New America Foundation

Mark Paul, New America senior scholar, has studied the question of how the state might implement rules requiring initiatives that create new spending to include a source of revenues. (This is in reference to California legislation, SCA-14, prohibiting "something for nothing" initiatives that mandate spending without new revenues). Here is the relevant excerpt from a memo he prepared on the subject.

Those of you in the Bay Area may want to check out a lunchtime event this Thursday at the San Francisco State downtown campus. My New America colleague Mark Paul and Noel Perry, founder of Next 10, will offer a detailed budget briefing of the state's options. The event is free, but be sure to reserve a seat (and find out more details) here.

Please join us this Saturday morning, May 2, in San Diego for what should be a fascinating discussion about the ballot measures on the May 19 special election. The event runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the San Diego Hall of Champions. (Sports fans out there would be wise to make it a day of California governance and sports). The event is free, but be sure to reserve yourself a seat by signing up here or here. And you can consider this brunch if you like--there will be food.

The panel is headlined by former Congressman and former state finance director Tom Campbell, who has thought as deeply about the state budget as anyone alive. (He has an interesting discussion on tax reform currently running on his web site).  Also on the panel are Chris Reed of the San Diego Union-Tribune, writer of America's Finest Blog; New America senior scholar Mark Paul; and your blogger. The co-sponsors are New America, the Center for Policy Initiatives, and the City Club of San Diego.

New America senior scholar Mark Paul has a strong post on New America's political reform blog in which he rebuts claims that only the legislature can call a constitutional convention.

In the Sacramento Bee, New America's Steven Hill examines claims being made in California about the value of a "top two"-style open primary, which appears to be the new favorite idea of the state's community of goo goo reformers. Hill is skeptical of claims that such a primary would produce more moderate office holders or provide voter choice -- particularly in light of Washington state's experience with such a primary.

New America's Micah Weinberg, writing in the Mercury News, argues that it's time for Californians to think more precisely about what we want a state constitutional convention to produce.

Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters draws a picture Sunday of the reform landscape in California. He puts Leon Panetta's California Forward as the incrementalist side of the reform movement and the Bay Area Council (which wants a constitutional convention) and the New America Foundation (your blogger's employer, which has been talking about changing the make-up of the legislature) as the big-thinking, "aggressive" side. More on this subject later--after I go out and aggressively hunt big game for dinner.

New America is sponsoring a very important event this Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  in Sacramento, "A Nation Without States,"  that will offer a whole new way of looking at California -- and some big ideas for reform that you may not have heard before. Below is a description of the event and its panel. To RSVP for it (there's no cost, but they try to get a count so they have enough food for lunch, which is provided), click here.

The first panel will describe California's regions, detailing the differences between and relationships among them and focusing on how each is transforming itself in response to the globalizing 21st century economy. The speakers will assess how well California's data collection and state agencies serve the needs of policy makers, both in the State Capitol and within the regions themselves.

I'd be honored if you join me and my fellow panelists from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today (or for any part of that time) for an event on the initiative process and how it might be reformed. The location is the California State Association of Counties, 1020 11th Street, (2nd floor), in Sacramento. More details are here.

For all the complaints about California's initiative process, there have been few serious proposals for improving it. New America is hosting an event Tuesday (October 14) in Sacramento, Blockbuster Democracy (a familiar and catchy name, don't you think?), to give several folks -- your blogger among them -- a chance to offer possible solutions. Full details of the event are here. (That link also includes space to sign up to attend the event). u

The event kicks off at 9:30 a.m. at the California State Association of Counties conference center, 1020 11th Street, 2nd floor. I'll be speaking first, offering a detailed proposal I'm calling, "More Referenda, Fewer Initiatives." After that, you'll hear from Bob Stern of the Center for Governmental Studies, which earlier this year released an exhaustive study of direct democracy in California. Other panelists are Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign; Anthony Rubenstein, managing partner of SinoTransPacific Ventures and chairman of Californians for Clean Energy, sponsor of Proposition 87 in 2006; and my New America colleague Mark Paul, senior scholar, who will discuss the impact of initiatives on California's troubled finances. Lunch is provided, and there will be time during lunch for lots of questions from the audience. Hope you'll be able to join us. It should be worth your while.