Making California a better place and the best home for its people is a collective responsibility of the whole population of this state. However, the state government has an invaluable role to play in making sure that all the activities in the state are running well and that the rule of law is embraced.
For the state of California to have an impressive economic future, the government needs to come up with viable strategies of dealing with the numerous issues which the state is facing and are cropping up from time to time. This paper explores the major challenges facing the state of California, what the state government can do to resolve problems that are emanating from both internally and externally and also sheds some light on the duties the state government should execute.
The problems facing California
There is generally what can be termed to be myriada of issues facing the state of California. Provost and Hyink point out that some of the challenges facing the state of California include poor wealth distribution, poorly established leadership structure that runs the government, inadequate basic public education, lack of information flow in and out of the state to the detriment of the citizens, disturbance in higher education, lack of adequate public services, payment of high and sometimes exaggerated taxes, immigration and other population related issues.
In addition, the state is also characterized with other general issues like lethargy among leaders and civil servants (Provost & Hyink, 2003). Nonetheless, the state of California has been doing relatively well compared to other states in the wider United States of America. Despite the fact that for many years the g,overnment has been employing significant efforts in raising the economic state of California, a dire need for action is clearly being felt across the state.
The fight to make California a better place to live and do business needs thorough evaluation. For instance, focused campaigns aimed at identifying the key problems which are facing the state of California call for more attention. The voters in this state need to be given highlights of the current condition of the state in order to unveil and put them into a position of making a substantial impact in the state’s development and progress. This will require thoroua gh prioritization of all government policies in this state.
What the state government should address
The government needs to allow itself to undergo a continuous reformation in order to avoid rigidity and long response time especially when addressing issues of national or state interest. The stated government also needs to ensure that there is equitable redistribution of wealth in all parts of the state.
This can be done over a set period of time through legal process. Lawrence (2012) observes that California is ranked low in economic status because there is no much support to public basic services provision and education has not been given substantial support in the recent financial years.
The portion of the state’s budget that goes to education needs to be increased. The main reason behind this is to avoid scenarios whereby teachers are lacking supplies and students miss essential services like transport to and from schools. The issue of reducing the individual schools funds allocation needs to be revised as well. In addition, class sizes are buffing up even though there are increased cases of teaching staff who are being laid off.
What should be the priority of the state government’s agenda?
The California Federation of Teachers (2012) argue that out of the mentioned
challenges that face California, priority needs to be given to higher education, public education, taxation, population issues and public services and amenities. The government should seek ways and means of making sure that all resources are brought together to facilitate better education and quality public services to all the citizens of California state. Lawrence (2012) points out that it is essential to make political coalitions in order to revitalize the undemocratic blocks that have reduced the effectiveness in leadership.
He points out that this can be easily done by cooperation with community organizations and unions. The author continues to argue that this step of action will create new revenues to the state (Lawrence, 2012). The government has to make relentless effort in changing the foul picture that is currently portraying the state’s face in bad image. The major agenda should include taking a decisive step such as making restoration on the major areas that have been observed to be slowly diminishing the standard of life in all the spheres of Californians.
The role of the state government
The state government has a duty of coming up with viable plans and policies that ensure equal and fair wealth distribution, a democratic way of running the government, provision of quality basic public education to every Californian child, adequate and well designed civil education and dissemination of information to the citizens, an improved structure of higher education, better supply of adequate and the much needed public services, payment of reasonable taxes, control of immigration and other population related issues and other problematic issues like lethargy among leaders and civil servants.
Provost and Hyink (2003) point out that the state government is the chief decision maker in the state. For instance, it is charged with the mandate of bringing order and peace by exercising control on the usage of all the state resources. Furthermore, it plays the noble role of solving all the challenges at hand that are emerging (Provost and Hyink, 2003).
Definitely, by playing this crucial duty, the state’s government will be achieving the above mentioned objectives. The precedent challenges will indeed be addressed in the most prudent and appropriate way possible.
The major issue within the state government’s scope
As Lawrence (2012) brings it out, accountability in the control and distribution of the available financial resources in California has remained below the United States’ transparent high-class standard. There are those who claim that there is no enough monetary resources to cater for adequate public services and yet if California were an independent state, it would have an economy that would be the eighth in rank in the whole world (Lawrence, 2012).
The problem may not necessarily be monetary funding. Setting the wrong priorities has been largely blamed as the main cause of problems facing California today. There are two aspects to this problem. First of all, the tax system does not consider the fact that wealth has been distributed in California over the past two decades in the wrong way. The top class of the economy owns thirty percent of the state’s wealth. Worse still, the rich people pay less in taxes and retain more money in their accounts. The general population has a skewed wealth distribution. This has created an imbalance citizen’s economic stability (Lawrence, 2012).
A major problem that is outside the state government’s scope
The issue of immigration is a major challenge that has attracted the attention of the state government. Research has shown that immigration and population dynamics trigger both positive and negative attitude from American people (Provost & Hyink, 2003).
Lawrence (2012) adds that migration in the United States will continue taking place despite the great political social and economic impact it entails. He adds that political party orientation has been the major issue in the sense that Americans moving to different states keep on changing from democrats to republicans and vice versa (Lawrence, 2012). This has had a significant impact on the political consistency of the nation at large, and California can do little to control citizen movement since it is constitutional.
What can and should the governor do
A governor of a state has many duties to perform when still in office. The governor needs to oversee all operations within this state with more visits now that difficulties are being felt in the different sectors as elaborated in this paper. He needs to call for more enforcement of all laid down relevant government policies.
The governor needs to call for joint understanding and union in action by all ministries in concerted efforts to subdue the economic, political, and social challenges evident in this state. Finally, new government leaders and civil servants should be brought into offices which are offering dismal performance.
References
California Federation of Teachers (2012). Angry over cuts in education another vitalgovernmentservices?
Lawrence,D. (2012), California: The Politics of Diversity: California. Cengage learning.
Provost, D. & Hyink, B. (2003). Politics and Government in California: California. Longman publishing group.