Pension Spending

Our Most Expensive Failure

When launching GFC in 2011 it was my hope that we would see meaningful pension reform by 2020, but we have failed to achieve that objective and the negative consequences for public services and taxpayers have been enormous. As evidence, just look at the four-fold explosion in annual pension spending by the Los Angeles Unified School District this year compared to ten years ago:

David Crane

K-12 EducationUpdates

Our Next Governor

Last week I reported that Governor Newsom falsely told an interviewer that the state was unable to reopen schools during COVID because the state constitution requires local control of schools, which isn’t true. After my email, some local school officials contacted me to report that Mr. Newsom’s statement actually contained two fictions.

David Crane

K-12 Education

Correction, Governor Newsom

Earlier this week, students in my public policy class at Stanford talked about their experiences as high school students during COVID. Several attended California public schools that were shut down longer than anywhere else in the country. The consequences went well beyond learning loss to include depression and greater difficulties for poorer parents who relied on school lunches or could no longer drop kids at schools while they went to work.

David Crane

Press Release

Newsom Capitulates To Fear

I’m sorry to report that earlier today Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1, which permits legislative staffers to form a union. In doing so, he sent a dagger into the heart of representative democracy in California as legislators already intimidated by government employee unions will soon be intimidated by their own staffers.

David Crane

Press Release

GFC Statement On AB 1

In 1968, Governor Ronald Reagan signed the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act establishing collective bargaining for California’s municipal, county, and local special district employees. Services for municipal, county and special district residents and taxpayers have been in decline ever since.

David Crane

Updates

AB 1: A Grave Threat To Democracy In California

A grave threat to democracy in California is sitting on Governor Newsom’s desk. If signed by him, Assembly Bill 1 would allow legislative staff to form a government employee union. That means that the state employees who write and edit thousands of pieces of legislation every year and provide advice to elected legislators about those bills would become a special interest with business before the state.

David Crane

Press ReleasePrison Spending

Statement on Proposed Prison Guard Contract

Govern For California issues statement on proposed CCPOA Contract (Bargaining Unit 6)

Govern For California

Prison Spending

Sacramento must prioritize education over more prison guard raises

As of June 30, 2018, California’s prisons (CDCR) incarcerated 130,317 inmates supervised by 56,538 correctional employees paid $4,985,455,000 in salaries.

Govern For California

Prison Spending

OC Register On The Next Prison Guard Contract

The OC Register cited Govern For California in a recent editorial about cynical games being played by the Legislature and Governor in awarding excessive compensation to state prison guards.

Govern For California

OPEB

Glendale Shows How To Use Obamacare

In 2015 the City of Glendale took advantage of Obamacare to dramatically reduce its spending on health insurance for retired employees and free up funds for spending on active employees and public services.

Govern For California

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

Mission

Our mission is to be a permanent counter to special interest influence in the California State Legislature and on the statewide ballot. We block special-interest serving legislation and initiatives while promoting legislation and reforms that will increase the quality of public services at reasonable cost to taxpayers.