Posts Tagged: summit

Opinion

Center stage: California’s economic complexity

Illustration: David Carilett, via Shutterstock.

California will soon have a population of 40 million. It is a huge, diverse, complex state — really more of a nation-state made of distinct regions. And California’s economy is equally complex. In fact, it’s not a state economy at all, but a series of regional economies. Californians know that the time to fix our state’s economy is now. People from every region are standing up and demanding change.

Opinion

Don’t forget the median wage — and higher

A man addresses a raise-the-minimum-wage demonstration in Los Angeles. (Photo: Dan Holm)

While lawmakers were cutting themselves up over the thorny minimum wage bill this week, a powerful conversation took place three blocks away from the capitol. Industry, union and college leaders were working through the pragmatic next steps on a modest proposal to move more Californians from minimum wage to medium wages and higher.

Opinion

Putting ‘community’ into community colleges

Students attending class at Glendale Community College. (Photo: Wayne Thom)

The leaders of California’s vast community college system this week unanimously adopted a reform agenda with amazing ease – given how fundamentally hard the decision was to engineer. The Board of Governors decided to endorse comprehensive recommendations to better align career technical education (CTE) programs with the workforce needs of California’s employers. It could be the linchpin in a more strategic statewide effort to reduce poverty and reverse the growing opportunity and income gaps.

News

Proposed pension initiative targets local changes

The leaders of two local pension reforms, former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and former San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio, are working with a coalition on a statewide initiative to help local governments make cost-cutting pension reforms. During a break at the Reason Foundation’s third annual Pension Summit in Sacramento last week, the two men said they are “on the same page” and working with a coalition on the details of a proposed initiative for the November 2016 state ballot.

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