Today the Bay Area Council put out the following statement attributable to Jim Wunderman, President & CEO of the Bay Area Council, regarding the Governor’s endorsement of a Constitutional Convention during a speech at the Commonwealth Club:
“What started as an idea six months ago, has become a movement, and soon may become a mass movement. The Constitutional Convention has taken hold in the imagination of many actively engaged California citizens and groups in every corner of the state. The Governor’s endorsement today of the Constitutional Convention will only drive the idea closer to political reality.
“In California, it is time for the change only a constitutional convention can create.
“Like the Governor, the Bay Area Council, our allies and almost all Californians are extremely frustrated. This year’s budget deadlock - achieved only after so much work by the Governor - shows better than perhaps any other recent event that our state government needs serious reform. Of course, it’s not just the budget. Our prisons overflow, our water system teeters on collapse, our once proud schools are criminally poor, our financing system is bankrupt, and our democracy produces ideologically-extreme legislators that can pass neither budget nor reforms.
“Our Constitution has been amended more than 500 times, leaving it more like a house of cards than a well-reasoned structure of governance. In this system nothing can get done. In almost every case, the failure to act costs inordinately more than the proposed solutions from either side of the political aisle, exacting a heavy tax toll on business and residents. Inaction also results in inefficient spending of revenues and, in many cases, real human suffering. We can fix this. Other states do not suffer the fate of California, and it is past time to learn from them.
“We cannot waste a crisis. The current political atmosphere has created an opportunity for bipartisan reform that hasn’t been seen in many generations. We must strike quickly.
“We realize what we are trying to do is big, bold and difficult, like pushing a loaded bus up a mountain. Fortunately, the Governor is someone who likes big challenges. If we harness the anger of the people of California, and allow the people lead us to the reforms we need, I firmly believe we can improve the lives of millions of residents, improve the business climate for thousands of companies, and allow the California ‘dream’ to again be a beacon of human aspiration around the globe.”
About the Bay Area Council
The Bay Area Council is a business-sponsored, public-policy advocacy organization for the nine-county Bay Area. The Council proactively advocates for a strong economy, a vital business environment, and a better quality of life for everyone who lives here. Founded in 1945, as a way for the region’s business community and like-minded individuals to concentrate and coordinate their efforts, the Bay Area Council is widely respected by elected officials, policy makers and other civic leaders as the voice of Bay Area business. Today, approximately 275 of the largest employers in the region support the Bay Area Council and offer their CEO or top executive as a member. Our members employ more than 4.43 million workers and have revenues of $1.94 trillion, worldwide.
Contacts:
Bay Area Council
John Grubb, 415-946-8705
Cell: 415-847-6320
Vice
President, Communications
jgrubb@bayareacouncil.org
