I’ve never wished I could be at an event hosted by Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar before this week. I missed his very public endorsement of the Arts License Plate campaign on Monday. Unfortunately, being in Los Angeles just wasn’t an option for me this week.
But being there isn’t the important thing, being a Californian with a license plate that supports the arts is. You can find out all about the plate and how to get one at the California Arts Council website here.
California has another $19 billion budget deficit forcing the governor and legislators into hard-nosed negotiations and the governor is threatening to cut all state workers pay to the federal minimum wage. There is little short-term hope of changing California’s status as number 50 of 50 states in arts funding without the arts license plate. Believe me, we’ve been trying for years in the face of these deficits.
With a license plate every Californian has the chance to declare their support for the arts on their most Californian possession. And businesses can add them to their fleets with the knowledge that purchasing the plate is tax-deductible thanks to a recent decision by the IRS.
Bravo to California Arts Council Chairwoman Malissa Shriver and its Director Muriel Johnson for seeing the potential that exists for funding the arts through the license plate. Directions for ordering are in the center of this web page.
It’s a darn shame that people with 7-digit personalized plates are excluded from purchasing arts plates. With so many of these 7-digit plates on California’s highways, it doesn’t seem to make sense to eliminate this potential market for arts funding.