WHEREAS, The arts work to heal, build community, educate youth, advance racial justice, and create jobs; and

WHEREAS, Arts are not only an important agent for economic development, but also impact societal issues that include health, corrections, housing, immigration, veterans, transportation, and education; and

WHEREAS, It is imperative for all children and youth in California to have access to arts education in their schools; and

WHEREAS, California employs the highest number of people in creative industries — architecture, entertainment, fashion, media, and publishing — than any other state in the nation; and

WHEREAS, California is now the fourth largest economy in the world with a creative economy in 2021, according to the Otis Report on the Creative Economy of approximately $507.4 billion in direct economic impact and an estimated $978.6 billion in impact when combined direct, induced, and indirect factors are considered, representing a workforce of over 1,800,000 workers and 7.6% of the state’s GDP; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature adopted SCR 33 on April 25, 2019, proclaiming April 2019, and every April thereafter, as Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, the Legislature, by adopting SCR 40, recognized artists as second responders who provide solace to our first responders who have suffered stress and trauma that are often not recognized or supported; and

WHEREAS, Efforts must continue to increase funding for the arts, arts education, and cultural bearers; and

WHEREAS, In a state as diverse as California, the arts serve to give a voice to our many communities, spark individual creativity, foster empathy and understanding, spur civic engagement, and serve as a continual source of personal enrichment, inspiration, and growth; now, therefore, be it