California Forward has been named a top “California Influencer” by Campaigns & Elections magazine for its work to repair a broken state government.
Campaigns & Elections released its top California Influencers list in its most recent issue, saying California Forward is “working to create a more responsive and effective government for the public.”
Since its inception California Forward has encouraged governance improvements that restore public trust, such as redistricting and open primaries, which hold the promise of reestablishing the Legislature’s ability to solve problems. We have also encouraged all Californians to share their ideas for fixing the state and hold their leaders at the city, county, and state level accountable for results.
As California Forward continues its tireless efforts to fix our state’s broken government, it is working to push through an important set of common sense, nonpartisan fiscal reforms, including:
- Budgets based on performance and results to ensure quality service and restore taxpayer confidence
- Multiyear budgeting to ensure a balanced budget and long-term, responsible fiscal planning
- Clearly identified funding for new programs and tax breaks before they are enacted
- Limits on “one-time revenue” so it goes toward “one-time” purposes only, such as saving for hard times or paying down debt.
Another central part of the solution to fix California is to move significant responsibilities for essential services (education, social services, criminal justice, etc.) back to local communities. California Forward calls this Smart Government. Elected officials have a fundamental responsibility to ensure essential services work well. The state must provide stable funding streams, establish performance and accountability standards, and encourage communities to improve results.
Campaigns & Elections named only five other non-partisan organizations as “influencers”: Public Policy Institute of California, the Field Poll, California Target Book, Center for Governmental Studies, and Spanish Language Media.
In addition, the magazine named the top 50 Democrat and top 50 Republican California Influencers. Democrats include: Governor Jerry Brown, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Chief of Staff Susan Kennedy, and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.
Republicans include: Republican leader Abel Maldonado, Univision owner Jerry Perenchio, and California Forward’s own Leadership Council members Donna Lucas and Bill Hauck.
