Not a new tax, but a CA state Assembly bill to earmark 20% of taxes on art sales to go towards art. Sounds so simple and smart you wonder how it ever got to the Assembly… Act now to help make it into law. Or read it yourself.

Friends & Colleagues:

I urge you all to ACT TODAY! and spread the message widely:

A bill is currently making its way through the Legislature, that would create a stable funding stream for state support of the arts and programs to guarantee access for all. The bill, AB 1365, has already made it through two committees, and with strategic support, stands a real chance of becoming law.
Four years ago, the Legislature slashed support for the arts by 97%, eliminating programs that opened doors to the arts for people across the state. Today, California spends less than any other state on support for the arts–just six cents per person, compared to the national average of one dollar per capita.

AB 1365 would change that. The bill proposes to shift 20% of the sales tax collected on works of art to the California Arts Council. This isn’t a new tax but merely a designation for the spending of dollars the state is already collecting.

The initial analysis by the Board of Equalization (BOE) estimates that the 4.75% rate of sales and use tax on works of art amounts to $166 million per year. AB 1365 would transfer 20% of this amount, or $33.2 million from the state’s General Fund to the California Arts Council. Further, the BOE writes, “This bill would not be problematic to administer,” with the first transfer of funds occurring 6 months following the effective date of the bill.

The bill was authored by Assemblywoman Betty Karnette of Long Beach and is currently pending on the Suspense calendar in the Assembly Appropriations Committee (chaired by SF Assemblyman Mark Leno). The Suspense calendar will be taken up early next week . Assemblyman Leno (a great arts supporter) and Speaker Nunez of Los Angeles will be critical to moving the bill off Suspense.

If the bill moves off Suspense it then goes to a vote on the assembly floor prior to June 8th. At that time we expect to push for statewide communications to Assembly members through meetings, letters, and emails. If we can get the bill through the Assembly then it will move to the Senate.

What we need TODAY is for all of us to contact Mark Leno and his office, expressing your support for the bill and urging him, as the Committee Chair, to move the bill forward.

Calling Mr. Leno’s’s office in Sacramento to register your support is a good idea. The number is: Phone (916) 319-2013.

Emailing works too. Mr. Leno’s email address is: mailto:assemblymember.leno@assembly.ca.gov

Faxing Mr. Leno a letter, is best of all, since he can literally carry these letters with him into the chamber. Fax number: (916) 319-2113 .

Sample language for your email or faxed letter is posted below.

SAMPLE LETTER OR EMAIL

June 1, 2007

The Honorable Mark Leno
Member of the California State Legislature
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814 Location: Assembly Appropriations Committee

Re: Assembly Bill 1365:
California Arts Council Funding
Position: SUPPORT

Dear Assembly Member Leno:

I am writing to thank you for your long support of the arts in this state and to urge you, as Chair of the Appropriations Committee, to move AB 1365 off the Suspense calendar, and I respectfully urge you to support this bill in every way possible.

As you know, passage of AB 1365 would require that 20% of state sales and use tax revenues derived from the sales of art dealers, art auctioneers, and certain other business entities be deposited in the State Treasury for allocation to the California Art Council.

The California Board of Equalization (BOE) estimates that the 4.75% rate of sales and use tax on works of art amounts to $166 million per year. AB 1365 would transfer 20% of this amount, or $32 million from the state’s General Fund to the California Arts Council. Further, the BOE writes, “This bill would not be problematic to administer,” with the first transfer of funds occurring 6 months following the effective date of the bill.

This is not a new tax; it is merely a designation for the spending of dollars the state is already collecting.

California is now in its fourth year of severe spending cuts to programs that used to help ensure access to the arts to all the people of our state. Indeed, California continues spend mere pennies per person on access to the arts, while the national median is one dollar.

AB 1365 would provide a stable funding stream to help ensure ALL the people of California have access to the rich cultural resources of our state. The arts are critical to fostering creativity, giving voice to diverse communities, building tolerance and empathy, attracting tourists, and enriching the imaginations and lives of all Californians.

The arts are vital to our culture of innovation we are so very proud of as Californians. With AB 1365 supporting new, sustained funding for the California Arts Council and its programs, the arts can continue to be a significant contributor to California’s economic recovery through tourism, jobs, social services and educational outreach. AB 1365 proposes a sound investment for California.

Thank you for your faithful commitment to a better, more equitable California.

Sincerely,

At last, adequate support for the arts – at almost one dollar per person, the national median – might just be within reach, helping us ensure that in California we can guarantee — Art for All! Not for Some!
ACT NOW!