Newsroom

In our annual Community Listening Sessions, we heard requests for more frequent updates on regional progress and advocacy. This monthly series, led by Ricky Abilez, Director of Policy & Advocacy, will review highlights in state and local policy, advocacy wins, and calls to action. 

Updates

We hosted 5 Listening Sessions and 1 Public Forum, culminating in a final discussion this month, which will inform a formal Progress Report scheduled for release in February. Stay tuned!

Funding

The Governor released his proposed budget earlier this month. Key highlights with implications for arts education include: 

Increased funding for K-12 schools to address resource gaps and improve educational outcomes.

Investments in technology and infrastructure to support modern learning environments. This includes remote learning opportunities.

Expansion of vocational and technical education programs to better align with workforce needs. This includes recognizing completion of a bachelor’s degree as satisfying the basic skills requirement for a credential and improving transcript review to certify subject matter competency. 

Additionally, the Budget directs the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to create a new Elementary Arts and Music Education authorization for career technical education (CTE) teachers, for additional pathways for experienced artists to provide arts instruction in elementary school classrooms.

Creative Jobs

We are a proud member of LA28’s Local Hiring Work Group and continue to advocate on behalf of the arts and culture sector for meaningful inclusion in planning. The City Department of Cultural Affairs has released an important report on local preparedness. Read more here.

We are thrilled to have a report scheduled with the Board of Supervisors on April 9, 2024 to provide recommendations on how we meet the promise of 10,000 creative sector job placements with a living wage for historically underrepresented communities. Stay tuned to learn more about how you can get involved!

Digital Discrimination

In partnership with the Digital Equity LA Coalition, our advocacy helped the City of LA make history by becoming the first city in the nation to adopt a digital discrimination ordinance. Angelenos will now be able to file grievances regarding disparities in internet pricing and have them investigated by the City.

This is merely a few of the many steps towards progress that Arts for LA is proud to be a part of. None of it would be possible without you. See you next month, changemakers. 

Always,

Ricky