Government must be as innovative, productive and creative as California.  Innovations must accelerate decisions, yield efficiencies and boost results in such vital services as schools, transportation and public safety.

• Achieving these goals will require passionately committing to our vision, documenting progress, accelerating improvements, and clarifying roles and responsibilities to eliminate the excuses and ambiguities that lead to mediocrity.
• California must be a high value state -- by better using technologies, controlling costs, and making sure that programs improve lives.  Californians must be confident tax dollars are well spent in pursuit of the public interest.
• Government must be transparent and accountable so Californians know where progress is being made and what must change to make additional improvements.

Californians live in communities and work in regional economies.  Local governments must be empowered and expected to create strategies and design programs that nurture resilient communities and support vibrant regional economies.

• Counties, cities, schools and special districts need the authority and the incentives to work together -- and with private partners -- to deliver community-level services.  They also must cooperate regionally to efficiently meet transportation, environmental and other goals.
• The tax system needs to reflect the modern marketplace, and give greater control over revenues to the level of government that is responsible for delivering services, along with incentives to cooperate, innovate and succeed.
• In exchange for financial autonomy and program authority, community governments must accept rigorous scrutiny and public accountability -- for the quality and cost of services, for strategies and programs that work, and for meeting minimum standards.
• Government must engage the citizenry and harness the energy and innovation of the people.

To be globally competitive and grow middle class jobs, California will need to make disciplined, effective and productive investments in education, infrastructure and other programs.

• California's regional economies require investments in people -- to give Californians the skills and education to continue global leadership in technology and innovation.  Every neighborhood school and community college must be capable of helping young Californians develop the skills that lead to self-sufficiency and success in the workplace.
• Investments also must be made in transportation, water, energy and communications to support efficient growth in all of Californian's regions.  These investments must be smartly selected, designed and executed to create a clean and sustainable urban footprint and to preserve the environment.

The technologies and the demands of the Information Age increase the need and the capacity for government to be more responsive and accountable for results.  Californians must be more involved in expressing preferences and satisfaction and through citizen engagement the opportunity of all Californians will increase.

• Candidates need to be encouraged to appeal to all constituents, rather than polarizing extremes.  The system needs to be retooled to attract the most capable leaders into public service, to encourage voter participation and to reduce special interest dominance.
• The tools of direct democracy, such as initiatives, must be revised to reduce abuse by narrow interests and to minimize unintended consequences.  Other tools should be considered for consulting with Californians on important local, regional and state issues.
• In this era, economic opportunity and political involvement are mutually dependent.  We can't have a strong political democracy without a solid economic democracy; indeed, both rely on and support the other.