The principal job of states in our federalist system is to provide domestic services such as education, health and public safety. California executes some services well (e.g., Covered California) but generally residents are served poorly, students are treated more like captives than customers, insufficient value for money is obtained from healthcare providers, and public safety employees are excessively compensated. All that is fixable.
Elected officials operate in an environment hostile to residents and favorable to special interests. E.g., prison employees on the receiving end of $10 billion in annual salaries and pension and other post-employment benefits persistently donate to the governors and legislators who approve that spending, as do hospitals receiving a sizable share of >$100 billion in Medi-Cal reimbursements. That’s why we are pursuing a ban on political donations from any corporation, union or association that does business with the state or its subdivisions. State pension funds operate under such restrictions. So should the state legislature and governor.
In the meantime, legislators willing to stand up to special interests require persistent financial support from good government groups like GFC, which is in its 11th year and bundles more direct donations to state legislators than anyone else. It doesn’t take a lot of money (donations of any size are effective because they are bundled alongside donations from other members of our network), just a lot of persistence. Support us here.
PS: If you can’t make political donations, please make non-political donations towards operating expenses here. Neither political nor non-political donations are tax deductible but appreciated securities may be contributed towards operating expenses.
