Government Reform

The system in Sacramento does not work. One reason why California’s government is so dysfunctional is because its structure is outdated and no longer reflects the realities of a state with a population that exceeds 36 million. The organizational chart we use today was created before the Civil War, when California had a population of 92,000.

Over the past 150 years we cobbled together a governmental structure that supposedly addressed needs as they arose. State government today has more than 300 boards and commissions, 11 agencies and 79 departments – many of which have overlapping, duplicative and conflicting assignments. It’s not an organization – it’s a maze.

As much as possible, government should establish clear ground rules and objectives – including environmental safeguards – and provide an economic environment that will attract investment and promote job creation. Government should be a strategic partner – not a competitor or hindrance. Rather than have the government get involved in everything, our leaders should establish a clear vision of where we want to go and let the market’s creative energy and resources take us there.

We should not be looking to “fix” the government system that exists today. The true solution is to ask what government should look like in the 21st century and build it that way. We can meet this challenge by pulling together the best organizational minds from both the public and private sectors and tasking them to figure out how to reduce the state’s bloated bureaucracy, eliminate outdated and unnecessary programs, and identify how to deliver necessary government services as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Our future success requires bold, creative thinking – not just efforts to tinker around the edges.

PART-TIME LEGISLATURE

Steve Poizner believes that we have to fundamentally change the way that Sacramento does business. State government is broken and one of its most dysfunctional aspects is our state’s legislature. Too many career politicians have made a profession out of politics and fail to understand the priorities of California’s citizens. Sacramento politicians have presided over a system that has produced out-of-control spending, a broken prisons system, and a system of water infrastructure that is ill-equipped for the challenges of the twenty-first century, amongst other problems. Steve believes that bold, drastic change is needed to get California back on track.

A part-time legislature will ensure that our legislators aren’t just career politicians but, instead, have real-world experience doing the work that Californians across our state are doing every day. Whether they are bus drivers, farmers, teachers, or small business owners, our representatives in Sacramento should have careers outside of their legislative duties so they understand the challenges that our state faces.

A part-time legislature will also focus our legislators on the truly important policy challenges confronting California’s citizens. Our legislature passes, on average, three new laws every day. The time has come to focus the legislature’s work on the critical issues facing California today, and a part-time legislature will do exactly that.

For more information about the part-time legislature initiative and to download a petition, visit ReformCal.com