Editor’s Notice: The next was first revealed on Feb. eight as a visitor commentary by the web site CalMatters. It was despatched in by a “group of elected state leaders who arrived on the identical conclusion: Authorities too usually doesn’t work for the individuals we symbolize.” The leaders embody state legislators Tom Lackey, Melissa Hurtado, Josh Newman, Cottie Petrie-Norris, Adam Grey, Suzette Valladares, Chad Mayes, and Jordan Cunningham.
Who does your authorities work for?
It’s a query that folks of all political persuasions ceaselessly reply in the identical approach: “Not me.”
As members of the state Legislature, we are able to inform you firsthand that our authorities isn’t working for many Californians. As a substitute of being devoted to defending the lives and livelihoods of our 40 million residents and delivering actual outcomes for working households, politicians in the present day usually appear extra taken with ideological maneuvering, bolstering Twitter followers, or smearing the opposite aspect.
When the political surroundings turns into so poisonous that protesters flip into violent insurrectionists who invade the halls of our nation’s Capitol, it’s time to take inventory of our democracy. Differing political beliefs are not simply an uncomfortable subject we keep away from at vacation gatherings. They’ve turn out to be so toxic that they’re ripping our households and our nation aside.
We’re a gaggle of very completely different elected leaders who share very related considerations about what afflicts our nation and our state. Regardless of our diverse backgrounds – Republicans from Los Angeles and the Central Coast, Democrats from farming communities and Orange County, and a political impartial – we now have arrived on the identical conclusion: Authorities too usually doesn’t work for the individuals we symbolize.
That should change, and we intend to assist change it.
In Washington, D.C., partisan bickering has sidetracked options, and stalemates have brought about authorities shutdowns. The most effective hope of getting past these deep divisions is the Congressional Downside Solvers Caucus, which has emerged as a discussion board for compromise. Its 50 members – 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans – are all dedicated to placing partisanship apart to seek out workable options to essentially the most troublesome disagreements. For instance, we now have the Downside Solvers to thank for breaking the gridlock that secured a COVID-19 reduction invoice earlier than Christmas.
California’s challenges differ, however they’re no much less harmful. Within the state Legislature, social gathering loyalty determines committee assignments, workers sources and even workplace house. Republicans are pressured by their caucus to disavow any options supplied by Democrats, and Democrats are anticipated to march in lockstep behind their leaders. Diverge from both social gathering line and anticipate swift retribution – one thing many people have skilled.
What has this habits gotten us? Wildfires burn uncontrolled. The road on the DMV is hours lengthy. Tens of millions of hardworking individuals nonetheless can’t entry unemployment advantages throughout a pandemic whereas billions of {dollars} have been paid out to fraudsters and criminals. The price of dwelling and residential costs are nonetheless too excessive. Our colleges don’t have the sources they should give each scholar a top quality training.
In Washington, politicians have the opposite aspect of the aisle guilty for any downside they’ve failed to resolve. With primarily single-party rule in California, what’s our excuse?
We should do higher.
That’s the reason we’re forming the California Downside Solvers Caucus – a bi-cameral (Senate and Meeting) and party-agnostic (Democrats, Republicans and Independents) group devoted to discovering options and creating outcomes.
Our objective is to create a gaggle of legislators dedicated extra to progress than to ideology. Compromise isn’t a foul phrase. We intend to be a discussion board the place bipartisan options are rewarded. If an answer is smart, we’ll do all the things in our energy to get it over the end line irrespective of who got here up with the thought.
Most of all, we imagine in reforming the legislative course of to foster an surroundings that encourages somewhat than discourages common sense options.
A few of our concepts embody:
- A non-partisan Legal professional Common and Secretary of State;
- Consolidation and reorganization of California’s greater than 200 state businesses, departments and commissions with clear strains of accountability;
- A two-year funds cycle, the place every even-numbered yr the Legislature focuses on oversight of the manager department and its huge array of departments;
- A streamlined legislative course of for payments with bipartisan help.
Some 225 years in the past, George Washington known as political events “the worst enemy” of presidency resulting in the “smash of liberty.” In that spirit, the California Downside Solvers Caucus will work with thought leaders throughout the spectrum to create a authorities that works for the individuals it serves.
We invite all of our colleagues within the Legislature who share these values to affix this caucus. Collectively, we are able to change our state’s trajectory and make the California dream a California actuality.
