My-turn

Ted Lempert, Children Now: From criminal justice reform to environmental stewardship to humane immigration policies, California’s leaders make the state a model of effective governance for the federal government and other states. But no matter how you look at it, the state ranks near the bottom of states when it comes to our kids.

Dick Ackerman and Mel Levine, California Coalition for Public Higher Education: As the state continues to improve higher education access and success, we must support Proposition 13 to provide the funding needed to revitalize aging facilities so that they will be safe places to learn and will have the capacity to meet the increasing number of students seeking higher education.

Mark Nelson, California Rangeland Trust: Livestock grazing can lower wildfire risk and reduces the impact of fires by slowing down the speed of spreading flames. Livestock often leave land better than they found it, providing benefits to the state’s watersheds and helping to cultivate healthy soils. An added benefit: they don’t rely on toxic herbicides, petroleum products or chemicals

Stephanie James, Chief Probation Officers of California: Since 2007, California’s juvenile justice system, led by local probation departments, has decreased juvenile detention rates by 60% and juvenile arrest rates by 73%. We have safely treated and supervised 90% of youth in the justice system in the community, and we have diverted nearly 67% of youth out of the justice system. But our work is not done.

James Gallagher, Republican Assemblyman: PG&E’s mismanagement is the primary culprit in multiple wildfires that have claimed lives and destroyed homes and businesses in Northern California. But there has been little focus on the government’s mismanagement. That, too, has been a significant contributor to our current woes. That needs to change.

Eric Jaye, Democratic political consultant: Google famously implores their company with the slogan, “Don’t be evil.” It is true the company has not always matched that aspiration. But with a bold upgrade of its political advertising standards, Google is delivering a powerful public good.

Wade Crowfoot and Jared Blumenfeld, secretaries of Natural Resources and CalEPA: After careful review of the federal biological opinions released late last month, our best experts concluded they are insufficient to protect endangered fish. As a result, the state needs to protect California’s interests and values.

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta: The Newsom administration needs to make clear where it stands on Delta management. More importantly, the Newsom administration must act on its water values forcefully, and not succumb to the water grab being orchestrated by the Trump-Bernhardt-Westlands alliance.

Kevin Kiley, Republican Assemblyman from Rocklin: The job of writing all-important descriptions for ballot measures falls is instead entrusted to the partisan elected attorney general of California. Our current Attorney General, Democrat Xavier Becerra, is only the latest in a line of attorneys general who have exercised this power without even a pretense of impartiality, instead skewing ballot language to lead voters towards their preferred political outcome. That must change.

Sam Liccardo, San Jose mayor: Pacific Gas & Electric should be run like other customer-owned businesses—such as credit unions, or mutual insurance corporations—with management responsive to markets, and responsible to customers. It’s hardly a novel concept. More than 900 utility “cooperatives”—including a couple with billions in revenues—currently serve 19 million customers in the U.S..