ART

Preservationists: California artists have won another victory under the California Art Preservation Act of 1980, which requires owners of artworks to give artists 30 days notice before destroying or removing their works. The latest ruling came Friday in Santa Monica Municipal Court when Judge Rex H. Minter ruled that government entities are not immune to the statute’s provisions. The ruling came after Santa Monica Community College District had sought to have a lawsuit dismissed by claiming that a government body could not violate the statute. This arose after artist Roberto Chavez’s painted murals on removable construction walls at Santa Monica College were damaged by the college. Chavez sued for $10,000 in damages; after Minter’s ruling the college has 30 days to respond to the suit.