Op-Ed: We Intend to Change Government and Make it Work for You
By Tom Lackey, Melissa Hurtado, Josh Newman, Cottie Petrie-Norris, Adam Gray, Suzette Martinez Valladares, Chad Mayes, and Jordan Cunningham
Who does your government work for? It’s a question that people of all political persuasions frequently answer in the same way: “Not me.”
As members of the state Legislature, we can tell you firsthand that our government isn’t working for most Californians. Instead of being dedicated to protecting the lives and livelihoods of our 40 million residents and delivering real results for working families, politicians today often seem more interested in ideological maneuvering, bolstering Twitter followers, or smearing the other side.
When the political environment becomes so toxic that protesters turn into violent insurrectionists who invade the halls of our nation’s Capitol, it’s time to take stock of our democracy. Differing political opinions are no longer just an uncomfortable topic we avoid at holiday gatherings. They have become so poisonous that they are ripping our families and our country apart.
We are a group of very different elected leaders who share very similar concerns about what afflicts our country and our state. Despite our varied backgrounds – Republicans from Los Angeles and the Central Coast, Democrats from farming communities and Orange County, and a political independent – we have arrived at the same conclusion: Government too often does not work for the people we represent.
That must change, and we intend to help change it.