Author: David Crane

President of Govern For California and Lecturer in Public Policy at Stanford University

Democracy In California

If ever you needed a reminder that our nation has always been a confederation of diverse states united only when facing a common enemy, re-read Democracy In America, Alexis de Tocqueville's 1835 masterpiece. There are twenty-four small sovereign nations, whose agglomeration constitutes the body of the Union.Tocqueville, Alexis De. Democracy in America, Volume I and … Continue reading Democracy In California →

Scapegoating And Suppression At SFUSD

When it reported a deficit last year, San Francisco Unified School District blamed Special Education. This year, SFUSD is blaming declining enrollment. Not being blamed is the real culprit. Despite a near-tripling of the stock market over that period, pension costs more than tripled. Another truth being suppressed at SFUSD is the unnecessary expenditure of … Continue reading Scapegoating And Suppression At SFUSD →

GFC Is Relentless

Last year, the GFC Network made 1,100 donations averaging $2,000 each to more than 100 members of or candidates for the California Legislature. Do those figures surprise you? They shouldn’t. That's the pattern of donations made by any active special interest union or corporation in Sacramento. Persistent donations broadly distributed are the path to power … Continue reading GFC Is Relentless →

Undemocratic Nondisclosure In California

From January through June last year, the California Legislature held hearings about a proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year that allocated the majority of $300 billion of spending to healthcare corporations and government employees who — during that very same period — made political donations to lawmakers that weren't disclosed until July 31, a … Continue reading Undemocratic Nondisclosure In California →

Corporate Donors To California Lawmakers

This year California will devote more than $120 billion to Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid that serves more than one of every three residents. That means big profits for Managed Care Organizations such as Anthem, Molina and Centene. We have nothing against profits but a lot against conflicts of interest. Under California law, Medicaid … Continue reading Corporate Donors To California Lawmakers →

Potent Political Philanthropy

In traditional philanthropy there's likely a correlation between wealth and impact but that’s less the case with political philanthropy where steadfastness is more important. That’s because the path to political change is steep and narrow. To change any of California's 29 codes of law, a legislator must gain the agreement of 61 other legislators, each … Continue reading Potent Political Philanthropy →

Towards Universal Coverage In California

Dear Legislators, We are pleased that 94% of Californians now have health coverage. We’d love to see that figure rise to 100%. Multi-payer universal coverage systems such as those that dominate continental Europe and towards which California is marching can work extremely well. But one big difference is that European systems do a better job … Continue reading Towards Universal Coverage In California →

Summing Up California

Recently a journalist concluded the “California Dream Is Dying.” But another says CA is still the land of opportunity. Another characterizes the state as tilting leftward while another sees it as captured by union and corporate interests. At GFC, we see California as Walt Whitman's words might describe it: “Do I contradict myself?Very well then … Continue reading Summing Up California →

Fixing California’s Unemployment Problem

Dear Legislators, California's unemployment rate (7.5 percent) is the second highest in the nation and 44 percent higher than the national rate (5.2 percent). Yet its Gross Domestic Product is growing faster than national GDP. That's because states like California with an abundance of technology enterprises can generate lots of GDP growth but not necessarily … Continue reading Fixing California’s Unemployment Problem →