State's Poverty Rate
By Lynn Davidson, Letter to the Editor
It should be no surprise that California's poverty rate is
now No. 3. And it is not all due to immigration.
A Public Policy Institute of California taken in November
revealed that 78 percent of California voters feel the
state government is run by and for big corporate interests.
Their priorities make wages lower, jobs less secure, and
necessities more expensive for most of us.
The state's priorities could change over time if the
Legislature passes the Clean Money bill, AB 583, which
provides full public financing for election campaigns. If
the public, instead of big companies, owned the
politicians, we could pull ourselves out of poverty with
policies that benefit average Californians.
AB 583 is currently being considered in the state Senate,
having passed the Assembly in January. If the voters do not
take control of the government, the rich will continue to
get richer and everyone else poorer.
Lynn Davidson
Berkeley
See the article on Contra Costa Times website