Milpitas hosts a growing number of visually striking murals. In recent days, though, attention has turned to longstanding California state regulations that compel muralists to attain contractor’s licenses to do their work, subjecting them to a costly and onerous process that competes with their ability to make a living from what they do.
Moreover, muralists that work without a contractor’s license are committing misdemeanors. And cities that unknowingly hire unlicensed muralists run the risk of getting hit with state fines.
According to a representative from California for the Arts, Milpitas had a mural project costing $30,000 that is now on hold due to the contractor’s license requirement having come to light. Likewise, Stockton hit pause on a $50,000 mural project and Palo Alto halted four different mural projects costing a combined $60,000.
Enter SB 456, a California bill that would enable muralists to get hired without becoming licensed contractors. The bill is currently in committee.
The Beat spoke with Julie Baker, CEO of California for the Arts, about the issue. Said Baker, “The code was written in 1971, but it’s never been enforced.” In the meantime, nobody saw it as being meant for muralists, so muralists were routinely doing work without licenses. Baker added, “About two years ago, a memo went out from the Contractors State Licensing Board, which does enforce the code, and they started sending notices to cities…What happened then was that cities like Milpitas and others, their city attorneys said, ‘Halt projects until we can figure out what’s going on here.’”
Baker traces the recent awareness of the law to a statewide beautification initiative under Governor Gavin Newsom called Clean California, which has brought murals into strong fashion and thus drawn greater attention to them. She explained, “No one’s ever been fined, no one’s ever been prosecuted; there’s never been a case.”
“We should be making fewer barriers for this, and certainly not putting the tag of ‘What You’re Doing is Illegal’ on top of it,” Baker said.
Regarding SB 456, she said, “We have a lot of steps, but it’s looking so far very positive…”
This Wednesday, April 23, SB 456 will be highlighted as part of Arts Advocacy Day, a gathering wherein advocates will join together in Sacramento to work on cultivating job growth for California artists.
Asked about Milpitas’s particular mural challenges, Mayor Carmen Montano said, “Milpitas is proud to support SB 456, which exempts muralists from the Contractor State License Law. This bill eliminates an unnecessary barrier that has long limited who can contribute to our public art. By exempting muralists from contractor licensing requirements, we are opening the door for more local artists, youth, and diverse creators to leave their mark on our City. Murals are more than decoration — they tell our story, reflect our values, and bring vibrancy to our shared spaces.”
