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California bill to create $20 million festival grant program wins committee support over fiscal objections

Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development · April 20, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

SB 865 would create a GO‑Biz-administered Music Festival Preservation Grant to support multi-day independent festivals; proponents said festivals generate millions in local economic activity, while at least one senator questioned allocating $20 million in grants during a deficit year.

The Senate Business and Professions Committee voted to move SB 865, the Music Festival Preservation Act, to the Senate Appropriations Committee after a robust presentation from industry and local tourism representatives and a fiscal concern raised by a committee member.

Sponsor testimony described the bill as a way to create a grant program within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO‑Biz) to help multi‑day independent music festivals cover rising production costs and remain in California.…

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