Author: David Crane

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

In Ventura’s Own Words

Dear Legislators,If ever there was a bill that was inappropriate for rushed deliberation on a gut-and-amend basis but perfectly appropriate for un-rushed deliberation, it is AB 826. But don't take our word for it — Ventura itself makes that case.Effective January 1, 2013, the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) limited the types of compensation … Continue reading In Ventura’s Own Words →

Bad Reporting By LA Times

So far in the 2021-22 election cycle, Govern For California’s statewide political committee has made political contributions to 81 Democrats, 11 Republicans and 1 Independent. During the 2019-20 election cycle, the committee made political contributions to 79 Democrats, 18 Republicans and 1 Independent. Yet in an LA Times article yesterday about tech industry political contributors, … Continue reading Bad Reporting By LA Times →

We Will Never Withdraw From Sacramento

In a recent essay, former US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan Crocker wrote the following about that country's reluctance to agree to US requests to deny safe havens to the Taliban: The answer I got went like this: “We know you. We know you don’t have patience for the long fight. We know the day will … Continue reading We Will Never Withdraw From Sacramento →

Recall Election

A number of you have written seeking advice about the recall election. We don't have any to give. Our focus is the legislature and we must work with whoever sits in the governor's office. If it's helpful, below is a piece I recently published about the subject. https://www.city-journal.org/california-recall-wont-fix-its-governance-problems A Recall Alone Won’t Fix Golden-State Governance … Continue reading Recall Election →

Back To School

School employee unions in California weren't always powerful. That started to change in 1975 when they were extended collective bargaining rights but that alone didn't confer their dominance. The other ingredient was the failure of good government organizations to persistently resist their demands. Nearly six million California kids heading back to K-12 schools this week suffer the consequences. Treated more like captives … Continue reading Back To School →

1968

Everyone knows 1968 shook the national political landscape but few know that was also the year the California Legislature and Governor Ronald Reagan quietly rolled California's political environment — and not for the better. That's they year they enacted the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act that endowed local and county personnel with the power to bargain collectively with the governments that … Continue reading 1968 →

1977

When I made San Francisco my home in 1977, little did I know that the California Legislature and Governor Jerry Brown had just made prison guards lords over state politics and policy. That's the year lawmakers enacted the Dills Act, which extended collective bargaining rights to state employees. Since then, CA lawmakers have worked hard to please them, especially … Continue reading 1977 →

Service, Please?

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 … Continue reading Service, Please? →

Ballot Measures, Recalls and Permanent PACs

Often we're asked by GFCers whether they should help finance a statewide ballot measure. Our response is two-fold: Success of any ballot measure is greatly influenced by the “Title & Summary” that describes the measure to voters and is written by the Attorney General, which is a partisan position. Eg, in deference to public employee … Continue reading Ballot Measures, Recalls and Permanent PACs →