California Forward
California’s economy has struggled to find solid footing, and even as we see positive sparks, we find that the state budget approved in June is now nearly $1.3 billion under-funded.
read moreCalifornia has reached the point of no return. Either we decide to value education and support it financially as a state or we face a very uncertain future, one that will eliminate the American Dream for a full generation of students and have a cascadingly negative impact on all of California. I want every student to become a successful tax-payer, not just a tax-user. This requires an appropriate investment in California’s education system Pre-K-16.
read morePassion, community engagement and involvement were the messages given to those who gathered at last weekend’s second annual United Latinos Voter Empowerment Forum at Sacramento State University.
read moreAs the state continues to struggle with chronic budget shortfalls and a sluggish economy, Californians are overwhelmed by a plethora of political solutions. These “solutions” do little to either restore faith in government or that can — or will — address the issues at hand; namely, greater accountability at all levels of government and improved outcomes of critical public programs that most directly impact performance, prosperity and productivity.
read moreA little over a week ago, the California Forward Action Fund introduced the Government Performance and Accountability Act (GPAA) as a potential ballot initiative for 2012. The initiative quickly garnered support in the press as soon as it was launched. Here we present a coverage roundup of the GPAA thus far and it ranges from cautious optimism to unequivocal support.
read moreCalifornians have been clear – they want their governments to be more accountable and perform more effectively.
read moreGovernor Jerry Brown has introduced his proposal to modernize the state-employee pension system. I say “modernize” because in principle that’s what we’re talking about here. Anyone who’s held a job in private industry as far back as the mid- 1970s has seen the system evolve from the pension Dad collected back in the day (along with his 25- year commemorative watch) to today’s system complete with 401Ks and their diminishing contributions by employers.
read moreSo-called democracy reforms are seen as a way to re-engage voters, ensure that the voice of the people is heard, and bring people into the fold who may have traditionally been disenfranchised from the process.
read moreCalifornia once again finds itself in the vortex of a leadership vacuum. Public trust and confidence in government are at record lows – as is our performance in critical areas that matter most to Californians: education, job creation, and public safety. To fix our state, we must revamp how budgets and policy decisions are made and implemented and how leaders are kept accountable.
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