The California Performance Review--September 2004
By Stephen Becker, President, and Celeste DeWald, Executive Director
The California Performance Review (CPR) was created by Governor Schwarzenegger by executive order to “restructure, reorganize and reform state government to make it more responsive to the needs of its citizens and business community.” Between February and August 2004, 275 state government employees compiled more than 1,200 recommendations on how to streamline government, improve the quality of service delivery, and ultimately save billions of dollars over the next five years. The controversial report proposes a reorganization that would consolidate many state agencies and departments and eliminate some state boards and agencies. A 21-member CPR Commission was appointed in June 2004 by Governor Schwarzenegger, tasked with gathering opinions and ideas from all across the state to supplement and refine the initial recommendations put forward by the CPR. This commission held public hearings throughout California in August and September, 2004. The opinions and ideas will be summarized and delivered to the Governor at the end of the hearing process. The future of the recommendations in CPR is yet to be determined since many of them will require legislative action.
Although we support many of the overall goals outlined in the CPR, the CAM Board of Directors is concerned that the proposed plan does not represent a cohesive cultural agenda for the state. There are several state agencies that California museums and cultural organizations have vested interests in, such as the new California Cultural and Historical Endowment, the California Arts Council, Parks & Recreation, the State Library, and the Travel and Tourism Commission. Museums and cultural organizations across the state work in conjunction with these agencies; they are the recipients of grant support, are participants in their programs, or are supported by their services. California museums were well-represented at the CPR hearings by Board Members Mark Bacin and Nancy Fox and Executive Director, Celeste DeWald. Our concerns were acknowledged and the co-Executive Director of CPR requested additional input from CAM. The CAM Board of Directors prepared a statement that suggested that the CPR Commission examine models in other states, such as Nevada and New Mexico, where they place agencies that promote and support statewide art and cultural initiatives under one department. We believe a Department of Cultural Affairs would be better equipped to assess the needs of California’s cultural landscape, leverage their resources, and work with other state agencies.
If you have comments regarding the CPR and CAM’s testimony, please contact Celeste DeWald, Executive Director, at (831) 471-9970 or at cam@calmuseums.org. We welcome feedback from our members and supporters.
