A new state law will give historic venues throughout California funding to make improvements.
Senate Bill 96, authored by Sen. Anthony Portantino of Burbank and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, will allow a portion of the sales and use taxes generated at historic venues to be reinvested back into the sites.
Some of the eligible venues include the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena.
Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, who helped get the bill off the ground, told KNX News that investing in maintenance and improvements at historic sites will pay off for the state.
“This is not just a piece of legislation that supports historic venues. It also supports tourism to the state of California, a great part of our economy,” he said.
Gordo says they approached Portantino for help after having put about $200 million of the city's money into upgrades for the Rose Bowl over the last couple of years. He anticipates the new legislation will generate an average of $1.5 million per year for maintenance at the stadium.
“A ‘historic venue’ is defined as a venue in the state that meets certain criteria, including that the contain a structure built before 1940, contain a structure officially designated by the United States National Park Service or the United States Department of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark, or one that is located at a site continuously used for live, ticketed events for more than 50 years,” read a news release announcing the bill’s signing.
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