“California arts advocates are thanking Assembly Speaker John Perez (D-Los Angeles) for putting money where his mouth is by adding $2 million to the budget for the state’s arts grantmaking agency,” reports Mike Boehm in Tuesday’s (7/16) Los Angeles Times. “The Arts Council announced that he was using discretionary funds under his sole control to reverse, and then some, the 7.6% cut imposed under the state budget passed last month and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown…. Brad Erickson, president of California Arts Advocates, said he hopes the special allocation, which lifts that Arts Council budget to a shade over $7 million for 2013-14, will establish a new floor for future budget discussions…. Erickson said that an ambitious bill that failed this spring, introduced by Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks), helped focus Sacramento’s attention on the need to improve arts funding…. Nazarian said he’s considering introducing a new proposal that would oblige the state to match money that motorists contribute to the Arts Council through a special license plate program … expected to generate $2.8 million in 2013-14 from motorists willing to pay $50 above the usual cost for new plates or $40 for renewals.”
Posted July 17, 2013
