From Brad at theatrebayarea.org  Tue Dec 18 16:56:00 2007
From: Brad at theatrebayarea.org (Brad Erickson)
Date: Tue Dec 18 16:56:07 2007
Subject: Act Now to Restore CA Arts Funding 
Message-ID: <8CDB7716FBA6AD4E9280E623959545881C2CD1@tba-sbs.fileserver.theatrebayarea.com>

Dear Arts Forum Supporters

Now is the moment to act to restore state funding for the arts in California.

Last May, many of you wrote letters and emails to support the bill AB 1365, authored by Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach).  That legislation is scheduled to be considered again next month.  

If passed, it would bring $32 million to the California Arts Council (CAC) by devoting 20% of the sales on works of art and like items to the annual operating budget of the CAC.  This bill has already gathered bipartisan support and is currently sitting with the Assembly Appropriations Committee, chaired by SF's own Mark Leno -- a great friend of the arts.

What we need now is many, many letters of support FAXED to the author, Betty Karnette, and to Mark's office.

AB 1365 must be passed by the Assembly in January, or it will die.

Below you'll find a sample letter.  Put this onto your company letterhead, and FAX it today.  Then, pass it along to your boards, your staff, your supporters, and ask them to FAX it as well, as voters and supporters of the arts.

Thanks in advance for your action!

Happy Holidays to all!

?
Brad Erickson				Deborah Cullinan
Executive Director			Executive Director
Theatre Bay Area				Intersection for the Arts
415-430-1140 x11				415-626-2787 x105
brad@theatrebayarea.org 		Deborah@theintersection.org 


Sample Letter:

December 15, 2007

The Honorable Betty Karnette
Member of the California State Legislature
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA  95814
FAX:  (916) 319-2154
                                    
RE:  AB 1365 sales and use tax:  California Arts Council funding 
LOCATION: Assembly Appropriations Committee
POSITION:  Support

Dear Assemblywoman Karnette:

INSERT INFO ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION HERE

Thank you for proposing AB 1365 and taking the lead to secure a stable revenue source for the California Arts Council (CAC). The CAC is critical to guaranteeing that all citizens in all communities of the state have access to the arts. No other public or private agency has the mandate to pursue full access to the arts for the full citizenry.  Along with giving every Californian access to the arts, the CAC is a crucial partner in supporting the 86,000 arts-related businesses that employ some 485,000 people in California. In particular, it is the mission of the CAC to sustain the nonprofit arts community which serves as a magnet for tourism and as an essential feeder industry and fundamental resource for the state's entertainment sector and our entire creative economy.

Despite the importance of the arts to our state's economy and the profound role the arts play enriching our cultural life, building bridges of understanding between diverse communities and sparking creativity and innovation in all sectors, California currently stands dead last among all the states in public support of the arts-just 3 cents per person, when the national median is one dollar.  

AB 1365 recognizes the connection between art, government, and economic prosperity. Nonprofit arts have a $5.4 billion impact on the state's economy, including 66,000 full-time and 95,000 part-time jobs. Nonprofit arts organizations also generate nearly $300 million in state and local taxes. Sustaining this sector through a modest percentage of the sales tax already being collected from works of art and related items is simply a wise state investment that will increase revenues for the General Fund. 

We appreciate the fact that AB 1365 is not a new tax.  Rather, it is a creative and potent means for the arts to support the arts. AB 1365 would direct some $33 million to the California Arts Council in the first year, rising gradually as sales tax revenues rise.  AB 1365 is a long-term solution to a critical funding problem-and one that will return multiples on the dollar to the state's General Fund.

Thank you again for your support of the arts, and for your deep understanding of the way the nonprofit arts enrich the lives and the futures of all Californians.          

Sincerely,


YOUR NAME
TITLE
ORGANIZATION

cc.	Mark Leno, Chair, Appropriations Committee
	FAX 916-319-2113