FIRST OFF . . .

A bill to create a vanity auto license plate--the proceeds of which would go to support California’s artists--awaits Gov. George Deukmejian’s signature. Under the terms of the bill, a $50 fee for the new vanity plates would go into a fund to provide financial assistance to working artists. The plates, which would cost $25 annually to renew, have a potential of creating up to $20 million annually for artists, estimated Rachel Richman, aide to bill sponsor Assemblyman Tom Bates (D-Oakland). “When you look at the fact that California has more working artists than any other state, yet we rank 32nd in per-capita spending (on the arts), this bill was made to order for California,” Richman said Monday. The measure passed the state Senate by a vote of 51 to 28 late Friday.