OTHER RESOURCES

Websites and Reports on Multiple Governance Issues

California Forward (website)

California Forward is a nonprofit organization charting a new path to more effective state governance through nonpartisan policy analysis, public dialogue throughout the state on key issues, and pursuit of sensible reforms.

"California Constitution Revision Commission: Final Report: Improving the State Budget and Fiscal Process" (Recommendations of The California Constitution Revision Commission, 1996)

In 1994, Governor Wilson and the state Legislature appointed the 23-member California Constitution Revision Commission to identify reasonable and workable improvements to state government. After eighteen months of hearings and analysis the Commission proposed an agenda to improve the way California state and local governments operate. The Commission focused on three major themes: maintaining a balanced budget and sound fiscal policy, increasing flexibility and eliminating barriers to efficiency, and improving government responsiveness throughout all communities.

"Governing the Golden State: A Critical Path to Improve Performance and Restore Trust" (Report by the Little Hoover Commission, July 2004)

This report emphasizes the importance of the underlying process employed to achieve reform. Specifically it proposes changes to the state’s revenue system and to the state-local fiscal relationship, but it also examines why past attempts at reform haven’t been more successful and outlines necessary elements of a successful governance reform strategy for the future. (Appendix D of this report includes a good summary of past reform efforts and their respective fiscal policy reform recommendations.)

"CA 2025 It’s Your Choice" (PPIC Study by Mark Baldassare and Ellen Hanak, 2005)

CA 2025 encourages policy makers to find an answer to the question, “What kind of future do we want for California?” The report provides a projection of California’s future if identified trends continue, asserts that the quality of life in the state will erode drastically if those trends do continue, and offers recommendations for avoiding this outcome.

"Review of Proposals for Revising the California State Constitution and Other Major Structural Features of State Government" (pdf) (The Center for California Studies, 1996)

This summary was prepared at the request of the California Governance Consensus Project. It provides a comparative list of recommendations related to structural governance reform that have been made by numerous organizations, special commissions, etc. from 1992 through 1996.

Elections, Campaign Finance and Redistricting Issues Overview (National Conference of State Legislatures website)

This site provides links to multi-state overviews on redistricting, election law, term limits, the initiative referendum and recall, and campaign finance.

Editorial Board Roundtable: Forging A New California – How State Government Can Provide Leadership and Smart Public Policy for California in the Next Decade (Moderated by Leon Panetta, hosted by Voices of Reform and partner newspapers in "Making California Work" Editorial Board Series, October 19, 2005) | PDF TRANSCRIPT