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ARTS FOR LA ENDORSES CA PROPOSITIONS 15+16
Since April 2020, Arts for LA has held monthly Voting for the Arts webinars to ensure our community of arts advocates understand the key state and local ballot measures that will impact the arts and culture field.

We are pleased to announce our endorsement of California Propositions 15 and 16.

Prop 15 will close a corporate property tax loophole and bring an estimated $12 billion per year to California’s schools and communities. Approximately $3.6 billion will be directed towards LA County; 40% of which will be allocated to school districts, and 60% will be allocated to local cities and counties to address the needs of communities – from mental health services to housing to jobs programs. Prop 15 requires certain corporations to pay property taxes based on the property’s market value rather than its purchase price. It excludes farms and small businesses and does not impact residential property taxes at all. We see this proposition as a critical step in funding the schools and vital public services so essential to a healthy, creative sector.

Prop 16 will repeal Proposition 209 and reinstate affirmative action in the state of California. Arts for LA believes this proposition represents an important step in confronting generations of discrimination and structural inequality.

At Arts for LA, we firmly believe the arts and culture community must engage in meaningful self-reflection and hold ourselves and creative institutions accountable to the cultural equity values we seek to manifest. We recognize our systems and structures are informed by centuries of oppression that have institutionalized discrimination and denied access to so many.

Achieving equitable arts education and a truly diverse creative workforce is simply impossible if we do not address California’s massively underfunded education system and the disproportionate impact this has on low-income students and students of color.

We believe Prop 15 and Prop 16 do just that and will help build a more equitable, creative LA region.

Make sure to vote on November 3rd. Vote early if you are able. Together, we will create an LA County where everyone is able to thrive.