Should tax dollars go directly to local governments rather than the state?
That's an idea business advocates were asked to support Friday morning in Aliso Viejo.
Todd Priest of PR/lobbying firm Curt Pringle & Associates advocated a proposition for the November election that would change the way taxes are distributed. He spoke on behalf of California Forward, a group the Sacramento Bee describes as "bipartisan [and] foundation-underwritten."
Priest called for regional control of taxes and government services like education.
“How they educate kids in Orange County is different from how they educate kids in Fresno,” he said.
His audience? The South Orange County Economic Coalition, part of the South Orange County Regional Chamber of Commerce. The SOCEC was formed last year partly to .
Priest said that the "Government Performance and Accountability Act" is a solution to a broken government.
The nonpartisan state Legislative Analyst's Office says the "Government Performance and Accountability Act" will:
- Constrain the Legislature’s authority to enact laws that increase state costs or decrease state revenues by more than $25 million each year
- Expand the Governor’s authority to reduce appropriations in the state budget midyear
- Shift state funds to local governments for the purpose of enabling new “Community Strategic Action Plans”
- Modify state and local government budget practices
“The voters want a government that works,” Priest said Friday. “They don’t care how it’s done; they just want it to work. They believe today that it’s not working. They don’t trust their government.”
According to the California Forward's website cafwd.org, the proposal is said to:
- Provide a stable and results-oriented state budget process.
- Ensure accountability of local governments
- Encourage cooperation among local governments
