Bill Text: CA SB628 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Bill 628 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: California Creative Workforce Act of 2021.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-10-09 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 767, Statutes of 2021. [SB628 Detail]

Download: California-2021-SB628-Amended.html

Amended IN Senate March 10, 2021

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 628

Introduced by Senator Allen

February 19, 2021

An act ~~relating to state government.~~ to add Article 4 (commencing with Section 14240) to Chapter 4 of Division 7 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, relating to workforce development.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 628, as amended, Allen. California Creative ~~Corps.~~ Workforce Act of 2021.

Existing law establishes the California Workforce Development Board, which assists the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California’s workforce investment system. The board reports to the Secretary of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Existing law creates various workforce development programs, including the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative and the Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development Initiative. Existing law establishes an Arts Council in state government to, among other things, promote the employment of artists and those skilled in crafts in both the public and private sector.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would establish the California Creative Corps, a job and training program to employ and deploy artists and creative workers with the intent to achieve specified goals related to civic, cultural, and economic improvement of the state. enact the California Creative Workforce Act of 2021, the purpose of which would be to establish creative arts workforce development as a state priority, to promote employment and training for creative workers throughout the state, and to recognize creative workers across California as essential workers and contributors for overcoming California’s greatest challenges, as specified. The bill would require the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to design and implement the act’s programs, consistently with the bill’s requirements, in consultation with local governments and community nonprofit organizations. The bill would require the programs to promote creative arts employment, education, and workforce development through grants and training programs. The program of workforce development prescribed by the bill would require, among other things, that projects to be funded provide employment for a creative worker for a period of no less than 12, and no more than 24, months, in their communities and pay a living wage. The program of training and development prescribed by the bill would serve people who are at the beginning of their careers in the creative arts and, among other things, would focus on building marketable skills in the arts.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NOYES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) If California is to retain its premier position in arts and culture, and fully realize the social, cultural, and economic benefits of the creative industries there must be greater opportunities for employment and training for creative workers in the state.
(b) The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing inequities around accessing the arts, and has decreased the opportunity for employment and training in the creative industries.
(c) The creative industries are integral and necessary for the recovery, rebuilding, and healing of California in the aftermath of the pandemic. Creative arts workers and projects serve to heal communities, drive social-emotional learning, improve cultural competency and cohesion, address trauma, and inspire new thinking in communities with unmet needs.
(d) The public funding of creative arts employment, combined with training programs and engagement, will expand employment opportunities across the creative spectrum and benefit the economy and culture of California.
(e) Arts and culture are essential drivers of civic participation and dialogue, and considerable research shows that integrating artists and creative workers into recovery drives better outcomes related to critical concerns including racial justice, health, education, community cohesion, and public safety.
(f) Establishing the California Creative Workforce Act will increase access to broad and diverse arts and cultural resources, equipping California with the tools needed to lead the country in mobilizing artists and the arts sector.

SEC. 2.

Article 4 (commencing with Section 14240) is added to Chapter 4 of Division 7 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, to read:

Article 4. The California Creative Workforce Act of 2021
14240.
This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Creative Workforce Act of 2021.
14241.
The purpose of this article is:
(a) To establish creative arts workforce development as a state priority and to promote employment and training for creative workers throughout the state.
(b) To recognize creative workers across California as essential workers and contributors for overcoming California’s greatest challenges through the rebuilding of California’s cultural landscape into a more equitable and just framework.
14242.
For purposes of this article:
(a) “Act” means the California Creative Workforce Act of 2021
(b) “Agency” means the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
(c) “Creative workers” means visual, performance, and literary artists, including, but not limited to, painters, muralists, photographers, musicians, performing artists, actors, filmmakers, dancers, fashion designers, graphic designers, poets, and writers.
14243.
The agency shall design and implement the programs required by the act, in consultation with local governments and community nonprofit organizations, consistently with the requirements of this article. The programs shall promote creative arts employment, education, and workforce development through grants and training programs.
14244.
(a) The agency shall oversee a program of workforce development, administered by participating local government entities, cultural arts agencies, and community nonprofit organizations, that provides, pursuant to contract, employment for low-income or unemployed creative workers, among others, in their communities.
(b) The program described in subdivision (a) shall fund projects that meet the following qualifications:
(1) The project funds employment for a creative worker for a period of no less than 12 months and no more than 24 months.
(2) Employment funded by the project shall pay a living wage.
(3) Creative workers shall be employed in their communities.
(4) Employment shall support creative workers in diverse activities and projects, including, but not limited to, public artworks, musical and theatrical performances, and community documentation that lift up the voices of systemically marginalized populations and that reframe and reimagine the possibilities of defining a new California culture.
14245.
(a) The agency shall create and implement a program for training and developing low-income, unemployed, or disadvantaged persons, among others, who are beginning their careers in the creative arts.
(b) The program described in subdivision (a) shall do all of the following:
(1) Provide training that focuses on building marketable skills in the arts.
(2) Create service and work opportunities for young people, veterans, and the formerly incarcerated, among others.
(3) Address the maintenance and restoration of, and research on, our arts and creative and cultural resources, which shall include providing arts education and support of teaching artists.
(4) Develop the next generation of diverse public and private sector creative industry workers.

SECTION 1.
(a)It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would establish the California Creative Corps, a job and training program to employ and deploy artists and creative workers across California as essential workers and contributors to overcoming California’s greatest challenges.
~~(b)It is the intent of the Legislature that establishment of the California Creative Corps would do all of the following:~~
(1)Contribute to social cohesion, civic engagement, economic vitality and the social and emotional well-being of every community in California to fuel positivity, regain public trust, and inspire safe and healthy behavior across California’s diverse populations.
(2)Create new opportunities for Californians to serve, increase efficiency and accountability, support social innovation, and strengthen the state’s creative infrastructure, and help usher in a new generation of creative work for Californians.
(3)Direct funds to support programs that engage creative workers to address community health issues; provide funding and guidelines for localities and tribal governments to commission public health campaigns; integrate creative arts therapies into care; and support place-based programs to allow creative individuals entering the workforce to earn revenue with their creativity and reactivate local economies.
~~(4)Embrace a training component that would address the need for service and work-experience opportunities for young people and veterans by doing each of the following:~~
~~(A)Addressing maintenance of, restoration of, and research on our arts, creative, and cultural resources, including arts education and teaching artists.~~
~~(B)Developing the next generation of diverse public and private sector creative industry workers.~~
(C)Realize the goals of achieving an equitable and healthy economic and educational recovery for all Californians and leveraging the unique power of creative and culturally rooted activities to achieve holistic and transformative outcomes and prevention strategies for people in communities experiencing trauma, food and shelter insecurity, drug addiction, poor health, education inequities, and systemic marginalization.