Golden Together Policy

An Affordable Home For All

Plentiful, affordable housing was in many ways the foundation of the California Dream. People from all over America – all over the world – could come here and make a home for themselves and their family. That simple aspiration seems completely out of reach today. It’s the main factor driving up the cost of living. It forces people to commute for hours to get to work. It’s forcing people and businesses out of our state.

We’ve got to solve this problem, urgently. There have been over 100 different laws passed on housing since 2016 but we’re nowhere close to the level we need. We have to take on all the special interests that are making it harder, most costly, and more time-consuming to build the homes California needs.

End Homelessness

California has 12% of the nation’s population but 50% of its homeless population. It is a social, economic and above all humanitarian disaster. Nobody should have to live on the streets in what is one of the richest places on earth.

Everyone can see that the ways we’ve been trying to solve homelessness aren’t working. In  fact they’re making the problem worse. We need new ideas that address the root causes of the homelessness crisis: not just the lack of affordable housing, but the complex and interrelated problems of drug addiction and mental health.

Safe Communities

Crime, and the fear of crime, have risen to the top of Californians’ concerns. Whether it’s violent assaults, home invasions, retail or car theft, there is a sense that things are spiraling out of control. Public safety and orderly communities are an essential component of our quality of life, and for too many people in California today, that sense of safety is missing.

We need a positive, pragmatic approach. On crime, as in many other areas of policy, it can seem as if we lurch from one extreme to another. Criminal justice reform was a much-needed response to past injustice. But now we need fresh thinking, to tackle the causes of crime and to balance the priority of fairness in the criminal justice system with effective policing, prosecution and accountability that deters crime and keeps people and our communities safe.

Supporting Small Business

Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and our communities. Yet talk to any small business in California today, and they will tell you that instead of experiencing help and support they feel under attack. “It’s getting harder and harder to run a business here” is a common refrain. No wonder so many are just giving up, or leaving the state.

We need a complete rethink of how we regulate small business. California was recently assessed as having the worst business climate of all 50 states. That makes no sense: we should be the best! If we want California to be the engine of innovation and opportunity, we must reform our tax and regulatory regime in modern, creative ways.

Manufacturing & Technical Skills

Of course California is world-famous for our technology industry. But Silicon Valley got its name from the actual manufacturing of the semiconductors that are a vital component of the digital world that was invented here. Aerospace manufacturing was also a foundation of California’s economic dominance.

Today we lag behind – manufacturing has been outsourced to other states and other countries, taking with it the good-paying jobs that are needed for a thriving middle class. At the same time, our education system has failed to prioritize technical skills, leaving many young people adrift. We need a new pro-manufacturing policy agenda and a plan to expand trade schools and technical education.

Bringing California Together!

California is the biggest and most diverse state in the Union but we all share a pride in our beautiful Golden State. Today, many forces in society are pulling us apart: the fragmentation of media, political polarization, class and geographical disparities…

Let’s create something new that brings Californians together. A universal program for citizenship and service that enables young people to meet and spend time with others from different backgrounds, To work side by side on common goals. To be together in our amazing National and State Parks, appreciating our magnificent landscapes and developing a love for nature and conservation. Some Californians already have the opportunity to do these things. Let’s find a way to make sure those opportunities are available to all – together.

Abundant Energy & Water

Energy prices in California are the highest in America, even as our electricity grid becomes less and less reliable. We’re now importing more than four times as much of our fossil fuels as we were twenty years ago. Water has become a politicized partisan talking point while we lurch from drought to floods. Meanwhile, over a million Californians do not have access to safe, clean drinking water.

This is all totally unacceptable. We must find creative ways to protect our environment while at the same time guaranteeing every Californian resident and business reliable, affordable energy and water. The technology is there for us to have these things in abundance, as long as we reject rigid, ideological dogma in favor of practical solutions.

Give Every Child The Best Start

It is shocking that a state as wealthy as California has the highest poverty rate in the nation, as well as the lowest literacy. And the public policy failures that have led to these terrible outcomes disproportionately hurt Latino and Black families. We must do better. We must guarantee equal opportunity for every Californian, regardless of race.

One proven way to transform children’s life chances – and achieve the kind of social mobility that is at the heart of the California Dream – is early intervention. Not just Pre-K, but even earlier, in fact before a child is even born. By offering universal home visiting services to every family, we can make an enormous impact on every child’s life chances.