Photo: A production of Ophelia's Jump, a company in Upland, California. (Ophelia's Jump)

Last Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom rocked out in Napa Valley and took a stand for the arts in California. “Make arts matter again,” he said.

But the statement left arts administrators in Southern California scratching their heads.

“It feels like the governor speaks the language of supporting the arts,” said Beatrice Casagrán, artistic director of Ophelia’s Jump, a theater in Upland in San Bernardino County. “His actions say something different."

Casagrán is one of thousands of arts professionals in California watching whether Newsom will follow through on a proposal to zero-out $11.5 million already allocated to the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund. The deadline for cuts to be final is June 15.

The fund was created to help smaller arts organizations pay people to put on shows and programs after a state law compelled groups to classify freelance workers as employees. It’s a reimbursement fund, so groups already spent the money and sought to be paid back. Groups say the disappearance of the funds means they’ll have to slash programs in the coming year.