Stumbling Blocks on the Road to Reform

Recent news about efforts to reform state government is not encouraging.  Those advocating for a constitutional convention have folded their tent, legislative efforts to reform from within are moving at a snail’s pace, and California Forward seeks an appropriate means of successfully implementing their package of bipartisan reforms.  Despite these struggles, all is not lost.  The reform effort in Davis, and increasingly in other communities throughout the state, is alive and growing.

In January 2009, a group of Davis community members joined forces as Saving California Communities (SCC) to advocate for permanent structural budget reform at the state level.  This group brings together county, city and school elected representatives, educators, parents, students, city commissioners, health professionals, university and community college representatives, senior citizens, government employees and business owners.

 Guiding Principles of Saving California Communities

The following principles guide the group’s efforts:

• Healthy Communities
  Healthy communities rely on an array of local services – education, safety, health, and public works – that address the needs of the whole community.
• Responsive Government
  While key regional and state services are essential, local government agencies are best placed to respond to the needs of their communities.
• Stable Revenue
  California’s communities must be supported through stable revenue streams for basic, essential services.
• Alignment of Resources, Responsibility and Accountability
  State-level reform is necessary to support functional government that aligns authority, responsibility, resources and accountability.
• United Voices
  United community voices carry a powerful message for structural reform of the state system of governance.  Combined efforts best serve the common good; pitting the interests of one essential service against another essential service is harmful to the entire community.
• Public Engagement
  Public participation and advocacy are essential in mobilizing for reform.

Recent Efforts

The members of Saving California Communities have endorsed the reform efforts of California Forward, most recently in the following letter to state Legislators:

Dear Members of the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review,

Saving California Communities is a Davis coalition that brings together local elected representatives and a wide cross-section of community members. We advocate for the resources necessary to support strong, healthy communities.

Our organization endorses the package of state government reform proposals introduced by California Forward that we believe will create more responsive, representative, and cost-effective government.  These include:

• Responsible budgets on time, with proposals to identify stable funding for state programs, continue only those programs proven effective, and reduce the legislative vote requirement for approving the state budget to a simple majority while retaining the two-thirds threshold to raise taxes.
• Government that is closer to the people, including proposals to give communities more control by preventing state borrowing of local revenues, and lowering the vote threshold for local tax measures.

 Although this package represents only first steps in needed reform, we believe that improving our governance structures is essential for the success of the state and the well-being of its citizens.  The status quo is simply not acceptable to us.

Saving California Communities endorses SCA 19 as consistent with our own guiding principles of healthy communities, responsive government, stable revenue, and alignment of resources, responsibility, and accountability.

We encourage the Subcommittee to support this bill.

Respectfully,

Members of the Saving California Communities Coalition:  Bob Agee, Jan Agee, Sheila Allen, Barbara Archer, Ruth Asmundson, Jorge Ayala, Rick Baker, Robert Bakke, Janet Berry, Kay Bogart, Mark Braly, Daniel Braunstein, Davis Campbell, Nancy Cole, Delaine Eastin, Rebecca Edwards, Glen Erickson,   Lucas Frerichs, Julie Gallelo, Cathy Haskell, Jackie Hausman, Anne Hawke, Jim Herrington, Jim Hopp, Karen Hopp, Sara Husby, Christopher Kelsch, Jonathan London, Susan Lovenburg, Joel Mandel, Betsy Marchand, Jerry Marr, Kathy Marr, Rita Montes Martin, Jenny Melton, Kingsley Melton, Karen Mo, Joan M. Moses, Don Palm, Richard Reed, Karl Reinking, Ada Rinne, Sarah Rock, Don Saylor, Richard Seyman, Daniel Sharpe, Jill Miller Theg, Dan Wolk, Pauline Wooliever, Jay Ziegler

Senator Hancock to Speak Wednesday at 7:30 pm

Over the past year, SCC has promoted public dialogue and debate on government reform by hosting a wide range of speakers here in Davis. Included in this group are Former Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg, Former Assemblymember Fred Keeley, Former Mayor of Sacramento Heather Fargo, California Forward Executive Director Jim Mayer, Former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin, Bay Area Council CEO Jim Wunderman, CSUS Professor Kimberly Nalder, UCD law professor Christopher Elmendorf, State Senator Mark DeSalunier, State Senator Lois Wolk and Assemblymember Mariko Yamada.  These events are free and open to the public.

On Wednesday, April 14 at 7:30 pm at the Davis Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second Street, the public is invited to hear State Senator Loni Hancock (D-Oakland) speaking on behalf of the upcoming Proposition 15, the California Fair Elections Act, which will appear on the statewide June ballot.

“California is the poster child of a broken campaign finance system because of the state’s size and the high cost of campaigns” said Hancock. “Prop. 15 takes a small but real step in getting money out of politics, and that’s why statewide organizations who speak for the common good like the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, AARP, the Consumer Federation, the Sierra Club all support Prop. 15.”

It establishes a voluntary pilot program of public financing for the office of California Secretary of State — the state official who oversees our elections and makes sure they are fair.

Hancock was the author of AB 583, the bill that put Proposition 15 on the ballot.

The League of Women Voters of Davis join in co-sponsoring this event.

Future Events

Later this spring, Saving California Communities will host Eric McGhee of the Public Policy Institute of California speaking on Proposition 14 to increase the right to participate in primary elections, also known as open primaries.  At a separate event, author Peter Schrag will provide an overview and analysis of current reform efforts.  To receive e-mail announcement of these and other events, visit www.SavingCA.org and subscribe to our e-mail list.

Though reform efforts initiated at the statewide level may wither, the grassroots effort in Davis and other communities has begun to flourish.  We invite you to join us.