Mark Baldasarre of the Public Policy Institute of California has written a thoughtful report about California’s future. (link) He raises lots of questions about our challenges. But he also puts answers on the table – some controversial.
Today, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (link) will host a presentation of the report at Roche in Palo Alto. I’ve listed Baldasarre’s public policy recommendations below.
I’d like to know what you think for a slightly selfish reason. You see, Tom McEnery and I will join Baldassare in a roundtable discussion. Ned Barnholt, Chairman Emeritus of Agilent Technologies will be the other panelist.
Since San Jose Inside will have good representation on the panel, we’d like to make sure your thoughts are shared. But here’s the deal: you have to post comments by noon to be helpful to us because the presentation starts at 1:00 p.m. today. Any great ideas posted after noon will certainly be appreciated – by the Westly campaign (link), if I like them, and by the Schwarzenegger campaign (link), if Tom likes them.
Recommendations from “CA2025: It’s Your Choice”
1. Invest in education now, given the potential shortage of college-educated workers in the future economy
2. Greatly increase voter registration efforts to make voters more representative of the state’s population
3. Make a priority of investment in low-income areas
4. Use public-private partnerships for new infrastructure
5. Rely on demand management and conservation for maintaining infrastructure
6. Extend term limits to change the context of long-term planning in the legislature
7. Encourage localities to think and act regionally
8. Revisit Proposition 13
9. Increase the transparency and accountability of the state-local fiscal system
10. Reduce the supermajority requirements for local revenue raising
Prop 13 is the third rail of CA politics. Don’t touch it.
This is an interesting reporting but alarmist to say the least. They’re predicting that by 2025 we’ll add population that equals the state of Ohio. No way that can be done without us collapsing under our own weight. There will be major anti growth measures in this state before we even get close.
1. Certainly, investing in education seems like a good idea. However, we need to reform education funding before we throw new money at it. We have too many school districts and too much bureaucracy in the system.
We have 1056 (2002-2003) school districts statewide. 571 of those districts have less than 2,500 students. 300 have less than 500 students.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fb/yr04fingertipfacts.asp
http://www.csba.org/ssd/about/
The head of the East Side Union High School district makes more than the Governor. Throw in perks, other administrators salaries and the fact that we have a State Superintendent of Schools, a Secretary of Education appointed by the Governor, a Cabinet Secretary of Education on the Federal Level, federal mandates, state mandates and everybody insisting on “local control” and the entire system is nothing but an embedded, mired bureaucracy than cannot possibly succeed.
No child left behind is a joke. Almost every teacher will tell you how they now “teach to the test”, without any real benefit to the student. Until someone is willing to take on the current bureaucracy, regardless of the amount of money thrown at it, education will continue to lag.
Finally, many want to blame the teachers and their union for the problem. The teachers are the only positive in this whole system. It is their frontline ability to keep kids moving in the right direction that allows for any success at all.
Further, it is difficult for teachers to take pay-cuts, work with less than up to date material in overcrowded classrooms as they watch the bureaucracy explode and adminstrators making six figures.
No wonder every teacher is trying to get up and out.
2. Let me play devils advocate on this one. Why do we want more ignorant people to participate in elections? It is not more voters we need, but more educated voters.
The electorate is selfish, they want more services and less taxes. They are asked to determine complex issues on the state budget, reapportionment, bonds, and whether union members can give in election campaigns (to name a few). Yet, the information they are given by the political process is irrelevant, irrational and misleading.
Political consultants play to emotions, not facts. The truth is the first casualty in the special interest wars. The public gets more disallusioned, less informed and makes poor choices.
3. More money will solve the problem?
Incentivize these areas with tax breaks. For instance lower the sales tax is low income areas to encourage retailers to locate in these areas. Provide livable wages for the inhabitants.
A statewide early education childcare program, that will help alleviate the single parent from paying more for childcare than they receive in salary.
4. Like BART? It has always amazed me how business interests oppose taxes for themselves, but are the first to support sales tax increases for infrastructure.
The Golden Gate Bridge was built by common investors. People who put up their homes for the betterment of the community. Yet our richest folks in the Valley go to Washington and Sacramento with hat in hand to seek funding for BART.
We could have BART. But we have 28 different Transportation Agencies in the Bay Area. Each with an individual bureaucracy.
We do not have a seamless rider program by which a person can use one system and then the other. Each of the 28 systems fights for precious dollars. Bus users are pitted against rail users.
If we simply merged Caltrans and BART, we would already have a right of way to San Francisco, we could combine the systems and eliminate at least one huge bureaucracy and the systems would integrate it into one seamless system.
We need one Regional Transportation Agency that incorporates all 28 systems into one—imagine how many administrators could finally seek their fortune in the private sector.
Part II
6. Eliminate term limits at the same time you have a fair, bipartisan reapportionment plan and you will solve the entire problem.
7. Eliminate unnecessary local governments. We have over 4,000 governments in the State of California. That does not count the agencies within each government entity.
Local control has always been a myth.
Few people even know who their local officials are, let alone feel they have any “input” in their decision making. Streamline government, eliminate duplication from agencies, reduce paperwork, reduced the numbe of laws.
Interestly, according to Jerry Brown he signed over 25,000 new laws while he was in office. It is the same for Republican Governors. We are over-regulated and over-burdened by red tape.
8. Deny the Counties the ability to contiually raise property taxes on an annual basis. Reformulate the property tax system to make it fair. Incentivize low income areas with a reduction and develop a plan to insure property taxes are predictable and affordable.
9. Good luck. If the public every figures out where there money is going there will be a tax revolt overnight. Adminstrative salaraies notwithstanding, the perks that are buried in local budgets are really a scandal waiting to happen.
10. One man (or woman) one vote should be the standard. But before we raise new revenue we need to reform the entire system to insure taxpayers they are getting their money’s worth.
We must consider raising taxes not just cut spending..Prop 13 and other tax ideas must be considered….VLF too
Pro 76 -Bad Idea—-gives Governor too much power and so many other reasons it is bad
to get localities to act regionally there must be a funding mechanism to make the planning happen
Public Employees retirement system needs to be align with business standards
extending term limits is critical or bureacrats become our policy makers, and the key to all history and context
Require all state and national governmental officials to cut their paid staffs by 40%.
All state bills requiring counties or cities to provide services must contain a revenue source.
All spending bills must have a sunset clause.
Reduce the size of the Education Code—and thus the hordes of buereaucrats in each district required to comply—by 50%. Use the money saved to hire more teachers, and to require that they perform; i.e. that the kids actually get educated.
Require highway taxes and fuel taxes to be spent on the roads—outlaw raiding to close deficits.
Spend within our means. That means prioritizing. Police, fire, health, infrastructure construction and maintenance. All else is surplus to be jettisoned. Some feel good programs cannot survive tough economic times. Dump paid positions such as public art coordinators and their entire staffs in lean times.
Accept that all persons are created equal, but they don’t stay that way for very long. Inequality becomes greater for those who do not speak english—be sure all kids are fluent at grade level in english by eighth grade.
Bring back trade schools. All kids are not college material. We need qualified mechanics far more than we need another college dilettante. Set maximum graduation times. We don’t need a whole bunch of eighth semester sophomores like at Chico State, for instance.
Listen
Listen to the cry of the people around you.
Listen to the cry of the State
We want renovation.
Evaristo Guerrero II
Let me be your voice.
Mr equal time
Like any other art, it takes practice to be the best.
My friend mental retardation is not always inherited,
it is also the product of constant practice.
You are the best
Make those voices in my head shut up!
I want a San Jose without Steve Westley, Gary Hart, Howard Dean or Ron Gonzales.
Ito G; What planet are you from?
Who is this Rich Robinson guy and why does he have so much time to post? C’mon Tom, Rich obviously wants to be part of your click. Let him in as a blogger.
Rich and Rowen should combine for a replacement on Fridays (if john’s not available).
Then later they should be put on a dunking machine at the farmers market!
The day an ethically bankrupt, owned by labor, part of the problem, lobbyist gets a blog on this column is the day this site should be shuttered.
Novice: You espouse a dangerous notion—shut down all with whose beliefs you disagree.
Nope – I’m not suggesting squelching anyone’s right to free speech at all. The discussion of civic matters found here is terrific – a great community service.
My concern is about giving an outlet (a weekly column on this site) to those in the business of gaming city hall for the benefit of special interests (aka lobbyists).
But that’s just my opinion from the end of the couch.
If the powers that be on this board provide a weekly column for lobbyists – then so be it – just name the column “My View From Under the Rock” so everyone’s spin radar is up.
I agree that maybe an alternating schedule for Rich and JMO is a good idea. Who says we have to keep the same guys coming up with material all the time here anyway?
Rich is one of the most interesting bloggers. He is ready for the big time at @ SJInside!! Tom-Jude, what are you waiting for?