An Agenda for California’s Creative Future
For all our many challenges, California has two core assets that provide us an invaluable competitive advantage – our creative economy and our quality of life. Preserving, strengthening, and enhancing these assets are key to shaping a bright future.
Creative Economy
California is the creative capital of the world. The future is invented here. From Hollywood to Silicon Valley, California is home to industries defined by creativity, imagination, and innovation. Whether it is the latest 3-D movie, the iPad, or the latest advancement in scientific research, our state is fueled by creativity. At a time of intense competition from other states and other nations, California cannot take its creative economy for granted. We need to be proactive to leverage this amazing asset and prevent other states from passing us by.
Policy Priorities
Creative students. From pre-school through high school, community colleges, and universities, we need a seamless educational system that fosters imagination and innovation, not simply “bubbling-in the one right answer.” Students need opportunities to cultivate their creativity and problem-solving skills through quality programs that include the arts, science, and technology.
Creative Schools. World class K-12 schools that combine the basics with a truly well rounded curriculum. We need a revised framework for school accountability that encourages and rewards schools for achievement in all core subjects, not only reading and math.
Creative Workers. Job training programs that prepare workers of all ages for employment in the arts, entertainment, and all creative sectors. A highly skilled California workforce is essential to keeping jobs in the creative economy here. High schools, regional occupational centers, community colleges, and the private sector all have critical roles to play to give current and future workers the skills that will allow them to be successful in careers in our creative economy.
Creative Economy. Economic policies that reward and encourage the creative industries, artists, and other creative entrepreneurs to stay in California. As we have seen with “runaway film production,” California does not have a monopoly on attracting the entertainment industry. We must be proactive in creating and sustaining a positive business climate for the creative industries to thrive.
Quality of Life
Californians are blessed to live with the amazing weather and natural beauty of our state. We are also fortunate to be surrounded by arts and cultural landmarks and institutions that are truly world renown. These assets draw tourists from around the globe and define California as a special place to live and work.
Creative Tourism. We need to encourage and promote cultural tourism as a key economic driver for California. We cannot take for granted the many nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that contribute to making California a global attraction and cultivate healthy and dynamic local communities. We need a new framework that leverages public and private resources to support and sustain a vibrant arts sector.
Creative Communities. At the neighborhood level, arts and cultural opportunities help build stronger communities. From the church choir to the local art gallery to a major concert hall, the arts bring diverse people together to celebrate our common values and aspirations. From pre-schoolers to teens to seniors, everyone benefits when we come together to better understand and share our rich cultural diversity. After-school arts programs provide a safe and supervised environment to nurture the talents of our young people and provide a positive alternative to the pull of gangs and other forces that undermine our neighborhoods. We need real partnerships between the state and local governments, and the private sector that help promote healthy communities through positive engagement with the arts and cultural resources of California.
