Government Performance & Accountability

Governor could improve voters’ trust in government
 150 150 David Davenport & Lenny Mendonca
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Gov. Jerry Brown says he has 600 bills on his desk, but many he will not sign because “there’s not 600 problems that we need those solutions for.” We suggest he locate and sign two bills, SB14 and SB15, that help solve two of his biggest problems: the annual budget mess and the lack of public trust in Sacramento’s leadership, which voters say are closely linked.

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Lively discussion marks 100th anniversary of CA direct democracy
 150 150 Kim Alexander
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We are rapidly approaching the 100 year anniversary of the California initiative process, an occasion celebrated by some and scorned by others. The centennial of the Golden State’s system of direct democracy is provoking many to rethink this process and consider whether it needs an upgrade.

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AB109 offers significant state prison reform
 150 150 Kathy Jett
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AB109 is the unassuming name for the single most significant reform in a century to California’s prison system and the state’s approach to criminal justice. Beginning Oct. 1, anyone convicted of nonviolent, nonsexual and/or non-serious criminal offenses (a.k.a. triple nons) will head to county jail instead of state prison. Anyone up for parole on a similar offense will be supervised by county officials.

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Latest Field Poll another reason to support ‘Smart Government’
 150 150 Gina Baleria
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California voters remain fed up with their legislature, as seen in the latest Field Poll, which finds that people have little confidence in the body charged with passing laws and budgeting taxpayer dollars. Their support for the governor, however, remains steady.

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Common sense helps move California forward
 150 150 Caroline Vance
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Mention of the dysfunctions and malfunctions of California state government prompted chuckles from the audience at The Commonwealth Club on Thursday, at a panel discussion on government openness and accountability.

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On the brink of historic change: Realignment and the corrections system
 150 150 Mark Baldassare
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California is about to embark on far-reaching changes in the way it manages adult prisons and jails, and the PPIC takes a closer look at how this will impact county and city governments.

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Calls intensify for lawmakers to open their calendars
 150 150 Cheryl Getuiza & Nate Levine
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It’s become a hot button issue the last few months—Will California lawmakers buckle down and reveal their daily calendars?

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Cultivating lawmaker friendships can lead to more compromise across the aisle
 150 150 Bill Bagley
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Former California Assemblyman Bill Bagley has watched with the rest of Californians as interactions between state lawmakers have become more hyper-partisan and gridlocked, and he suggests simple social interaction as a way to ease the way toward bipartisan solutions.

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