May 10, 2021

The Honorable Anthony Portantino
Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee
State Capitol Room 2206
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: SB 805 (Rubio) Save the Performing Arts Act of 2021,
As Proposed to Be Amended

Dear Senator Portantino,

As you might already be familiar with Homeboy Industries, we are a non-profit organization that provides hope, job training and support for previously incarcerated and formerly gang-involved men and women, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community. Our organization and community partners with CASA0101 aligning our mission of healing through the arts. Pre-pandemic, CASA0101 worked with both our youth and adults creating a program that allowed the community to share their stories of healing through song, music, visual arts and performing arts.

CASA0101 continues to engage Boyle Heights with rich programing for the community and their children. This bill, as proposed to be amended, will create a critical funding infrastructure to help continue to provide small nonprofit performing arts companies (SNPAC) known as the “California Nonprofit Performing Arts Paymaster”. It will provide low-cost payroll and paymaster services to SNPACs and establish the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund to ensure that SNPACs can pay all workers a minimum wage.

SB 805 is critical to help SNPACs create and preserve job opportunities for people in the performing arts sector, particularly workers in marginalized communities. These small nonprofit theaters contribute enormously to the economic growth, social well-being and cultural vitality of the local communities they serve.

I write to respectfully request your support for SB 805 when it comes before you in Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday, May 10th.

Sincerely,

Fr. Gregory J. Boyle, S.J.
Founder

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