Below is an update from Leslie Ito of California Asian American and Pacific Islander Arts Network.

Greetings from Sacramento...

It was an overwhelming day which began with a great Save the Arts Rally on the steps of the Captiol hosted by the California Cultural Alliance. Kevin Johnson, former NBA b-baller, along with Assemblymember Nakano and Duchaney and well-versed artists spoke passionately to a crowd of supporters and press.

Later in the afternoon, a team of about 20 of us walked the halls, meeting with staffers from Senate Minority Leader Brulte, Senate Majority Leader Burton and others. Staffers acknowledged that they had been hearing from the arts community more than any other issue. Burton's office said we were by far the most active grassroots advocacy campaign he has seen yet.
Great job!

But with little success, we caught word late in the afternoon that a deal had been cut--it looks as though the Democrats have used the arts as a sacrificial lamb for other budget concessions. The new Senate budget has completely suspended the California Arts Council,meaning zero dollars for the Arts in CA. Although this budget has yet to be approved and the Senate is
not in session until Thursday, it looks grim.

We still have a glimmer of hope, especially as there are over 300 arts organizations gathered in Sacramento today and tomorrow. We will be meeting early tomorrow to create a plan of action that will now most likely
target the Governor. Please stay tuned for an action alert.

Also, the VH1 petition as of Sunday had collected over 16,000 signatures. Please keep it up!

This is a rollercoaster, but we need to hang on and keep strong!

Thanks,

Leslie Ito, CAAPIAN