Californians! You Can Now Create Your Own State Budget and Send It to Your Legislators and the Governor

By Sophia Monroe
Intern
Next 10

Last week we introduced you to Next 10’s California Budget Challenge. For those of you who missed it, the nonpartisan Challenge is an innovative online tool that allows you to craft your own version of the state budget. Users get a firsthand look at how difficult it is to create a budget for the world’s 8th largest economy. Now that we are 23 days into the fiscal year and still with out a budget, there seems to be no better time to try your hand at solving the state budget crisis.

Luckily for you, the Challenge was updated today. Complete with new numbers and up-to-date policy choices, the Challenge has never been more accurate. You can now try your hand at closing the state's multibillion billion dollar deficit. Will you increase per pupil spending, cut corrections costs, extend the sales tax to services? The budget is in your hands!

After you have made a decision on a policy, you have the ability to alert your legislators and the governor of the choice you made. The Challenge allows you to be apart of the budget making process. “We would like to see Californians engaged in the budget. They should influence the process because these policies have a profound impact on our everyday lives. Decisions being made in Sacramento determine everything from who gets healthcare, to who is able to go to college, and how much we pay in taxes,” said Noel Perry, Founder of Next 10.

The Challenge allows every Californian to get involved and to learn more about their state. The budget affects each Californian, now every citizen can affect these effects.

Try it for yourself: www.next10.org/challenge

Sophia Monroe is an Intern at Next 10, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to educating, engaging and empowering Californians in order to improve our states future.

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