What will it take to get California back on track? (extended stay, sales)

[bluewatergirl888]

With all of the problems I am reading about California, I want to know what the people living there think it will take to get the state back on a better road.

Major problems seem to be overcrowding, expensive, too many illegals, lack of good government, and poor school system.

What do you feel will make the state better, or is it too late? Or do you feel that the problems are not as great as people make them out to be?

I have never lived there (except for an extended stay) but have visited many times. It is such a beautiful place, I am sad to see it in such a bad predicament.

[NYSD1995]

In my opinion the state is a shambles and will remain so for many years. California will essentially be a place for the very rich and the very poor and the people in the middle will continue to leave. But here's a few things I think would need to happen...

- an exodus of most of the state legislature would be nice
- re-drawing the legislative districts to put real competition in the races
- change the budgeting process to allow simple majority instead of 2/3rds
- significantly reduce the size of public sector employee rolls
- significantly reduce state and city pension obligations through negotiation and/or buyouts
- significantly reduce state welfare and social programs to federal-only levels
- repeal prop 13 for commercial property
- break up the largest urban school districts and/or oust their boards
- create an alternative school fast-track for ESL and other unprepared students
- tax medical marijuana heavily and create a state law to govern the dispensaries
- enforce federal immigration law, especially but not limited to the employer level
- invest in neighborhood and commercial code compliance and infrastructure rebuilding
- invest in public safety - police & fire
- concentrate a massive police and outreach effort into gang elimination
- classify gang crime as domestic intra-state organized crime and move gang members to federal prisons
- create tax incentives for urban redevelopment and create tax disincentives for scrape & build
- create tax incentives for home improvement and repair
- tax homeowners in fire-prone areas for increased fire services

[BayAreaHillbilly]

1. Restoration of capitalism.
2. A strict constructionist Constitutional frame work.
3. Rule of Law (see #2).
4. More balance between the extremism of Gaia worship and the realism of Western Civilization.

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

- change the budgeting process to allow simple majority instead of 2/3rds federal

THIS. I mean, no, it's not the only thing that would need to happen (obviously), and Sass has stated a whole bunch of others that have valid points, but I wanted to point this out as something that I find just bizarre. I really feel this particular silly rule is killing us in a lot of ways.

[BRinSM]

it's a pie in the sky idea, but if CA could bring back a manufacturing base to its inland communities (i dunno, maybe green industries, non-union of course), they would save a lot of skilled jobs and increase their revenues. this of course is easier said than done in the unfriendly business environment that exists here. that would need to be fixed. the other issue with this is are the real estate costs of doing business here, but that is already being addressed as I write this. Hopefully in the meantime, CA could get its spending issues under control so all of this new revenue wouldn't be wasted.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

In my opinion the state is a shambles and will remain so for many years. California will essentially be a place for the very rich and the very poor and the people in the middle will continue to leave. But here's a few things I think would need to happen...

- an exodus of most of the state legislature would be nice
- re-drawing the legislative districts to put real competition in the races
- change the budgeting process to allow simple majority instead of 2/3rds
- significantly reduce the size of public sector employee rolls
- significantly reduce state and city pension obligations through negotiation and/or buyouts
- significantly reduce state welfare and social programs to federal-only levels
- repeal prop 13 for commercial property
- break up the largest urban school districts and/or oust their boards
- create an alternative school fast-track for ESL and other unprepared students
- tax medical marijuana heavily and create a state law to govern the dispensaries
- enforce federal immigration law, especially but not limited to the employer level
- invest in neighborhood and commercial code compliance and infrastructure rebuilding
- invest in public safety - police & fire
- concentrate a massive police and outreach effort into gang elimination
- classify gang crime as domestic intra-state organized crime and move gang members to federal prisons
- create tax incentives for urban redevelopment and create tax disincentives for scrape & build
- create tax incentives for home improvement and repair
- tax homeowners in fire-prone areas for increased fire services

Well thought out and comprehensive list. Unfortunately, I suspect that the real polotik that is California's leadership, or lack thereof, will prevail in blocking any meaningful reform.

[Den Mathias]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

In my opinion the state is a shambles and will remain so for many years. California will essentially be a place for the very rich and the very poor and the people in the middle will continue to leave. But here's a few things I think would need to happen...

- an exodus of most of the state legislature would be nice
- re-drawing the legislative districts to put real competition in the races
- change the budgeting process to allow simple majority instead of 2/3rds
- significantly reduce the size of public sector employee rolls
- significantly reduce state and city pension obligations through negotiation and/or buyouts
- significantly reduce state welfare and social programs to federal-only levels
- repeal prop 13 for commercial property
- break up the largest urban school districts and/or oust their boards
- create an alternative school fast-track for ESL and other unprepared students
- tax medical marijuana heavily and create a state law to govern the dispensaries
- enforce federal immigration law, especially but not limited to the employer level
- invest in neighborhood and commercial code compliance and infrastructure rebuilding
- invest in public safety - police & fire
- concentrate a massive police and outreach effort into gang elimination
- classify gang crime as domestic intra-state organized crime and move gang members to federal prisons
- create tax incentives for urban redevelopment and create tax disincentives for scrape & build
- create tax incentives for home improvement and repair
- tax homeowners in fire-prone areas for increased fire services

Great List!
But, the bottom line seems to be LESS government and the attraction of more business back to the state.

Also, build a few more power plants and water projects. Otherwise we will soon be living in caves? Although, the temperature is always a nice even 50 degrees F!

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by JerZ

THIS. I mean, no, it's not the only thing that would need to happen (obviously), and Sass has stated a whole bunch of others that have valid points, but I wanted to point this out as something that I find just bizarre. I really feel this particular silly rule is killing us in a lot of ways.

Why is it so bad to require a 2/3 majority to raise taxes? Do you have any idea what our taxes would be if they only needed a simple majority? They're already high enough. They just need to cut out the crap and spend more wisely like everyone else.

[big daryle]

Originally Posted by bluewatergirl888

With all of the problems I am reading about California, I want to know what the people living there think it will take to get the state back on a better road.

Major problems seem to be overcrowding, expensive, too many illegals, lack of good government, and poor school system.

What do you feel will make the state better, or is it too late? Or do you feel that the problems are not as great as people make them out to be?

I have never lived there (except for an extended stay) but have visited many times. It is such a beautiful place, I am sad to see it in such a bad predicament.

It is too late. california has allowed millions of unskilled parasites to settle there, now it must pay the price.

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Why is it so bad to require a 2/3 majority to raise taxes? Do you have any idea what our taxes would be if they only needed a simple majority? They're already high enough. They just need to cut out the crap and spend more wisely like everyone else.

Oh please, our taxes, all things considered, are not so much higher than everyone else's. Taxes are just one thing people like to complain about in general and every state thinks it has the market cornered on how high they all are (except perhaps for one or two). "But our property taxes..." "But our sales tax..." "But that silly 1% tax on..."

"Just cut out the crap" is a heck of a novel idea. If you have anything solid to offer rather than what your grandfather and his dad before him used to bark out vaguely from an armchair in the living room, please do let us know. That is if you're concerned about really changing things rather than just recycling the same old-same old as far as complaints are concerned.

So let's try again. "Cut out the crap." Where? By whom? What sort of savings would be seen? For all the not-spent-on-crap funds, where would that money go?

I mean here's the thing, EC. I know you're not huge on California any more. Besides the obviousness of your username, you've been on here a while and I've been on here a while and I've seen a lot of the stuff you've written. And yes, I can relate a lot of the time and dream pretty much daily of moving to an area that's more my speed. But that doesn't change things for people who really have to be here for the time being--and for people who really want to be here and want to make it all work. People like my husband who were born here don't want to see the state crumble into ashes. Real solutions are called for rather than just unilateral complaints.