By signing the California Creative Workforce Act (SB-628) into law, Governor Gavin Newsom has made California the first state in the country to pass a creative workforce bill. This legislation could not come at a more critical time, when the arts economy is still reeling from pandemic closures, and many creative workers remain unemployed. Introduced by long-standing arts champion Senator Ben Allen, the bill will employ creative workers in their communities and provide training to new creative workers, in an effort to continue diversifying the workforce and provide jobs that pay a living wage in order to keep creative workers in their fields. As a network dedicated to the arts – and one that relies on this very talent for everything that makes our business what it is – we applaud Senator Allen and Governor Newsom for recognizing the value of the creative economy and working to fund it. At the federal level, California Congressman Ted Lieu has co-sponsored a similar bill, the Creative Economy Revitalization (CERA) Act, which proposes a $300 million federal grants and commissions program for arts workers. While California is clearly leading the way when it comes to prioritizing and valuing the creative economy, the U.S. will not see a full recovery for the arts post-pandemic without significant federal investment with more programs like this.
