We, the undersigned, urge the Mayor and Council of the City of Sacramento to preserve and protect adequate funding of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission in the 2010-11 Fiscal Year to the maximum extent possible.

For the past 33 years, SMAC, created by City and County ordinances, has been the principal source of comprehensive support of the arts in Sacramento and a major force in ensuring the growth and maturation of the arts as a community anchor in Sacramento. SMAC's expertise and dollars heavily leverage other public and private dollars to create jobs and provide services to schools, libraries, parks, youth programs, the disadvantaged, and seniors.

SMAC's partnerships with community organizations such as the Sacramento Visitors and Convention Bureau, Sacramento Emergency Housing, WIND, Eskaton, and the Sacramento Regional Community Foundation leverage resources and yield multiple benefits to many segments of the Sacramento community.

SMAC support of arts organizations stimulates commerce, generates jobs and attracts new businesses to open here. There are 1,515 arts businesses and 7,061 arts jobs in Sacramento. The total economic impact of the arts on the region is estimated at $350 million dollars a year.

With SMAC's continued support and arts marketing initiatives such as our online event calendar, the increased quality of arts offering in Sacramento encourages residents, businesses and visitors to see our City as an exciting and rich destination.