Sovereign California Dispels Myth that California is Ungovernable

8/10/2019 Sovereign California Dispels Myth that California is Ungovernable

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CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENTPublic Attitude Towards

Dispelling the myth thatCalifornia is ungovernable


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www.SovereignCA.org Research by Marcus Ruiz Evans Page 2

You would not be off if you believed thatCalifornias government doesnt work, oris the worst government ever.

Many national news sources in just the

last few years have said that California isungovernable, while many others havesaid California is the worst run state.

We have a lot of issues here inCalifornia, and many things that areholding us back, but demonizingSacramento doesn't solve theseproblems or move us forward. Webelieve some criticism of Sacramento

is fair, yet much of it is out of context -even to the point that it's inaccurate.

IS CALIFORNIAUNGOVERNABLE?

As one of the top 10 economies in theworld (equal to the size of Russia andBrazil), we need our leaders to actmore like they are running a powerful

nation on the world stage, as opposedto running an ordinary state. Thismeans that Sacramento has to takeon more responsibilities. We believethat Sacramento can do this. Thiswhite paper by Sovereign California isdesigned to support this idea.

Were not saying that Sacramento runsperfectly but the image that Californianshave and the reality are seriously distorted. "SovereignCalifornia.org
http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.sovereignca.org/


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When Sacramento is compared to 49 other states:

Californias government has one of the best track records at managing money.1. California has the most professional legislature in the Nation.2.

Californians have the most control over their government.3.

California has the least bureaucratic government.4.

California ranks at the top at fighting corruption.5.

When Sacramento is compared to the Federal Government:

Polls show Californians trust Sacramento far more than Washington, D.C.1.

Californias leaders work together far better than Federal leaders.2.

Californias Government is more transparent than the Federal government.3.

Californias Government is better at balancing a budget than the Federal government.4.Californias Government is overall just as capable as the Federal government.5.

ON THE NEXT PAGES YOU WILL FIND A LIST OF FACTS DISPELLING

POPULAR MYTHS ABOUT SACRAMENTO FROM US AT SOVEREIGNCA.ORG

Californians' belief that their elected leaders have issues with corruption,

managing money well, being effective, enlarging bureaucracy, and being out

of the voters control is absolutely correct. Our leaders do have these issues.

HOWEVER, the belief that California is worse at governing itself than the 49 other

states or the Federal Government is simply not true.
http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.sovereignca.org/


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www.SovereignCA.org Research by Marcus Ruiz Evans

MYTH:

Page 4

An academic group designed to

study California concluded thatCalifornians share a common

identity in seeing success as our

birthright.

The first ever statewide poll on

opinions toward state government

found that Californians do believe

that their government can work well;it just needs improvement. They also

generally had enough trust in their

elected leaders to believe that they

need longer terms in office.

Californians say change possible with dialogueand healthier system 2011, California Forward

The California fix: It takes a community 2009,

California Forward

Californians have no faith in Sacramento.

FACT:Californians believe in theirState government.
http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/californians-say-change-is-possible-with-dialogue-and-a-healthier-systemhttp://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/californians-say-change-is-possible-with-dialogue-and-a-healthier-systemhttp://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/17/opinion/oe-hertzberg17http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/17/opinion/oe-hertzberg17http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/17/opinion/oe-hertzberg17http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/17/opinion/oe-hertzberg17http://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/californians-say-change-is-possible-with-dialogue-and-a-healthier-systemhttp://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/californians-say-change-is-possible-with-dialogue-and-a-healthier-systemhttp://www.sovereignca.org/


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MYTH:

Page 5

Sacramento is the worst at managing money.

In the last decade,California ranked well incomparison to other states

in regards to f inancialmanagement:The Public Coordinating Council of theNational Association of State RetirementAdministrators has ranked public retirementsystem management and administration since2002. Thirty one states make the list - almosthalf of the states aren't even mentioned forany sort of excellence. Of those 31 states, only11 are mentioned more than once. And ofthose mentioned more than once, only Texasand Missouri are as good as California.www.nasra.org/ppcc

Report

21 States Pension Systems Not FiscallySound:

A new report examines the financial health ofstate pension systems.By: Mike Maciag, Governing States & Localities, 11/29/12

http://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/state-pension-systems-funded-ratios-financial-health.html

A study by investment research firm

Morningstar, Inc., published earlier this week

assesses the financial health of each state

system, highlighting a wide disparity in the

actuarial adequacy of funding levels.

Of the map linked on the article only sevenstates are doing substantially better thanCalifornia at managing their money. California

does as well or better than 43 other states.

Of the six times that Money ManagementLetter has given out awards for excellence in

investment for governments, California won in2005, 2006, and 2007.http://www.moneymanagementintelligence.com/default.html

Federal report Grading the states, in2008, said that California was excellent in:Capital planning, project monitoring, inter-government coordination, performanceauditing and evaluation, online services andinformation. This means California does anexcellent job allocating funds, ensuring thatfunds are spent correctly, and evaluating afterthe fact how funds were spent.http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2008/03/03/grading-the-states-2008-report

State Budget Update: Spring 2014 by NationalConference of State Legislatureshttp://www.ncsl.org/documents/fiscal/SPRING_SBU_2014_free.pdf

California is only one of nine states, or 1/5 ofthe Nation that has actually spent less thanits projected budget.Table 2: Budget Agency Functions FromBudget Processes In The States by NationalAssociation of State Budget Officers, Summer2008, PG 9-10http://www.nasbo.org/sites/default/files/BP_2008.pdf

California is one of three states in theNation that has the most extensivereview process for overseeing the statebudget. Forty seven other states have lessexhaustive review processes set up to

FACT:

California has one of the best track records at managing money.

ensure budget oversight.This isnt a new standard for California thilevel of oversight goes back 20 years.Table E: Budget agency functions from FROMBUDGET PROCESSES IN THE STATES BYNational Association of State Budget OfficersDecember 1989, Pg 10-11http://www.nasbo.org/sites/default/files/BP_1989.pdf

In 1989, California had the most extensivereview process for the budget of any state inthe Nation.California was one of three in the Nationrecognized for excellence in Governmentfinance by International Review in 2014.http://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-

government-finance/gfoa-s-2014-awards-excellence-government-finance

California is one of four states in all of U.S.recognized for excellence in governmentfinance in 2013.http://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/awards-excellence-government-finance-award-0

California is the only state to receive an awatwo years in a row by the International RevieOrganization.

Center for Achievement in Excellence inFinancial Reporting 2010-2014 - California wo

the most awards of any state every year2010http://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2010/index.html2011http://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2011/index.html2012http://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2012/index.html2013http://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2013/index.html
http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.nasra.org/ppcchttp://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/state-pension-systems-funded-ratios-financial-health.htmlhttp://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/state-pension-systems-funded-ratios-financial-health.htmlhttp://www.moneymanagementintelligence.com/default.htmlhttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2008/03/03/grading-the-states-2008-reporthttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2008/03/03/grading-the-states-2008-reporthttp://www.ncsl.org/documents/fiscal/SPRING_SBU_2014_free.pdfhttp://www.nasbo.org/sites/default/files/BP_2008.pdfhttp://www.nasbo.org/sites/default/files/BP_1989.pdfhttp://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/gfoa-s-2014-awards-excellence-government-financehttp://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/gfoa-s-2014-awards-excellence-government-financehttp://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/gfoa-s-2014-awards-excellence-government-financehttp://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/awards-excellence-government-finance-award-0http://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/awards-excellence-government-finance-award-0http://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/awards-excellence-government-finance-award-0http://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2010/index.htmlhttp://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2010/index.htmlhttp://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2011/index.htmlhttp://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2012/index.htmlhttp://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2013/index.htmlhttp://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2013/index.htmlhttp://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2012/index.htmlhttp://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2011/index.htmlhttp://www.gfoa.net/cafrwinners/2010/index.htmlhttp://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/awards-excellence-government-finance-award-0http://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/awards-excellence-government-finance-award-0http://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/awards-excellence-government-finance-award-0http://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/gfoa-s-2014-awards-excellence-government-financehttp://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/gfoa-s-2014-awards-excellence-government-financehttp://www.gfoa.org/award-programs/awards-excellence-government-finance/gfoa-s-2014-awards-excellence-government-financehttp://www.nasbo.org/sites/default/files/BP_1989.pdfhttp://www.nasbo.org/sites/default/files/BP_2008.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org/documents/fiscal/SPRING_SBU_2014_free.pdfhttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2008/03/03/grading-the-states-2008-reporthttp://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2008/03/03/grading-the-states-2008-reporthttp://www.moneymanagementintelligence.com/default.htmlhttp://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/state-pension-systems-funded-ratios-financial-health.htmlhttp://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/state-pension-systems-funded-ratios-financial-health.htmlhttp://www.nasra.org/ppcchttp://www.sovereignca.org/


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MYTH:

Page 6

California has one of the few highly professional legislatures

According to a study by Columbia University, California is one of the relatively few state legislatures that are"highly professionalized." In comparison to most other states, California has one of the more-professionalizedlegislatures. Pg 58 and 63.Professional legislatures were found by the study to possess an increased intelligencecapacity over less professional legislatures. Pg 59Who Blinks First? Legislative Patience and Bargaining with Governors by THAD KOUSSER, University of California,San Diego and JUSTIN H. PHILLIPS, Columbia University , LEGISLATIVE STUDIES QUARTERLY, XXXIV, ColumbiaUniversity, February 1 2009http://www.columbia.edu/~jhp2121/publications/WhoBlinksFirst.pdf

A more professional legislature has been shown to be one that delivers quality governance:

Professionalism has been used to explain a legislaturesincreased legislative efficiency. Pg 5

Legislators in professional chambers also obtain more success in public policy implementation. Pg 6

In general, more professional legislatures have a higher percentage of members identifying as full-timelegislators. Pg 6

Explaining Public Attitudes on State Legislative Professionalism by Lilliard Richardson, David Konisky, Jeff Milyo,University of Missouri, October 2008http://web.missouri.edu/~milyoj/files/State%20Legislative%20Professionalism%20APR.pdf

For the last 30 years, California has had the best staff support

One of the ways that the Columbia University study in 2009 measured professionalism of a states legislature wasby the amount of support staff they had to process all of the governing information they needed to consider. Forthe last 30 years, California has had more support staff to support its legislature than any other state in the Union,making the California legislature the most resourced legislature of all 50 states.Size Of State Legislative Staff: From 1979, 1988, 1996, 2003, 2009 By National Conference of State Legislatureshttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspx

FACT:California has the mostprofessional legislature in the nation.

Sacramento is the least functional government of all of the states.

Table 1. Red, White and Blue Legislatures from full and part-time legislatures by National Conference of State Legislatures , 6/1/2009http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/full-and-part-time-legislatures.aspxCalifornia is one of the four most professional legislatures out of all 50 states.

Governing States and Localities by Kevin Smith, Alan Greenblatt, John Buntin, CQ

Press: A division of Congressional Quarterly Inc., 2005

Californias legislature is one of the best equipped and

most professional in the country.
http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.columbia.edu/~jhp2121/publications/WhoBlinksFirst.pdfhttp://web.missouri.edu/~milyoj/files/State%20Legislative%20Professionalism%20APR.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/full-and-part-time-legislatures.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/full-and-part-time-legislatures.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://web.missouri.edu/~milyoj/files/State%20Legislative%20Professionalism%20APR.pdfhttp://www.columbia.edu/~jhp2121/publications/WhoBlinksFirst.pdfhttp://www.sovereignca.org/


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MYTH:

Page 7

In California, a state with a long, policy-specific

constitution that provides for a high degree of

direct democracy, they often attempt to amend the

constitution instead. While the majority of politicalscientists wring their hands about this tendency, it

undeniably gives Californians a role in shaping their

constitution that voters in other regions of the county

like New England lack.

Page 83

In California, voters have used initiatives to impose some

of the Nations strictest term limits on elected officials

Page 88

Unlike other judges in pure appointive systems, however,

judges appointed in California serve short initial termsand are then subject to retention elections

Page 272

California may be the best example of a state that

had such a progressive reaction against machines.

The state was hostile toward parties, lacked any type

of patronage system, and held nonpartisan elections.

Precinct and war organizations were weak, while

individual candidates were assertiveCalifornia was

the exception to the rule. Throughout the 1800s,

most states essentially treated parties as private

associations and choose not to regulate them.Page 140

Governing States and Localities by Kevin Smith,

Alan Greenblatt, John Buntin, CQ press: A division of

Congressional Quarterly Inc., 2005

Californias democracy is not at all like Americas,as conceived by founders such as James Madison...California thus stands as a rare, and perhapsunique, counterpoint to the many countries whosemain problem is a lack of democracy.

The peoples will The Economist, April 20 2011

http://www.economist.com/node/18563638

They turn voters into legislators, since a successfulinitiative becomes statute. In states like California,

initiatives can even turn voters into founding fatherswho amend the state constitution. There are worldsof nuance in the detail. The package that Californiachose was especially powerful.

Origin of the species, The Economist, April 20 2011http://www.economist.com/node/18548119?zid=311&ah=308cac674cccf554ce65

cf926868bbc2

The Legislature does what it wants regardless of the will of the voters.

FACT:

Californians have the most control over theirgovernment compared to all other states.
http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.sovereignca.org/


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MYTH:

Page 8

To support this concept above, a comparison

of the size of each legislature in each of

the 50 states, shows that California is in

the bottom 3rd of states with the smallest

legislatures. This is even though California

has the largest population of any state in

the Nation by far. Two-thirds of American

states, which are much smaller in population

than California, have larger, more bloatedgovernments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_

of_U.S._state_governments

California has the lowest amount of

government workers per capita in the

Nation, except for 4 states: Florida, Illinois,

Arizona, Nevada. California state government

employees number some 400,000 in a

general population of over 38 million. In

other words, just 1.08% of the population

are state employees. Only four other states

have a smaller percentage of their population

that works for the state government while 45

other states have a higher percentage of their

population working for the state government.

Meanwhile, the Federal government employs

about 1.4% of the total national population

meaning that California has a lower per capitaratio of government workers to the population

than the Federal government.

This data is the result of comparing the

population of all states and the Nation in 2011:

Cumulative Estimates of Resident Population

Change for the United States, Regions,

States, and Puerto Rico and Region and State

Rankings: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 from

State Totals: Vintage 2011 by US Census

http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/

totals/2011/index.html

...to the amount of state government workers

for each state and the nation in 2011:

Table 8.5: state government employment

(full-time equivalent) for selected functions,

by state: 2011 from Book of the States 2013,

Chapter 8: State Management, Administration

and Demographics By Audrey Wall, Council ofState Governments, Monday, July 1, 2013

http://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/system/

files/8.5_2013.pdf

California was ranked the least bureaucratic

state in comparison to all other states in 2000

Pg 309 Governing States and Localities by Kevin

Smith, Alan Greenblatt, John Buntin, CQ Press: A

division of Congressional Quarterly Inc., 2005

Ca li forni a New Jers ey Vi rgi ni a Tennes see Al aba ma Mi nnes ota Arka ns as Ka ns as Al as ka Ma ine

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

Californians expect their legislators to serve almost three times as

many people as legislators in other states are expected to serve.

The graph below shows how many people each legislator serves for

each state in America.The Size of State Legislatures By BRUCE BARTLETT, New York Times, December 31, 2013 http://economix.blogs.nytimes.

com/2013/12/31/the-size-of-state-legislatures/

The California legislature is the most bloated bureaucracy in America.

Californians expect the most

out of their legislators in

comparison to any other

state in America by far.

FACT:

California has the least bureacraticgovernment in the nation.
http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/system/files/8.5_2013.pdfhttp://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/system/files/8.5_2013.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/system/files/8.5_2013.pdfhttp://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/system/files/8.5_2013.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspxhttp://www.sovereignca.org/


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MYTH:

Page 9

California has the most transparent laws on corruption

California has the most organized and easily searchable set of laws on fighting

against corruption, meaning that it has provided the easiest to understand interface

on its corruption laws. Therefore, Californians can easily understand the state's anti-

corruption laws and hold their elected officials accountable.

LINKS TO STATES LEGISLATIVE ETHICS AND LOBBYING LAWS BY National Conference of State Legislatures, March2013 - http://www.ncsl.org/research/ethics/50-state-legislative-ethics-and-lobbying-laws.aspx

Americas Least Corrupt States 24/7 Wall street, March 22 , 2012http://247wallst.com/special-report/2012/03/22/americas-least-corrupt-states/California was ranked the fourth least corrupt state out of 50.

California: Corruption Risk Report Card by State Integrity Investigation, Center for Public IntegrityCalifornia was ranked as the fourth least corrupt state in the nation.http://www.stateintegrity.org/california

"California: The story behind the score" by Carol Goodhue Shull and Robert Shull, State IntegrityInvestigation 2012http://www.stateintegrity.org/california_story_subpage

States with the most lax anti-corruption laws By Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale, NBC News, March 27 2012http://business.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/27/10812551-states-with-the-most-lax-anti-corruption-laws

California was listed as one of the top three states where politicians are honest and information readilyavailable to the public on their actions.California 2nd most aggressive of 50 states in pursuing convictions for corruption

"Grading the nation: How accountable is your state?" by Caitlin Ginley, Center for Public Integrity 2012http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/03/19/8423/grading-nation-how-accountable-your-state

"The most corrupt state(s) in America" by Reid Wilson, Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/01/22/the-most-corrupt-states-in-america/

Sacramento is the softest place on corruption.

FACT:California ranks at the top of fighting corruption.
http://www.sovereignca.org/http://%20http//www.ncsl.org/research/ethics/50-state-legislative-ethics-and-lobbying-laws.aspxhttp://247wallst.com/special-report/2012/03/22/americas-least-corrupt-states/http://www.stateintegrity.org/californiahttp://www.stateintegrity.org/californiahttp://business.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/27/10812551-states-with-the-most-lax-anti-corruption-lawshttp://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/03/19/8423/grading-nation-how-accountable-your-statehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/01/22/the-most-corrupt-states-in-america/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/01/22/the-most-corrupt-states-in-america/http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/03/19/8423/grading-nation-how-accountable-your-statehttp://business.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/27/10812551-states-with-the-most-lax-anti-corruption-lawshttp://www.stateintegrity.org/californiahttp://www.stateintegrity.org/californiahttp://247wallst.com/special-report/2012/03/22/americas-least-corrupt-states/http://%20http//www.ncsl.org/research/ethics/50-state-legislative-ethics-and-lobbying-laws.aspxhttp://www.sovereignca.org/


10/10


CALIFORNIA STATE VS. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Public opinion polls often show that citizens placemore trust in state and local governments than inthe federal government. Pg 16

Governing States and Localities by Kevin Smith,Alan Greenblatt, John Buntin, CQ Press: A division ofCongressional Quarterly Inc., 2005Californians have said they trust their state electedofficials far more than their federally electedofficials:http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_CalLegislature1211.pdf

2011 - 25% approve of State Legislature, 55%disapprove of Legislature (when California'sgovernment was most disliked)

http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_Congress1211.pdf2011 - 20% approve of Federal Congress, 75%disapprovehttp://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_Obama1211.pdf

2011 - 43% disapprove of President Obamahttp://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_Brown1211.pdf

2011 - 30% disapprove of Governor Brown

There is a lot about how Californians dont trusttheir state government, however, Californians trusttheir Federal government even less.

Few Californians trust their state or federalgovernment by Stephen Frank, California Politicalnews and views, 12/14/2011http://capoliticalnews.com/2011/12/14/few-californians-trust-

their-state-or-federal-government/

As to the national government, Congress shouldhope for approval ratings like those of the CaliforniaLegislature.

CALIFORNIAS GOVERNMENT CAN WORK TOGETHERBETTER THAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENTPew Research Center: America Is More Polarized ThanEver By Justine Hofherr, Boston.com, June 12, 2014

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/06/12/pew-research-center-america-more-polarized-than-ever/K46PCkzrWPu9rKeIKR2MLK/story.html

The share of Americans who express consistentlyconservative or consistently liberal opinions hasdoubled over the past two decades, from 10 percentto 21 percent.

Republicans with unfavorable opinions ofDemocrats has jumped from 17 to 43 percent,while Democrats with highly negative opinions ofRepublicans has more than doubled from 16 to 38percent.

New Study Shows California LegislatureLess Polarized Following Reforms by USCSchwarzenegger Institute, February 25, 2014http://216.243.142.19/institute-in-action/article/new-study-

shows-california-legislature-less-polarized-following-reforms

Meanwhile, research shows that ideologicalpolarization between the parties has increased inthe U.S. Congress during the time period in whichwe show it has declined in the California statelegislature.From: The Adoption of Electoral Reforms andIdeological Change in the California StateLegislatureBy Christian Grose, USC Schwarzenegger Institute,2013 pg 2

CALIFORNIAS GOVERNMENT IS MORE TRANSPARENT

THAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENTCalifornia recently passed massive transparencybills: California Voters Tell Cities That TransparencysNon-Negotiable by Nancy Scola, Next City, June 30, 2014http://www.publicceo.com/2014/06/california-voters-tell-cities-

that-transparencys-non-negotiable/

Big transparency win by California Legislature byMatthew Grant Anson, CA FWD, 06/14/2013http://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/california-legislature-

makes-big-win-for-transparencyIn contrast:In the last 10 years President George W. Bushintroduced redacted reports which removedinformation from the public that was previouslyavailable to the public.Inside the Saudi/9-11 cover-up By Paul Sperry, NewYork Post, December 15, 2013http://nypost.com/2013/12/15/inside-the-saudi-911-coverup/

President Obama has been rated the leasttransparent in historyBarack Obama: Least Transparent President inHistory by Joe Otto, Before its news, March 18, 2014http://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2014/03/barack-obama-

least-transparent-president-in-history-2606158.html

CALIFORNIAS GOVERNMENT IS BETTER ATBALANCING A BUDGET THAN THE FEDERALGOVERNMENTCalifornia passed a balanced budget law in 2004California Proposition 58, Balanced Budget Act(March 2004) Ballotpediahttp://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_58,_Balanced_Budget_Act_

(March_2004)

Its a decade later and the Federal government stillhas not passed this law.Balanced budget amendment Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_Budget_Amendment

CALIFORNIAS GOVERNMENT IS AS CAPABLE AS THEFEDERAL GOVERNMENTtoday, the most professional legislatures haveresources that rival Congress. Pg 204Californias legislature is one of the best equippedand most professional in the country. Pg 205Governing States and Localities by Kevin Smith,Alan Greenblatt, John Buntin, CQ Press: A division ofCongressional Quarterly Inc., 2005

Californians Trust StateGoverment Far More ThanFederal Government
http://www.sovereignca.org/http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_CalLegislature1211.pdfhttp://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_Congress1211.pdfhttp://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_Obama1211.pdfhttp://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_Brown1211.pdfhttp://capoliticalnews.com/2011/12/14/few-californians-trust-their-state-or-federal-government/http://capoliticalnews.com/2011/12/14/few-californians-trust-their-state-or-federal-government/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/06/12/pew-research-center-america-more-polarized-than-ever/K46PCkzrWPu9rKeIKR2MLK/story.htmlhttp://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/06/12/pew-research-center-america-more-polarized-than-ever/K46PCkzrWPu9rKeIKR2MLK/story.htmlhttp://216.243.142.19/institute-in-action/article/new-study-shows-california-legislature-less-polarized-following-reformshttp://216.243.142.19/institute-in-action/article/new-study-shows-california-legislature-less-polarized-following-reformshttp://www.publicceo.com/2014/06/california-voters-tell-cities-that-transparencys-non-negotiable/http://www.publicceo.com/2014/06/california-voters-tell-cities-that-transparencys-non-negotiable/http://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/california-legislature-makes-big-win-for-transparencyhttp://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/california-legislature-makes-big-win-for-transparencyhttp://nypost.com/2013/12/15/inside-the-saudi-911-coverup/http://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2014/03/barack-obama-least-transparent-president-in-history-2606158.htmlhttp://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2014/03/barack-obama-least-transparent-president-in-history-2606158.htmlhttp://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_58,_Balanced_Budget_Act_(March_2004)http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_58,_Balanced_Budget_Act_(March_2004)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_Budget_Amendmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_Budget_Amendmenthttp://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_58,_Balanced_Budget_Act_(March_2004)http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_58,_Balanced_Budget_Act_(March_2004)http://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2014/03/barack-obama-least-transparent-president-in-history-2606158.htmlhttp://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2014/03/barack-obama-least-transparent-president-in-history-2606158.htmlhttp://nypost.com/2013/12/15/inside-the-saudi-911-coverup/http://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/california-legislature-makes-big-win-for-transparencyhttp://www.cafwd.org/reporting/entry/california-legislature-makes-big-win-for-transparencyhttp://www.publicceo.com/2014/06/california-voters-tell-cities-that-transparencys-non-negotiable/http://www.publicceo.com/2014/06/california-voters-tell-cities-that-transparencys-non-negotiable/http://216.243.142.19/institute-in-action/article/new-study-shows-california-legislature-less-polarized-following-reformshttp://216.243.142.19/institute-in-action/article/new-study-shows-california-legislature-less-polarized-following-reformshttp://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/06/12/pew-research-center-america-more-polarized-than-ever/K46PCkzrWPu9rKeIKR2MLK/story.htmlhttp://www.boston.com/news/nation/2014/06/12/pew-research-center-america-more-polarized-than-ever/K46PCkzrWPu9rKeIKR2MLK/story.htmlhttp://capoliticalnews.com/2011/12/14/few-californians-trust-their-state-or-federal-government/http://capoliticalnews.com/2011/12/14/few-californians-trust-their-state-or-federal-government/http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_Brown1211.pdfhttp://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_Obama1211.pdfhttp://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_Congress1211.pdfhttp://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/other/APR_CalLegislature1211.pdfhttp://www.sovereignca.org/

Documents

Sovereign California Dispels Myth that California is Ungovernable