On Governance
California's budget volatility is a choice.
Our most vulnerable bear the costs.
California's Legislative Analyst projects an unprecedented $73B state budget deficit, just years removed from an unprecedented $100B budget surplus.​
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We can do better.
Policy Recommendations for addressing CA's Budget Volatility
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Increase the size of the state's Rainy Day Fund so we can save more in good years to manage the bad years.
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Reform the State's Spending Limit so that savings is not counted as "spending".
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Avoid tax policy changes that make the state's revenue more volatile.
Learn more about our work to see that California thrives for years to come.
On Education
The Bad News: Less than half of CA fourth graders are reading at grade level.
The Good News: We know how to fix it.
The CA Kids Read Act came up short in 2024.
Stay Tuned: We're coming back in 2025.
On Housing
On Housing
California's high housing costs are driven by a dramatic housing shortage, estimated at 2.5M housing units. We have to build more - much more - but we're adding only ~100K new units each year when we need ~150K each year just to tread water.
Addressing a crisis: Learning from ongoing efforts
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Los Angeles has seen a surge of interest in building affordable housing, even from for-profit developers. What's their secret? Read about it here in CalMatters.
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Hawaii's Governor has signed an emergency declaration to streamline housing construction. See the Governor's declaration here.
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Florida's Live Local Act has spurred a spike in middle income housing development. Read more here in The Wall Street Journal.
The Latest
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
| Margaret Mead