• June 6 Primary Election information and endorsements
• 2006 CFT Legislative Report (PDF)
• Governor's STRS/PERS "reform" a bad idea
• Fixing the health care crisis after Prop 72
• What CFT members can do about the state budget crisis
• California Budget Project
• California Tax Reform Association
• Contact your state Senator
• Contact your state Assemblymember

Public Education will gain or lose June 6
CFT says, "Angelides for Governor," and "Yes on 81 and 82"

• CFT's statewide election endorsements (PDF)
• The Angelides campaign website
• The Proposition 81 website
• The Proposition 82 campaign website
• Download a "Teachers for Phil" Angelides flyer to share with colleagues, family and friends (PDF)
• Download a black and white version of the "Teachers for Phil" flyer (PDF)
• Download a "Message from your Union" Angelides flyer (PDF)

On June 6, 2006, three issues will help determine whether public education moves forward or not in coming years: the gubernatorial primary election, Proposition 81 for library bonds, and Proposition 82, "Preschool for All."

After losing his costly special election last year, Governor Schwarzenegger has done everything he could to reshape his image once more as a moderate, in order to win re-election. Luckily for him, the economy has cooperated. With a big tax revenue windfall, the governor will finally give to public education the Proposition 98 money that he refused to pay back last year. His hope is that this will defuse the explosive "broken promise" issue. The governor may then, through the power of lavish spending on advertising, successfully help the public to forget what he tried to do.

This would be a disaster. With four more years, he will be given free rein to go after public employee pensions, teacher job protections, and unions, once again. He will also no doubt follow through on his pledge to raise no new taxes, leaving public education and all necessary social services as underfunded as ever.

That's why the CFT was an early endorser of Phil Angelides, who opposed Schwarzenegger from the beginning, even when it was commonly understood as "political suicide" to do so. Angelides is the only candidate for governor who says, straight ahead, that we need to raise taxes on the rich in order to properly fund public education. Angelides' opponent in the Democratic primary, Steve Westly, refuses to make the same commitment. Instead, he muddies the tax issue, making it seem as if a progressive taxation proposal like Angelides' would be the same as a tax on everyone.

The CFT also supports Proposition 82, the "Preschool for All" Act, which, through a similar progressive funding mechanism of taxing the people who can afford it (the top 1% of tax earners, or inidividuals who make $400,000 per year) will extend the important service of preschool to all comers. Every kindergarten teacher can spot the kids who have and haven't enjoyed the benefit of preschool. It makes an enormous difference in the ability of children to come to school ready to learn, and in the ability of teachers to be successful with them.

Proposition 81, for public library bonds, likewise deserves your support. CFT favors Prop 81 because it strengthens the connection between public education and lifelong learning, and provides funding for much-needed upgrades, repairs, and adult literacy programs in public libraries. Given that California is dead last in the country in the ratio of school librarians per student, Prop 81 is all the more necessary.

CFT urges you to vote for Phil Angelides and for Propositions 81 and 82 on June 6. But that's not enough. We hope you will take some time to help secure the future of California by volunteering to work on the Angelides campaign, and for Propositions 81 and 82.