The following sample letter is designed to advocate more state support for the arts in California. It is available as a Word file and as a PDF file. You
may also select and copy the plaintext version below in your browser,
then paste it in to a file in your favorite word-processing program.
The more you customize this and make it your own, the more effective it
will be.
Today's Date, 2010
Governor/Senator/Assemblymember [full name]
_____ State Capitol
Sacramento, CA ______
Dear Governor/Senator/Assemblymember [last name]:
I
am writing to you regarding the restoration of funding for the
California Arts Council (CAC) in the 2007-08 state budget. It has
been four years since state funding from the California general fund
was reduced to $1.1 million. At just $0.03 per person,
California spends less per capita than any other state or territory in
the United States – less than Mississippi, the District of Columbia and
Guam. In comparison, New York spends $2.35 per person.
As a result, California no longer funds artists’ residencies in the
schools, community institutions and jails; the state’s touring program
has disappeared; and there are no fellowships for individual
artists. Without support, we will continue to lose our State’s
most creative and talented people – a trend which is already
beginning.