Creativity Month.

"Arts are not only an impressive and important agent for economic development, but also impact societal issues that include health, corrections, housing, immigration, veterans, transportation and education. It is imperative for all children and youth in the state to have access to arts education in their schools.

California is the fifth largest economy in the world, with a creative economy totaling $407.1 billion in 2017. California employs a higher number of people in creative industries, such as architecture, entertainment, fashion, media, and publishing, than any other state in the nation, according to the 2018 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California.

In a state as diverse as California, the arts serve to give voice to our many communities, spark individual creativity, foster empathy and understanding, spur civic engagement, and serve as a continual source of personal enrichment, inspiration, and growth.

State support for the arts, arts education, and cultural institutions is crucial in order to achieve equitable access to the arts throughout California."

Email support letters to:

Senator Ben Allen, c/o lauren.pizermains@sen.ca.gov
and Assemblymember Kansen Chu c/o Dana Mitchell ArtsCommittee@asm.ca.gov

Sample Letter:

We want to express our support for SCR 33 designating April as Arts, Culture & Creativity Month. We believe California is The State of the Arts and with resolutions such as SCR 33 we will truly be known as the leading state of creativity.
Posted March 26, 2019

Increase NEA Funding

On March 18, President Trump released his FY 2020 budget recommending the elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities and other cultural agencies. This is the third time the president's budget has recommended elimination of the agencies...

Will you contact your member of Congress today to urge them to reject the president's proposal?

Congress not only dismissed these initial calls for termination, but in fact gave steady increases in funding to several cultural agencies. Check out a brief history of budgetary proposals and final funding for these agencies for the past three years below:

Saving the cultural agencies happened because thousands of arts advocates made their voices heard on Capitol Hill. Use this easy tool to take a few minutes to contact your member of Congress now! Also, be sure to check out Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch's statement regarding the president's budget proposal.

Source: Americans for the Arts - Posted March 21, 2019

Support legislature for permanent funding for California Arts Council

We are grateful to Governor Newsom for his proposed budget increase of $10 million in permanent funding for the California Arts Council but the legislature needs to hear from you that this is meaningful and should be supported. Please ask your representative to vote for this increase. Tweet or email your support today!
Posted March 21, 2019

Express your support for Senator Henry Stern's Youth Poet Laureate Bill

California Youth Poet Laureate Bill, authored by Senator Henry Stern, would enact similar provisions as California Poet Laureate, establishing the position of California Youth Poet Laureate. The bill would authorize the Governor to appoint an individual from among 3 nominees 13 to 19 years of age, inclusive, garnered by the Arts Council.

Please show your support today and email to Shaina.Brown@sen.ca.gov

Sample email:

Dear Senator Stern: Thank you for your work to advance the arts and arts education in California. We want to express our support for the Youth Poet Laureate Bill SB748. What a wonderful expression of hope and empowerment for our youth and for the advancement of the arts to have a statewide representative for poetry. We believe California is The State of the Arts and with programs like this we will truly be known as the leading state of creativity.

We need you to show up for the Arts
JOIN US in SACRAMENTO on APRIL 23 for ADVOCACY DAY. Why are the arts the first thing to be cut when priorities shift or the economy weakens? We need to make sure our legislators know how important and impactful the arts are to our lives, our communities, our children, our state and our economy.
We will assign you a delegation so you can visit legislators in the afternoon. If you cannot attend one of our advocacy trainings before the 23rd, we will provide you with facts to share and a brief training in the morning. Come be inspired and share your arts impact story.

We will assign you a delegation so you can visit legislators in the afternoon. If you cannot attend one of our advocacy trainings before the 23rd, we will provide you with facts to share and a brief training in the morning. Come be inspired and share your arts impact story.

Need a hotel for the night of April 22 in Sacramento? Special hotel rates available for Arts, Culture & Creativity Advocacy Day attendees! Make your reservations.

April is Arts, Culture & Creativity Monthin California! There are many ways to get involved! See how you and your community can participate.
Posted March 21, 2019

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Legislative & Budget News - Californians for the Arts

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News on current legislation and funding for the arts in California. Join California Arts Advocates, NIVA CA, CAM, and others in advocating for a significant investment in arts, culture, and creativity! The ecosystem of arts, culture, and creativity in California is vast and impactful, representing over 8% of the Gross State Product.

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An evergreen video for training as we need it.  Always available.

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Share a clip of Nikkole's message that we can share with audiences, boards, volunteers and artists.

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For folks who work with schools, there is an infusion of federal money to school districts (ESSR and ESSRii), much of which can be used for Social Emotional Learning programs/projects. Theatre residencies are a GREAT way to work on SEL, but districts may not think of it. This is the moment to reach out to districts about how theatre partnerships can be a good use of those funds.

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Add your own in the comments here.

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Call for an Arts & Culture Cabinet Position

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Call for an Arts & Culture Cabinet Position

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Click Here for More Articles on Broadway Impact

As President-Elect Joe Biden continues to make preparations for the start of his administration, members of the arts community have banded together to pen an open letter calling for support of the industry in the wake of the growing health crisis.

The document has already been signed by hundreds of artists, including Broadway veterans like Rachel Chavkin, Phillipa Soo, Steven Pasqual, Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Celia Keenen-Bolger, Adam Chanler-Berat, Greg Hildreth, Leah Silverman, Shaina Taub, Taylor Tresch, and many more.

Read the full letter below:
Dear President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris, On behalf of the nation's 5.1 million arts workers spanning stage, dance, film, music, performance, and visual arts, we ask that your administration establish a new Cabinet-level agency charged with supporting arts and culture. We believe that at this critical time, as you lead the nation toward recovery from the gravest public health crisis in a century and its terrible consequences, arts and culture not only matter, but are integral to recovery itself. Arts and culture not only represent a vital part of the economy but speak to the mental and physical health of the American people. Arts and culture are the heartbeat of our nation. We re-discover ourselves by the stories we tell about ourselves, both as individuals and as a society; this is a time for transformation and recovery, and we will need vibrant new stories told by a diverse range of voices in order to move forward. This is both an issue of values, and a Labor issue: arts workers are vital members of the American labor force. Yet as an industry and workers, we have been largely left behind by the federal government. The lack of arts and culture representation at the highest levels of government contributes to this state of affairs. The Department of Labor Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that Arts & Culture accounts for $877.8 billion dollars and 4.5% of US GDP; more than agriculture, transportation, or construction. The sector also represents over 5.1 million jobs. Simply put, the recovery of arts and culture is essential to full economic recovery. Your candidacy was framed as a battle for the soul of this country. You need artists and arts workers to win this battle. We create and produce plays and musicals, films and television, albums and music videos, concerts, dance, and live events, curate and fill galleries and museums, write books and poetry and journalism. We collaborate with public health officials to disseminate vital information to our communities, and with civic officials to rethink inclusive community development for the 21st century. We work with teachers and grassroots educational organizations to ensure that creative thinking and problem-solving remain a part of a 21st century American education. Art cultivates joy. It tells the story of who we are and who we want to be. It celebrates difference even as it reminds us of the commonality of the human spirit. It connects us in ways that transcend language, background, and political preference. The creation of this position will be a signal to our international partners that we are re-joining the ranks of the global community with more depth and thoughtfulness than when the last Administration violently severed ties. As Peter Marks wrote recently in The Washington Post, "More than 50 nations designate an official in the top ranks of government whose portfolio includes nurturing artistic endeavors," including the United Kingdom, which has a Culture Secretary, Canada, France, Vietnam, South Africa, Australia, and Germany, and this has made an enormous difference to protecting the livelihood of arts and cultural workers. Please consider this change so that you start your new administration with a Secretary of Arts and Culture at your table. It will immeasurably aid the long and difficult road ahead that we face as a nation and that the nation looks to you to lead. It is a step that will lift spirits and aid enormously in restoring this deeply bruised part of American life. At this historic crossroads, we have the opportunity to look to the future through the eyes of the next generation. As FDR inherited a country in crisis, the visionary Works Progress Administration, including the Federal Writers' Project, Federal Theatre Project, and Federal Art Project, demonstrated that the arts were as essential as bridges and buildings to a holistic national recovery. Safeguarding the value and diversity of our nation's arts and culture will be the most important legacy we leave behind. We are with you, proud to stand as passionate American laborers with a fierce commitment to your Presidency, and to doing our part to support this nation's recovery. (This letter has been signed by hundreds of arts and culture workers and counting)

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Arts Workers Unite to Pen Letter to Biden/Harris Calling for Cabinet-Level Arts & Culture Agency

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As President-Elect Joe Biden continues to make preparations for the start of his administration, members of the arts community have banded together to pen an open letter calling for support of the industry in the wake of the growing health crisis.

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This tool-kit, by the pARTnership Movement, is a companion piece designed to assist arts groups in distilling the information in the Corporate Social Responsibility & the Arts report, and help them replicate successful partnership examples in their own communities. We hope it will inspire you to foster mutually beneficial arts and business pARTnerships in your own community!

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This tool-kit, by the pARTnership Movement, is a companion piece designed to assist arts groups in distilling the information in the Corporate Social Responsibility & the Arts report, and help them replicate successful partnership examples in their own communities. We hope it will inspire you to foster mutually beneficial arts and business pARTnerships in your own community!

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Looking for facts and figures to make your case for the arts? Check out these resources:

Facts & Figures to Make Your Case - View NEA grants by Congressional District, and our Arts Advocacy Day Handbook.

2017 Congressional Arts Handbook - Learn about the latest arts issues, check out your legislators' voting records and find the research to make your case.

Arts Ed Navigator - A six-step tool designed to help educators, students, and advocates navigate the complex field of arts education.

State Arts Appropriations - How much does your state budget for the arts? Check out your state page, or view our comparison chart.

Research Reports - The information you need, at a glance.

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Looking for facts and figures to make your case for the arts? Check out these resources: Facts & Figures to Make Your Case - View NEA grants by Congressional District, and our Arts Advocacy Day Handbook. 2017 Congressional Arts Handbook - Learn about the latest arts issues, check out your legislators' voting records and find the research to make your case.

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Americans for the Arts honors Charya Burt and Christopher "Mad Dog" Thomas with the 2022 Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities. Each of these extraordinary dance artists demonstrates a sustained commitment to civic participation and makes a positive and meaningful difference to inspire, inform, engage, challenge, animate, and celebrate their communities through arts and culture.

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National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures

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Our programs create opportunities for artists, arts leaders and organizations.

NALAC programs provide critical advocacy, funding, networking opportunities, leadership development and professional training for Latino artists and arts organizations in every region of the country.

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NALAC programs provide critical advocacy, funding, networking opportunities, leadership development and professional training for Latino artists and arts organizations in every region of the country.

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What did our colleagues at SAVE OUR STAGES do that we as an arts industry did not do?   If it were not for the music venues, there would be no SVOG.   How was the case they made so much stronger than ours?   How can we be more valuable to our communities?  We are lucky we were able to add ourselves onto their movement.

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ILI is a year-long experience for artists, culture bearers and other arts practitioners.

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Let's invent a national paid program  for young artists and producers like Americorps for the Arts

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CETA!  Yes.  That put the arts to work across the country

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CETA!  Yes.  That put the arts to work across the country