With Volunteers For Change-Fresno members working to gather signatures needed to get the California Democracy Act (a.k.a. the 'Lakoff Petition' or the 'Majority Rule' initiative) on the ballot this November, we thought we'd share this update from Californians For Democracy, the organization coordinating these efforts:
The California Democracy Act is a simple, 14-word initiative that would end the 2/3 rule that has left the state in the hands of a minority of legislators who have prevented the government from doing what it was created to do: protecting and empowering its residents:
"All legislative actions on revenue and budget must be determined by a majority vote."
Want to help? Californians for Democracy will now accept what they call '
single-signature petitions.' What this means is
people interested in supporting this initiative can now print, sign and mail the petition from their own homes. Here's how:
- Download the petition and print it. Do not shrink or enlarge it; print it only at 100%, single sided, on white, 8.5" x 11" paper only. Please be sure to follow the printing and mailing instructions carefully.
- Sign the petition and mail it to the campaign. Mailing instructions are included on the petition document itself.
Why is this important? Because we believe the 2/3 rule is largely responsible for the deterioration of California—K-12 education, the state colleges and universities, the state parks, the social service net, the transportation infrastructure—the list of essential services that are not getting adequate funding goes on. California could raise money by taxing oil extraction (as they do in Texas and Alaska), taxing the super-rich (the state has more than its share) and other measures that would not burden most of us. But as few as 14 people in the State Senate can stop any of these progressive actions—and they do, over and over again.
Time is of the essence. After April 5, it will be too late to get on the November ballot and we will need to start all over again. And California just can't wait.
For more information, contact V4CF member Ruth Afifi via e-mail, or visit the California For Democracy website at http://californiansfordemocracy.com/.
Volunteers For Change-Fresno -- along with HCAN, several unions and other allies in the Central Valley Healthcare Reform Coalition -- invites you to join us at a Rally For Healthcare Reform scheduled 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, March 18, outside the office of Rep. Jim Costa at 855 M Street in downtown Fresno.
At last report, Rep. Jim Costa remains a holdout against reform despite overwhelming support among his constituents for those reforms. At the rally we'll make our voices heard, encouraging Rep. Costa to listen to his constituents and support his district's need for meaningful healthcare reform. And of course, we'll remind him (should he not follow his constituents' wishes) that we do indeed vote.
