Culture and the Arts

In the spirit of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who remarked in 1965, "Art is a nation's most precious heritage," California Democrats believe in freedom of expression without compromise, public support of the arts, and the principles promoted by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). We further commit to involve artists and cultural organization workers in the planning and implementation processes of artistic endeavors.

In support of the arts, California Democrats will:

• Celebrate the cultural diversity of our citizens, past and present, including California Indians, Native Americans and indigenous peoples, and encourage improved public knowledge about, and an honest portrayal of, their culture and history;

• Restore arts and humanities efforts at all educational levels;

• Promote multi-media public broadcasting, including community-based public radio and public access television;

• Expand the funding base for the arts by encouraging individual and corporate private sector grants to augment public monies; and

• Promote greater financial inclusion for all artists in the Internet use of their intellectual property.