OUR VISION:
Every Californian should have a chance to work, to discover their potential, and to share that potential with others. This also happens to be the surest way to an inclusive, robust and resilient economy that prepares the next generation to thrive as workers, employers, inventors, parents, and civic stewards.
All Californians deserve a political process that prioritizes collaborative, evidence-driven problem solving; models respect, inclusion, civility, and accountability; and manages their tax dollars prudently.
We can claim success when Californians statewide report they are personally experiencing the effects of a more inclusive economy, and feel valued and empowered.
HOW DO WE GET THERE? RENEW THE CALIFORNIA DREAM
Attainment of the below assets (A Home, Healthcare, Employment, Education & Childcare, and A Foundation for Civic Participation, as defined below) is the recipe for security and self-sufficiency that in turn allows individuals the freedom to pursue their chosen path in our contemporary world. This is the New California Dream.
It’s also the foundational set of conditions that will best enable society to discover and nurture the talents of every Californian, irrespective of region or race, which is among the smartest things we can do as a state: It maximizes the number of people working at what they do best; it enriches families and the communities of which they are a part, and it prepares our full population to embrace the future.
The reality today however, is that record numbers of Californians, from birth through old age, are trapped in perpetual economic insecurity with an intergenerational hold. It’s inhumane, it’s bad business, and it severely constrains our ability to prepare for the economic, technological and environmental challenges heading our way (rapidly).
Whether we change is our choice. We know what to do; we just need to decide to do it, by when, and how. So let’s commit. We are eager to join with the Governor and Legislature, the private sector, the non-profit sector, local governments, and colleagues and friends everywhere to transform our state into one that assures all Californians access to the following necessary conditions for sustained economic security, freedom and mobility: The California Dream:
1. A Home that…
- Is Affordable (Cost of mortgage or rent should be 30% or less of annual income)
- Is in a Safe neighborhood
- Has Clean air and water, access to public services like parks and open space
- Has High Speed Internet Service
- Is a Short distance to groceries and other essential businesses
- Has Access to Transportation, including to work, that is affordable, safe and reliable
(Affordable, Safe, Healthy, Connected)
2. Healthcare that…
- Includes Affordable prenatal care, screenings, immunizations, and regular check-ups
- Includes Affordable care for illness, emergencies, prescriptions, and mental health
(Affordable, Comprehensive, Preventive)
3. Employment that offers…
- Reliable/Predictable living wage jobs
- Pathways to work in well-paid growth careers
- Workplace Policies that support working families
- The ability to Save for emergencies and retirement
(Stable, Family-Friendly, Fair, Enables Saving)
4. Education and Childcare that…
- Are Affordable and reliable for working families
- Extend continuously from early childhood through an adult’s working life
- Successfully prepare toddlers, youth and adults for the next phase of education or work
- Are Flexible, to accommodate people with a range of needs and constraints
(Affordable, Continuous, High Quality, Flexible)
5. A Foundation for Civic Participation that…
- Provides all Californians Basic knowledge of how government works, and how to inform and influence it
- Maximizes Voting access, encourages informed voting, and assures the integrity of the electoral system
- Is Designed for inclusion, transparency and accountability, for informed decision-making and spending
(Accessible, Representative, Accountable, Informed)
…by 2030
Next Step: The Collaborative will be developing the details of how to accomplish and measure progress toward the above goals; Please stay tuned and help us get it right.
Current Endorsements:
(* = For identification only)
Ashley Swearengin, President and CEO, Central Valley Community Foundation, Former Mayor, Fresno
Michele Siqueiros, President, Campaign for College Opportunity
Sam Blakeslee, Founding Director, Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; former California State Senator, Assemblyman, and Assembly Republican Leader
Virginia Hamilton, former Regional Administrator, U.S. Department of Labor
Kathay Feng, National Redistricting Director, Common Cause; former Executive Director, California Common Cause*
Pete Peterson, Dean & Senior Fellow, Pepperdine School of Public Policy, Davenport Institute, Pepperdine University*
David B. Smith, CEO, X Sector Labs; former Managing Director, Presidio Institute; Co-Founder of CalOZ
Jonathan Stein, Voting Rights Program Manager, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus*
Duf Sundheim, Fed. Court Approved Mediator; Principal, GPS Mediation; former Chair, CA Republican Party
Pete Weber, former Vice-President, FMC Corporation; former CEO, TeKnowledge, Inc.; former CEO, Riverbend International; Founder and Chair, Fresno Bridge Academy; Co-Chair California Forward
Zabrae Valentine, Co-founder, CA Forward and the CA Forward Action Fund
Hilary Hoynes, Professor of Economics and Public Policy; Co-Director, Berkeley Opportunity Lab, University of California Berkeley
David Grusky, Professor of Sociology; Director, Center on Poverty and Inequality, Stanford University
Sarah Bohn, Director of Research and Senior Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California
Bill Bloomfield, President, web service company (retired)
Jeannine English, former State and National President, AARP; Former Executive Director, Little Hoover Commission; 2018 Stanford Fellow, Distinguished Career Institute
Laura N. Chick, former Ca Inspector General for federal stimulus funds; former L.A. City Councilmember; former LA City Controller
Rob Lapsley, President, California Business Roundtable
Melissa R. Michelson, Professor of Political Science, Menlo College, Author
Deborah S. Mintz, former Chief Advancement Officer, Beyond 12
Pam Calloway, Executive Director, The Bread Project
Jim Cunneen, former State Assemblyman; former CEO San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce
Elisabeth Mason, Venture Philanthropist; Founding Director of the Stanford Technology, Opportunity and Poverty Lab, Stanford University
Larry Rosenthal, Program Director, UC Berkeley Center on Civility & Democratic Engagement
Kristin Connelly, President and CEO, East Bay Leadership Council*
Drew Liebert, former Chief Counsel, California Assembly Judiciary Committee
Malka Kopell, Co-Founder, Civity
Jen Pahlka, Founder and CEO, Code for America
Roger Niello, Business Owner; former State Assemblyman; former County Supervisor
Megan Joseph, Executive Director, Rise Together Bay Area
Norman Kline, Founder and CEO, LibraryWorld, Inc.; former Mayor, City of Saratoga
Micah Weinberg, President, Bay Area Council Economic Institute
Elizabeth Hill, former Legislative Analyst, State of California
Autumn McDonald, Director, New America CA
Roy Ulrich, President, California Tax Reform Association
Jessica Eastman Stewart, Executive Director, GO Public Schools Oakland
Marci Harris, CEO and Co-Founder, POPVOX
Gabe Kleinman, Director of Portfolio Services & Marketing, Obvious Ventures
Kate Schwass, GreenLight Fund
Ryan Rauzon, Communications
David Vasquez-Levy, President, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California
Mary Herbert, California Director, Small Business Majority
Dianne M. Millner, former Board President of Disability Rights California; 2018 Fellow, Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute
Kristin Olsen, Stanislaus County Supervisor; former Assembly Republican Leader; Partner, California Strategies
Radhika Shah, CoPresident Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs, Founding Chair, Tech Advisory Group Stanford Handa Center for Human Rights, Advisor SDG Philanthropy Platform
Helen F. Neville, Retired Kaiser Nurse; Author; Parent Educator; Concerned Baby Boomer
Michela Bedard, My New Red Shoes*
Christopher J. Nellum, Senior Director, Higher Education; The Education Trust—West*; Imperial Valley native
Sunne Wright McPeak, President and CEO, California Emerging Technology Fund, former Secretary of the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency; former President and CEO of the Bay Area Council
Michael Andrade, Writer/Artist; Longtime California Resident
Margi Power, Governing Board Member, Hillsborough City School District; Program Director, Leadership San Mateo, Foster City, Burlingame and Hillsborough
Ted Lempert, President, Children Now; Co-founder, former CEO, EdVoice; former California State Assemblyman
Nora Silver, Founder and Faculty Director, Center for Social Sector Leadership, UC Berkeley-Haas School of Business
Dan Schnur, Professor, Annenberg School of Communications, University of Southern California; former Chairman, California Fair Political Practices Commission
Dowell Myers, Professor of Policy, Planning, and Demography, Sol Price School of Public Policy, USC
Moira Kenney, Executive Director, First 5 Association of California
Valerie Lynne Kane, Policy Analyst
Marian Kaanon, President/CEO, Stanislaus Community Foundation
Michael Brownrigg, Councilman and twice Mayor, City of Burlingame; Founding Partner, Middle Bridge Capital; Managing Director, Total Impact Investors; former US diplomat
Jay Harris, President & Publisher, Public Intelligence, Inc.; former CEO & publisher, Mother Jones; 2018 Fellow, Stanford Distinguished Career Institute
Michele Godwin, Senior Manager of Partnerships for Students Rising Above; public high school teacher for 17 Years
Carolina Martin, Students Rising Above
Heather McLeod Grant, Co-Founder, Open Impact
Patrice Berry, FUSE Executive Fellow, Office of Mayor Libby Schaaf; former Director, College Track, East Palo Alto
Annie Ulevitch, former COO, Tipping Point Community
Caroline L. Whistler, CEO and Co-Founder, Third Sector
William Pace, Former Board Chair and Current Advisory Board Member, Pacific Community Ventures; Former Senior Fellow, Encore
Amelia Ahl, MBA Candidate; former Consultant, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
John Pimentel, President, White Hat Renewables; Co-founder, Independent Alliance for California
Kunal Merchant, President and Co-Founder of CalOZ
Pete Manzo, President & CEO, United Ways of California
Jamie Gardner, Partner, X Sector Labs
Terri Feeley, Founder and Principal, Workforce Success; former Executive Director, SF Works
Pete Weldy, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Todd Dipaola, CEO and Founder, inMarket; Co-Chair, Represent.Us*
Reginald Tucker-Seeley, Assistant Professor, USC
Julia Lopez, former President and CEO, College Futures Foundation
Sarah Swanbeck, Executive Director, Berkeley Institute for the Future of Young Americans
Deb Nankivell, CEO, Fresno Business Council
Ernie Ludy, CEO, 10xHealth
Kay O'Neill, Senior Strategist, Workforce and Economic Development at MYND.Global; former Director, workforce development, Cañada Community College
Carla Javits, President and CEO, REDF
Mark Herbert, California Director, Small Business Majority
Marcie Gutierrez, Architect; Small business owner; Mentor, East Bay College Fund; Concerned parent
Vanessa Aramayo, Executive Director, Alliance for A Better Community
Ratna Amin, former Transportation Policy Director, SPUR
Jim Heerwagen, Founder and Chair, The Voters Right to Know Project; Founder/CEO IQVine & Sunvolt Nanosystems
Lindsay S. Callahan, President and CEO, United Way of Fresno and Madera Counties
Stephen Levy, Director, Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy
Karen Alden, Early Learning Advocate; Founder, Good2Know Network
Jesse Rothstein, Professor of Economics and Public Policy; Director, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment; Director, California Policy Lab; Co-Director, Berkeley Opportunity Lab, UCB
Hadar Aviram, UC Hastings College of the Law
Mindy Romero, Founder and Director, UC Davis California Civic Engagement Project
Melissa James, President/CEO of Hourglass Project
David Wolf, Executive Director Emeritus, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (Western Association of Schools and Colleges); Co-Founder, Campaign for College Opportunity
Natalie Foster, Co-chair, Economic Security Project; Advisor, The Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative
Elise Buik, President & CEO, United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Manuel Pastor, Professor of Sociology & Director, USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity
Joel Fox, Founder and Editor, FoxandHoundsDaily.com