Californians from all over the state have shared their ideas for how to repair our broken government through the California Forward Idea Map, and today, we traveled to Fresno to showcase those ideas and announce plans to submit them to Governor Jerry Brown.
CA Fwd leadership council members Sunne Wright McPeak and Pete Weber unveiled our hand-drawn Ideas Map in front of the historic Fresno Water Tower. The 4’x 8′ colorful, hand-drawn map of California represents the hundreds of ideas submitted online from Etna to Calexico and everywhere in between.
Here are some photos from the event:
Wright McPeak and Weber told reporters the Idea Map represents the concerns and hopes of Californians from all regions, walks of life, and backgrounds – with the primary message that “our state is broken but fixable.” This closely reflects the results of a recent survey commissioned by CA Fwd, which found that 86% percent of the people thought the state was fixable.
Wright McPeak said California Forward is the only organization talking directly with the people of the state, and the Idea Map reflects our proposal to move government closer to the people. She said, “Government works best when it’s accessible to its citizens.”
In addition to seeing the large, physical Ideas Map – created by Vallejo graphic artist Gabriela Melano – reporters were given a booklet containing the ideas submitted to the CA Fwd Ideas Map. Entries focused on many issues facing the state, from increasing tax incentives to businesses to tightening up state government spending to setting up radar vans along highways to catch more speeders.
Also participating at the news conference was Fresno resident and Idea Map contributor Feleena Sutton. She wants the legislature to start passing balanced and on-time budgets and also thinks a unicameral legislature would be more efficient.
Next stop: Sacramento, where we’ll take these ideas, along with our colorful map, to the Governor’s office. Stay tuned.
If you would like to submit your idea, go to
http://www.cafwd.org/content/idea-map/.
