What's the Matter with California? Taking Back the California State Budget

Taking Back the California State Budget

Sunday, May 23rd 10am-2pm
Centro del Pueblo
474 Valencia St. San Francisco
Wheelchair Accessible

In 2009, California passed the worst budget in the history of the state – balancing the cuts on the backs of poor and working people of color – and the 2010 budget process is going to be just as bad. Why does this keep happening? Why does California state government stagger from crisis to crisis with seemingly no vision for the future? Why are the decisions so heavily influenced by a small minority of the most reactionary elements in the state? And despite all this, where have we seen victories that have countered these elements and fought for a more just budget? What opportunities are there in these crises for social justice movements to advance more radical politics in California? What will it take to fix it and what roles can the left and social movements play in organizing for a more just process?

The Center for Political Education (CPE) and Californian’s United for a Responsible Budget (CURB) are hosting a half-day popular education teach-in to provide information about the complicated context and history of the state budget process, and promote interactive engagement to strategize around how social movements and the left can intervene in the budget process. We will be joined by Lenny Goldberg from California Tax Reform Association, Marty Martinez from California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), and Ari Wohlfeiler from Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB).

This teach-in will include:

* An overview of the causes of the California budget crisis
* A discussion of short, medium and long-term proposals to fix the budget process in California
* Interactive popular education exercises to understand and be able to teach about California budget issues
* How is it possible to both have an immediate impact on concrete objectives, while building our own organizations and movements for the long haul?
* What social movements are organizing and responding to the cuts?

This is a free event but donations will be accepted. A light lunch and childcare will be provided.

Please RSVP by emailing center [at] politicaleducation.org by May 19th in order for us to have enough food for participants.