Act Now! Re-Fund Arts in CA

Last week, the arts won an important battle in our effort to secure state investment in California’s nonprofit arts sector. Assembly Bill 700, which is sponsored by California Arts Advocates and would direct nearly $30 million a year for arts grants, received the approval of the crucial Revenue & Taxation Committee and is on its way to Appropriations, one stop from a full vote on the Assembly floor.

AB 700, as you may recall, would create a special fund for grants to nonprofit arts organizations throughout the state. Resources for the fund would come from 20% of the sales tax collected on businesses dealing in works of art and like items (e.g. paintings, sculpture, musical instruments, sheet music, etc.). These sales tax revenues are estimated at more than $26 million annually and would rise over time with inflation. AB 700 would provide a stable source of funding for state grants in the long-term, and would offer much-needed help to arts organizations seeking to retain artists and administrators in order to maintain their programming through the economic crisis.

The bill is authored by Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles), the third-ranking Democrat in the Assembly, and will be heard by the Appropriations Committee later this month. (Stay tuned for an exact date.) AB 700 has already been supported by resolutions from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Los Angeles City Council, and has more than 10 co-authors.

Now is the time to write Assemblyman Krekorian, registering your support and lending the weight of your organization. The more letters of support Assemblyman Krekorian can show his colleagues, the stronger our chances in passing a bill this year.

A sample letter can be below.

Take a moment now to fax your own letter to the author (the most impactful way of showing your support). Copy your letter to our Bay Area representatives on the Appropriations Committee—Tom Ammiano (San Francisco), and Tom Torlakson, (Martinez). Stay tuned for updates as we seek to move California from last-place in public investment in the arts (less than 5 cents per person), to the national median of $1 per Californian. Because all Californians deserve access to the arts, and all California communities need the economic boost of a vibrant local arts industry.

Find out more at:http://www.californiaartsadvocates.org/AB700.html

SAMPLE LETTER IN SUPPORT OF AB 700

Today’s Date

The Honorable Paul Krekorian Member of the California State Assembly
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
FAX: (916) 319-2143

Re: Assembly Bill 700
Position: SUPPORT
Location: Assembly Committee on Appropriations

Dear Assembly Member Krekorian:

WRITE A PARAGRAPH ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION.
Here is what I said about Theatre Bay Area: "Theatre Bay Area is the nation’s largest regional performing arts service organization, with 400 theatre and dance company members and nearly 3,000 individual artist members throughout the greater Bay Area."

On behalf of YOUR ORGANIZATION’S NAME, I thank you for introducing AB 700 and support its passage. California is in its sixth year spending three cents per capita from the General Fund on the arts, and it remains last in the nation for state spending. AB 700 will provide funding to invest in California’s creative sector which contributes to the state’s economy and its ability to compete in the global marketplace.

The non-profit arts community, large and small, that the CAC has nurtured over the years is a feeder to California's very profitable creative industry that employs 500,891 as of January 2008. (Dun & Bradstreet data.)

Non-profit arts organizations are a proven economic driver for California’s economy, a $5.4 billion industry that generates $300 million in state and local taxes. Providing a designated funding stream for the CAC can help grow programs that help non-profit arts organizations and artists serve 37 million Californians and the millions of people who visit California every day.

The arts are vital to the quality of life that we are so very proud of in California. With your legislation providing a stable revenue source for the CAC and its programs, the arts can continue to be a significant contributor to California's economic recovery through tourism, jobs, social services and education outreach. AB 700 proposes a sound investment for California.

Thank you for your commitment to a better California.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME
TITLE

CC: Assembly Member Tom Ammiano (916) 319-2113
Assembly Member Tom Torlakson (916) 319-2111
Ms. Kathryn Lynch, Legislative Advocate (916) 443-7353
California Arts Advocates (916) 979-1116

Re-Funding the Arts in California

Just a few weeks ago, we saw an important victory in the US Congress, where arts advocates were able to secure an additional $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the federal stimulus package—a victory won in large measure because of the extraordinary work of American for the Arts in educating lawmakers on the economic impact of the arts and their efforts in generating some 35,000 calls and emails in a matter of days, just before the final vote.

Following that win, California Arts Advocates—the statewide advocacy organization for which I serve as president—was successful in sponsoring a bill that seeks to restore full funding for the California Arts Council. The measure, AB (for “Assembly Bill”) 700, entitled the Creative Industries Economic Revitalization Act, would create a special fund for grants to nonprofit arts organizations throughout the state. Resources for the fund would come from 20% of the sales tax collected on works of art and like items (e.g. paintings, sculpture, musical instruments, sheet music, etc.). These sales tax revenues are estimated at $30 million annually and would rise over time with inflation. They would provide a stable source of funding for state grants in the long-term, and would offer much-needed help to arts organizations seeking to retain artists and administrators in order to maintain their programming through the economic crisis.

The bill is authored by Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles), the third-ranking Democrat in the Assembly, and will be first heard in committee next month. Now is the time to write Assemblyman Krekorian thanking him for his legislation and lending the weight of your organization. The more letters of support Assemblyman Krekorian can show his colleagues, the stronger our chances in passing a bill this year.

A sample letter can be found below.

Take a moment now to fax your own letter to the author (the most impactful way of showing your support), and stay tuned for updates as we seek to move California from last-place in public investment in the arts (less than 6 cents per person), to the national median of $1 per Californian. Because all Californians deserve access to the arts, and all California communities need the economic boost of a vibrant local arts industry.

Find out more at:
http://www.californiaartsadvocates.org/AB700.html


SAMPLE LETTER IN SUPPORT OF AB 700

Today’s Date

The Honorable Paul Krekorian
Member of the California State Assembly
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
FAX: (916) 319-2143

Re: Assembly Bill 700
Position: SUPPORT
Location: Assembly Committee on Appropriations
Dear Assembly Member Krekorian:

WRITE A PARAGRAPH ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION. Here is what I said about Theatre
Bay Area: "Theatre Bay Area is the nation’s largest regional performing arts service organization, with 400 theatre and dance company members and nearly 3,000 individual artist members throughout the greater Bay Area."

On behalf of YOUR ORGANIZATION’S NAME, I thank you for introducing AB 700 and support its passage. California is in its sixth year spending three cents per capita from the General Fund on the arts, and it remains last in the nation for state spending. AB 700 will provide funding to invest in California’s creative sector which contributes to the state’s economy and its ability to compete in the global marketplace.

The non-profit arts community, large and small, that the CAC has nurtured over the years is a feeder to California's very profitable creative industry that employs 500,891 as of January 2008. (Dun & Bradstreet data.)

Non-profit arts organizations are a proven economic driver for California’s economy, a $5.4 billion industry that generates $300 million in state and local taxes.


Providing a designated funding stream for the CAC can help grow programs that help non-profit arts organizations and artists serve 37 million Californians and the millions of people who visit California every day.

The arts are vital to the quality of life that we are so very proud of in California. With your legislation providing a stable revenue source for the CAC and its programs, the arts can continue to be a significant contributor to California's economic recovery through tourism, jobs, social services and education outreach. AB 700 proposes a sound investment for California. Thank you for your commitment to a better California.

Sincerely,



YOUR NAME
TITLE

CC: Ms. Kathryn Lynch, Legislative Advocate, (916) 443-7353
California Arts Advocates, (916) 979-1116

Telling Your Story is Advocacy

Last week, we saw a huge victory for the arts with President Obama's signing of the economic stimulus bill -- a package that included $50 million in additional funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, and inclusion of the arts as a legitimate recipient of other stimulus funds. Bob Lynch, the CEO of Americans for the Arts, the national advocacy organization, told me just yesterday that our advocacy efforts here in the Bay Area made a real difference. Speaker Pelosi and Rep. Miller from the East Bay were heavy-weight supporters of the including the arts in this legislation.

Now, we must make our case in city halls and in Sacramento. We know theatre and the arts play important roles in fueling local economies, in enhancing a community's quality of life, and in preparing students to prosper in the global creative economy.

On Wednesday evening, March 4, California Arts Advocates and Arts Forum SF will be hosting an advocacy training for artists and arts supporters. Learn to tell YOUR story to lawmakers, and turn story-telling into powerful advocacy.

Here's more on the free training...

Arts Forum and The California Arts Advocates present:
ART IS ESSENTIAL: ADVOCACY TRAINING
March 4th, 2009, 5 to 8 PM
The San Francisco Foundation
225 Bush Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94104
FREE

Arts Forum and The California Arts Advocates join forces to provide a free, results-oriented, hands-on arts advocacy training workshop. Led by Brad Erickson, President of California Arts Advocates, Co-Founder of Arts Forum; Deborah Cullinan, Co-Founder of Arts Forum, CAA Board Member; and Karen Ames, Consultant and Advocate.

The inclusion of $50 million dollars for the arts in the recent federal economic recovery bill is profound indication that the American arts community can rally around a call to action and score big victories in Washington. Why was this advocacy campaign successful? What tools, messages and strategies were most effective? How was the case for the arts made and how can we make sure the momentum around arts advocacy continues in California and the Bay Area?

This workshop will answer those questions and launch the beginning of an ongoing Advocacy Training program that aims to activate all of us to effectively and constantly make the case for the powerful and essential role that art plays in our communities, and in our democracy.Space is limited.

Please RSVP here: Kendra@theatrebayarea.org

Get Directions Here: http://www.sff.org/about/contact-directions

Deborah Cullinan, Intersection for the Arts
Brad Erickson, Theatre Bay Area

Audio of the Jeremy Nowak speech

An MP3 audio file of the Jeremy Nowak speech from the SFAC convening at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts earlier this year is now available here. It's a large file, so it might take a bit to download.

Arts Are In!

I’m happy to report that the compromise stimulus package not only removed the terrible prohibitions on any monies being sent to cultural venues, it actually contains the $50 million extra for the National Endowment for the Arts included in the House version. A HUGE victory for the arts, and a great opportunity for localities to leverage the arts to spur local economies and grow jobs.

More information on the compromise bill still being voted on in Congress can be found in a message from the American Association of Museums which is pasted below.

Brad Erickson
Executive Director, Theatre Bay Area
California State Captain, Americans for the Arts
President, California Arts Advocates


The American Association of Museums (AAM) announced this morning that the U.S. Congress unveiled the Conference Report for H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, setting the stage for final passage by the House and Senate, expected to occur in the next few days.

Museums, zoos, and aquariums had initially been barred from competing for any funds in the Senate-passed bill. Zoos and aquariums were barred from funds in both versions. In reconciling the two pieces of legislation, Congress is set to adopt the following language:

"SEC. 1604. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act may be used by any State or local government, or any private entity for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, or swimming pool."

"Museum supporters should be very pleased that we were able to mobilize a massive field-wide effort to prevent a funding ban on museums in this bill," said AAM President Ford W. Bell.

"However, the fact that Congress - and specifically the U.S. Senate in its February 6 vote - initially saw fit to exclude museums from funding shows that we have a lot of work to do in making the case for museums." He added: "It is also disheartening that zoos and aquariums will be prohibited from competing for most economic stimulus funds made available through this bill. Zoos and aquariums have tremendous public benefit for environmental education and wildlife conservation, and contribute greatly to our nation's economy by spurring tourism."

Museums employ more than a half-million Americans, spend an estimated $14.5 billion annually, and rank among the top three family vacation destinations. Visitors to cultural and heritage destinations stay 53% longer and spend 36% more money than other kinds of tourists.
Museums have been very hard hit by this recession, laying off workers and cutting back on services. Members of Congress must be made aware of the economic impact that museums make on their communities, and we must TELL CONGRESS the impact we have every day - employing workers, buying goods and services, and educating communities.

The bill also includes the following funding:

National Endowment for the Arts - $50 million to preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector.
Smithsonian Institution - $25 million for repair and revitalization of existing facilities.
National Park Service - $146 million for critical repair and rehabilitation projects, $589 million for energy efficient retrofits, the preservation and repair of historical resources within the National Park System, and other critical infrastructure projects, and $15 million for historic preservation projects at historically black colleges and universities.
National Science Foundation - $100 million for improving instruction in math, science, and engineering.
Community Development Fund - $1 billion to bolster critical community services and infrastructure needs, to be administered by local governments.

You can read the entire 496-page conference report HERE.

Visit www.speakupformuseums.org for more information about your legislators and AAM's advocacy for museums!

Stimulus Package Nears Deal -- Contact Pelosi Now!

At noon today, Wednesday, I received this update on the Stimulus Package from Americans for the Arts:

“Just now the Senate conferees held a press conference to announce they have struck a deal at $789 billion. Of course, we have not yet learned if the little details relating to the arts have been decided yet. The House is tentatively planning to consider the final economic recovery bill tomorrow and the Senate on Friday. Please continue your advocacy efforts, because they may still be working out some of these provisions. We will provide any further update as soon as possible.”

On Monday, I reported that last Friday the Senate approved the Coburn Amendment, which bars any stimulus monies being directed to museums, theaters, arts centers, community parks, and highway beautification projects, effectively excluding the entire arts and culture sector from the stimulus package.

It is critical that the Bay Area arts community communicate with Speaker Pelosi, urging her to use her influence to remove these exclusions from the final bill. Below is a letter I just sent to the Speaker. Please feel free to utilize any of this language as you contact the Speaker’s office (fax number is included in the letter below). If you prefer to email, here is a link:
http://speaker.house.gov/contact

Also, think about using your Facebook pages and other social networking venues to inform and activate your friends and colleagues around issues impacting the arts here in San Francisco and around the state and nation.

Brad Erickson
Executive Director
Theatre Bay Area




February 11, 2009

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Via fax: 202-225-4188

Re: Removal of Coburn Amendment Exclusion Language for Arts and Culture

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

I am writing you as a constituent, and as the California State Captain for Americans for the Arts, the President of California Arts Advocates, and as Executive Director of Theatre Bay Area, a nonprofit member service organization with 420 theatre and dance company members and nearly 3,000 individual artist members throughout the Bay Area.

San Francisco has one of the largest and most diverse arts and culture communities in California. Recently the National Endowment for the Arts ranked San Francisco as the number one city in the nation in terms of the percentage of arts-related jobs in the city’s workforce. The arts have long been seen as central to San Francisco’s attraction as a premier destination for conventions and tourism. As a state, California has more arts-related jobs than any other. The arts are critical to San Francisco’s and California’s economy.

We all recognize the tremendous pressure that Congress is feeling to act swiftly to pass a stimulus bill. Unfortunately, in an overabundance of prudence, last Friday the Senate approved the Coburn amendment (S.Amdt. 309) which effectively bars any stimulus funds for cultural institutions, severely hampering the ability of San Francisco and other localities around the country to leverage arts and culture to create jobs and boost local economies.

I urge you, as Speaker and as a San Franciscan, to exercise your influence to remove the Senate’s prohibitions on stimulus monies being directed to museums, theaters, art centers, and other cultural venues.

The arts create 5.7 million jobs in the nation each year, generating $166 billion in economic activity and returning more than $29 billion to the public coffers. The arts are a vital part of San Francisco’s, California’s and our nation’s economy. We will all benefit by including the arts in the stimulus package, leveraging a powerful tool to generate jobs and spur the nation’s economic development.

Sincerely,


Brad Erickson
State Captain, Americans for the Arts
President, California Arts Advocates
Executive Director, Theatre Bay Area

Senate Votes to Ban the Arts in Stimulus Package

Dear Arts Supporters,

Friday afternoon, a terrible amendment, authored by Senator Coburn (R-OK), was included in the Senate’s version of the economic stimulus passage. The Coburn Amendment prohibits stimulus funds going to “any aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, art center, and highway beautification project."

The amendment passed by a vote of 73 to 24. California’s Senator Boxer opposed the amendment, but Senator Feinstein voted in favor, even though she is a member of the Senate Cultural Caucus. Feinstein is the senior Senator from the state with the most arts-related jobs in the nation, and hails from San Francisco, the city, according to a recent report by the NEA, with highest ratio of artists in the workforce than any metro area in the country. Given the importance of arts and culture to the economies of San Francisco, the state and the nation, Senator Feinstein's vote is incomprehensible.

The next step for the stimulus package will require the bill from the House to be reconciled with the Senate's version of the bill in a conference committee later this week. As you express your displeasure with Feinstein's vote on the Coburn amendment, urge her to support inclusion of arts and culture in the revised bill.

Please contact Senator Feinstein now to express your disappointment. Then, thank Senator Boxer for her support of the arts and culture. You can also fax your message directly to the Senators, or call their offices, either in Washington or here in California.

Click here to write to Senators Feinstein and Boxer today.

Click here for Senator Feinstein's phone numbers.
Click here for Senator Boxer's phone numbers.

Sincerely,

Brad Erickson
Executive Director
Theatre Bay Area
President
California Arts Advocates

California Arts Advocates is the official Americans for the Arts State Arts Advocacy Captain for California.There are 39 million reasons to fund the arts in California. Arts for Everyone, Everywhere!