Sign the Majority Budget Initiative!

California is one of just three states that requires a two thirds Legislative supermajority to pass a budget. Under these circumstances, a small minority of legislators controls the state budget process, and ensures the continued decline of funding for public education and other vital social services. Democracy is supposed to be simple majority rule (50% plus 1). We have lost democracy in our state budget process, with terrible effects for all of us.

* Download a Majority Budget petition
* Download instructions for petition circulation

Each year the state budget is held hostage by the legislative minority until the majority agrees to eliminate a tax, or until the majority is forced to agree to additional tax loopholes for special interests.

In addition, each year, items unrelated to the budget, but on the wish list of the minority, are inappropriately thrown into the process. Over the past several years these non-budgetary items have included

* elimination of time and a half pay for more than eight hours work in a day;
* removing restrictions on contracting out public sector jobs so that employers could instead pay minimum wage without benefits for what had formerly been decent jobs; and
* elimination of lunch breaks for workers in the hospitality business.

These actions, followed by efforts of legislators who care about education, public services, and decent jobs in the community to stop them, result in the budget deadlocks we experience each year.

As a result, the CFT, along with a number of allies, is proposing reform of this dysfunctional budget process. Under the Majority Budget Act, the undemocratic Legislative two thirds vote on the state budget would become a simple majority, like it is in almost every other state.

We encourage you to circulate petitions to family, friends, colleagues at work and neighbors who are registered voters. Be sure to read the instructions (above) before circulating petitions.

All petitions should be returned to James Araby at cftsapo@gmail.com at CFT, 1201 Marina Village Dr, Suite 115, Alameda, CA 94501 no later than Friday, April 9, 2010.

Coalition partners include

* American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
* California Faculty Association
* California Professional Firefighters