Alternatives For California

Andrew Vaccarezza

Professor Latino

Government 150

21 December 2006

Alternatives for California

During California’s recent history the general public opinion of how California stands is not favorable to our image as the world’s great political and social laboratory. Lately, California has been struggling with many budget issues as well as policy issues. Some of these issues include California’s prison system, educational plans with budgeting and overall reform, and many other issues. These issues are at the fore front of California’s to do list. Our past governors have tried to make the situation travel down the right path, while we have yet to see any noticeable improvement. New important alternatives are coming to our attention as California is in a loosing battle with education and its prison system.

Education has always been one of California’s most important issues in past years. Holding one of the highest standards of education nation wide in the past, California has fallen to the back of the line when it comes to education. It seems to be expected when this is the largest sector of our budget; if our budget is in trouble then it would not surprise most to say the largest sector of our budget is in trouble. In Peter Schrag’s book, California: America’s High-Stakes Experiment, he addresses the use of our Community Colleges in terms of forcing “qualified students, including some of California’s best and brightest, to the state’s community colleges for their first two years.” This is a good idea in terms of seeing who is dedicated to a higher education. From personal experience in going to a community college before even thinking of transferring to a four year university, I believe this is a good idea for using state funds to see who is fit for a four year university. This will help in terms of the higher education budget by lowering the cost for the first two years of college and by weeding out the students who were bound to fail in a four year university to begin with.

Education is one of the most important changes California needs to address soon before the educated public finds itself all alone in terms of help. This however is not the only major issue California needs to address. California’s prison system is by far one of the worst subjects in terms of a correctional system. In the past we have focused on raising the pay of our prison workers when we should really focus on the system they are working for. The California Correctional System does not rehabilitate its prisoners thus being an