Why we need the California Progress Report

Most importantly, this is where we live. What we allow to happen in Sacramento and elsewhere in this state affects our daily lives directly-- our kids’ education from early years to college that is the basis for our future, the air we breathe, the jobs and careers we have, our health care, the fairness and justice of our courts and political system. The list of how state government affects our lives in the Golden State goes on as long as we can think about it.

What goes on in politics affects our state’s policies. Hence the need for the daily briefing for politics, policy, and progressive action. Whether it is a quick read in the morning to get our bearings as a busy day begins, or looking in detail at many of the rich and detailed sources of information that are available, together we will know what each other is doing and how it fits in with our own action. That action can be as varied as telling others what we have learned, living our lives as thoughtful citizens, or contacting our elected officials and working in campaigns.

The right has many think tanks, institutions, and propaganda organizations that deliver a consistent line: progressive state proposals are “job killers,” will raise taxes on average Californians, and are for “special interests” and not for the common good. Conservatives orchestrate their message through web pages and blogs. Not only does this get the message out instantly to their base, but it is also disseminated much more widely by the media to the public at large. In this age of the shortened news cycle, rapid responses, and a dwindling presence in the state’s capitol by news organizations due to their decreasing readership, their online noise machine can fill the void and frame the terms of the debate.

California’s progressive organizations and individuals often work on their specific policy areas in isolation from each other and do not have the infrastructure for a coordinated message that resonates from shared principles. The California Progress Report provides advocates a megaphone to reach a broader audience with information about our work and our values.

The Public Policy Institute of California, in their January 2009 survey, found that only 21% of Californians approve the performance of the state legislature. With vast numbers of voters alienated from the formal political party structure, and growing numbers of Californians relying on the internet as their primary source of information, The California Progress Report addresses the profound need for a credible, accurate and independent news and opinion website.

The Consumer Federation of California Education Foundation, a non-profit organization, publishes the California Progress Report as a public service. Opinions expressed in articles, comments and links appearing in the California Progress Report are those of the author, and may not reflect the opinion of the CFC Education Foundation. Advertisements in the California Progress Report do not constitute an endorsement by the CFC Education Foundation.