No happy ending for California Arts

Art in America, Oct, 2004

Some Californians had hopes for state arts funding when Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor. Even though he's a Republican, they figured, he's an actor and sensitive to the needs of art communities. Not so, it would seem. In late July, Schwarzenegger signed the new state budget for 2004-05 and used a line-item veto to eliminate a $1 million increase to the California Arts Council, the agency that distributes funds to state arts organizations. Last year, under Governor Gray Davis, funding was slashed from $17.5 million to $1 million, making California last in the nation for per capita arts spending. This year's proposed increase wasn't much, many officials agreed, but it would have been symbolic of an improved outlook.

In statements to the press, H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the department of finance, said that this year's budget gap of $15 million required cuts from all areas of state government, and suggested that private fund-raising is an option for the Arts Council. For the current fiscal year, the council raised $893,000 from the sale of specialty arts license plates, designed by Wayne Thiebaud. With a matching grant for the National Endowment for the Arts, the council's budget totals about $3 million. Juan Carrillo, interim director for the agency, told the Sacramento Bee that the council is reluctant to seek private donations because it doesn't want to compete with the arts organizations it is meant to serve.

Since last year's cuts, many arts groups have been dropped from the list of grantees while the budgets of others have dwindled. Those still receiving funds have made severe cutbacks, including canceling free concerts, scaling back programming and laying off staff.