The March

Why we are Marching


California is at a crossroads, and the choices our elected leaders make will determine whether we restore California’s promise or watch the American Dream slip away.

Instead of making tough choices, our governor and a minority of legislators think the “solution” is deep and destructive cuts to essential services: our schools, parks, libraries, infrastructure, safety net services and other vital public institutions.

The consequences will haunt our state for a generation. Classrooms will be more crowded and less safe; neighborhoods less clean and more dangerous. College and university fees will skyrocket, turning our community colleges and public universities into distant dreams instead of bridges to the middle class. More families will go bankrupt because they cannot afford health care.

The California Federation of Teachers and a diverse coalition of labor, education, community, business and faith groups believe that we can’t afford to auction off our future. We believe our elected leaders need to return to the core values that made this state great. We must come together to:

  • Reclaim the promise of quality public education and services
  • Rebuild state government so it works for everyone
  • Restore fair and equitable taxes to invest in California’s future

We live in the richest state in the richest country in the world. Budget cuts are not inevitable, but the result of political choices. We cannot allow a minority of legislators to enact budgets that destroy rather than build. Rather than showering more tax breaks on the wealthiest millionaires and most profitable corporations, elected leaders should invest in our future.


That’s why we march. On March 5, we departed Los Angeles to march from Bakersfield to Sacramento. Along the way we are:

  • Registering voters
  • Collecting signatures to put the Majority Budget measure on the ballot
  • Holding teach-ins and town hall meetings
  • Visiting legislators
  • Holding rallies to enlist your support
  • Blogging, tweeting and recording the action on the frontlines with live video feeds
  • Marching on the state capitol on April 21 to make our voices heard