My-turn

Andrea Golloher, San Jose State University: California policymakers must strive to ensure that members of the early childhood workforce earn a worthy wage, have incentives to expand infant and toddler care, and receive the necessary support for quality improvement and training to meet the needs of each and every child, from the start.

Jill Escher, mother of a young man and teenage girl with nonverbal forms of autism: Though we hear little about autism data from our public health leaders or media, California’s autism rates continue to surge, with no plateau in sight. Schools can’t keep up with demand. Emergency rooms and police departments are reeling from increasingly frequent crisis cases. Families are desperate for support and solutions. California policymakers must focus on the issue.

Ken Pimlott, former chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection: Executed well, Bloomberg’s fire and forestry proposal will reduce loss of life and property over the next four years, saving the U.S. economy billions of dollars each year.

Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, Rocklin Republican: For decades, Pacific Gas and Electric has methodically executed what the New York Times called its “political playbook”: giving millions and getting its way. As PG&E seeks to exit bankruptcy again, the Legislature and Gov. Newsom must act to loosen its grip on the Capitol by banning it from giving campaign donations.

Loren Kaye, California Foundation for Commerce and Education: If you’re looking for a job or a healthy lifestyle, California remains a dream come true. But there’s a problem. Many Californians can no longer afford California. Here’s what legislators can do to reduce the cost of living.

Jen Flory, Western Center on Law & Poverty: California doesn’t have the beds or community services that would be required if we start arresting everyone who police deem mentally unwell. The state can’t arrest its way out of the housing crisis. Proposals to do so don’t address the underlying problem, which is that people can’t afford housing, whether they are living with a mental health issue or not.

Michael Rushford, Criminal Justice Legal Foundation: Building enough housing required to accommodate the 130,000 people living outside in California would be extremely expensive. But there are alternatives. Sacramento County taxpayers, for example, have paid $2.3 million over the past five years to maintain the vacant Boys Ranch sitting on 140 rural acres with 12 buildings. It could easily accommodate homeless people.

Kate Gordon and Lenny Mendonca, Office of Planning & Resource and GO-Biz: California is a high road economic development state. Our innovative spirit includes a responsibility to leave the world better than we found it. We are excited to see regions step forward with their own visions for this high road approach to regional economic development. Metro Bakersfield and Kern County is a great example.

Ellen Hanak and Jeffrey Mount, PPIC: Gov. Gavin Newsom has put forward a framework for managing water and habitat in the Delta and its watershed. The many Delta interests should try to make this agreement happen. This is an opportunity—the kind that comes along rarely—to shift from fighting about the Delta’s future to actually shaping it.

Spreck Rosekrans, Restore Hetch Hetchy: San Francisco’s Water Department has persuaded Congress to deny long-promised access to unreachable areas of Yosemite National Park. This power play ban environmentally benign boating on Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, and reverses the guarantees of access made by San Francisco in 1913.