Dear Governor Schwarzenegger and California Legislators,
Last week, 125 Californians defied conventional wisdom by volunteering to attend a mid-day Town Hall Forum on California’s State Budget, working through 16 policy options and creating their own version of the state budget. In the same week that a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California revealed a large majority of Californians have little or no knowledge about the state budget, these citizens showed that ignorance should not be confused with lack of interest.
Hosted by Next Ten, an independent nonprofit organization, this event drew a diverse group of community members, students, business and civic leaders, and local elected officials. Participants created a fiscal plan for California’s General Fund five years out, using Next Ten’s nonpartisan educational tool, the California Budget Challenge.
The interactive Budget Challenge reviews nine spending policies and seven revenue policies, and allows users to either continue with the status quo (and the structural deficit), or change current policies to better match their priorities. Using instant response keypads, forum participants made decisions about services for schools, healthcare, the environment, the criminal justice system, and more -- and taxes to pay for these services, producing their own version of the state budget.
The following broad themes emerged from forum participants:
- They want to invest in the state's future.
- They are interested in planning ahead to reduce future costs.
- They are ready to make choices that support a balanced budget for the long-term that does not resort to short-term gimmicks.
The California Budget Challenge has been designed to educate, engage and empower every Californian, all of whom have a stake and a role in the state budget process. We hope you and your constituents find this non-partisan information a valuable way to interact with the decision-making process.
Best regards,
F. Noel Perry
Next Ten Founder
Please visit us online at www.nextten.org for additional information or contact us at info@nextten.org.