Courage Campaign Launches "Citizens Plan to Reform California"

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 5, 2008

 Courage Campaign Launches “Citizens Plan to Reform California”

“CPR for California” to Use Online Tools to Advance Critical Reforms to Move State Forward

LOS ANGELES, CA – Moving to treat the causes, not just the symptoms, of California’s dysfunctional political system, the Courage Campaign today launched the Citizens Plan to Reform California — “CPR for California” — a holistic package of reforms to heal our sick government, including initiative reform, budget reform, clean money, and restoring equal rights.

“For more than thirty years, we have careened from crisis to crisis as the legislature becomes increasingly gridlocked and held hostage by a right-wing minority,” said Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the Courage Campaign.  “Millions are spent every year on meaningless or damaging ballot initiatives that often make matters worse. The voice of the voter is drowned by a sea of money, dispiriting the average Californian. Before we can tackle the economic and environmental problems that bedevil our state, we must fix the broken politics that produced those problems.”

The Courage Campaign is an online organizing network with more than 375,000 members dedicated to making California progressive and governable through responsible reforms.

The “CPR for California” plan will use online organizing tools to get input from voters on which reforms to focus on in 2009. An email sent to Courage Campaign members on Thursday asked members to rank the top three priorities to place on the Courage Campaign’s “CPR for California” agenda.

“CPR for California” includes 12 reform plans on California’s elections, initiatives, budget, and equal rights. The plans can be viewed at:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/CPRforCalifornia

“Arnold Schwarzenegger rode into office promising an end to ‘politics as usual.’ Voters wanted to believe him, but he has made the situation worse, not better.  The time has come to rely on ourselves, not on actors who promise the moon and deliver shadows,” added Jacobs. “Only Californians can rescue our state. Working together, we can administer some progressive CPR to California. True reform will come from the people, not the Governor or the Legislature. Nobody else is going to step up and do it for us.”

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