Arts for LA applauds Governor Edmund G. Brown for signing into action the 2015-2016 state budget, which includes a whopping $7.1 million permanent funding increase for the California Arts Council (CAC). The CAC, a state agency, awards grants to nonprofit arts organizations across the state.

Today, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed a state budget that includes a one-time $5 million increase in general fund support for the California Arts Council. This is the first time in over ten years the arts have seen an increase of general fund monies, after support for the Arts Council was cut by 94% in 2003.

A majority of Californians support increased investment in public education, yet both statewide initiatives that would bring more money to public schools lag in the polls. How did California get in this mess? Earlier this year, at least three different political, ideological and educational “interests” were mobilizing for the ballot.