The California Arts Council reached its highest budget allocation of $32 million during the fiscal year 2000-2001.

[6] Amid the budget crisis of 2003-2004, the California Arts Council experienced a significant reduction in its funding, losing 94% of its financial support from the state legislature.

[10] In 2010, Senator Curren Price introduced SB 1076, which was subsequently signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This legislation included the California Arts Council in the "Voluntary Contribution" section of the state tax form for both 2010 and 2011.

However, this option was eliminated for 2012 due to the Arts Council Fund falling short of the $250,000 goal outlined in the enabling legislation.

[12] After Price was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in early 2013, Senator Carol Liu took over authorship of the bill.

[15] On July 6, 2018, a panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled that California’s Resale Royalties Act applies only to art sales conducted prior to 1978.