Craig Watson, Executive Director of the Arts Council for Long Beach, has been appointed the new Director of the California Arts Council.  Watson will begi

Two bills in the California assembly, AB1-26 and AB1-27, propose to eliminate redevelopment agencies unless they contribute a total of $1.7 billion in tax money generated by new developments to the state, to be used for schools and public safety. Governor Jerry Brown has been a proponent for dismantling the state's roughly 400 local redevelopment agencies, citing examples of mismanagement of redevelopment funding. 

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission has released draft maps for new California legislative districts, available for download at wedrawthelines.ca.gov.  The four maps outline proposed new Congressional, Assembly, State Senate and Board of Equalization

The California legislature has resumed budget negotiations for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, with three-month tax extensions as the main point of contention between Democratic and Republican lawmakers.  Temporary tax rates adopted in 2008 will expire this July 1st, decreasing the state's revenue stream and prompting some school districts and other state-supported agencies to adopt 'doomsday budgets' and begin layoffs.&n

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission is holding a series of Public Input Meeting statewide to gather stakeholders' thoughts on the redistricting process.  Attend a meeting in the LA area from April 27th-30th to provide input into how the Commission will draw the boundaries of your community for representation by elec

Californians can participate in the local and state redistricting process through a new website, ReDrawCA.org, set to launch April 15th.  Register below for a free webinar on Friday, April 15th from 9:30am-11:00am to learn how to use the site and its features.

On Wednesday, the California legislature approved billions of dollars in cuts to state services for the upcoming fiscal year, including welfare, care for the developmentally disabled, mental health and early childhood education, in an attempt to reduce the state's $26 billion budget shortfall. 

Governor Jerry Brown released his 2011-12 Budget last month. The budget proposes deep cuts in state service ($12.5 billion), a shift in some state programs to local control and a proposal to extend tax increases to generate $12 billion in revenue.

California State Senator Curren D. Price, Chair of the Joint Committee on the Arts for California, hosted a briefing on several statewide arts issues on November 30, 2010. 

The Arts in the California Governor's Race encourages all Californians passionate about the arts to make a final push prior to next Tuesday's election.  From ACGR: