Bay Area Council Joins Gov. Brown to Say YES to Prop. 30

Governor Jerry Brown on October 25 visited the Bay Area Council to brief our members on the status of Proposition 30. During the one-hour lunchtime briefing, the Governor told the assembled CEOs and executives that his tax measure comes down to a simple choice for voters: either providing funding for schools or allowing additional education cuts that will hurt California’s ability to compete globally. Bay Area Council Chair Janet Lamkin and President and CEO Jim Wunderman then joined Gov. Brown and more than two dozen executives for a news conference in our main lobby to call on voters to support Prop. 30, which would raise income taxes on the state’s highest earners and increase the state sales tax by a quarter cent. Said Lamkin, “Through his leadership, Governor Brown has laid out a responsible, reasonable and comprehensive plan for closing our state’s budget deficit, protecting schools and providing a foundation for a stronger economy. Proposition 30 buys us the time we need to pull California back from the brink of fiscal chaos toward a more stable and sustainable economic future.” University of California President Mark Yudof also participated and said that without Prop. 30 the system would be looking at another round of cuts and tuition increases next year. That’s not acceptable, said Executive Committee member Ken McNeely, California President for AT&T, who along with Greg Adams, Northern California President for member Kaiser Permanente, said California employers need a well-educated workforce to remain competitive. San Francisco Chamber of Commerce CEO Steve Falk and BrightSource Energy CEO John Woolard also talked about the importance of Prop 30 to the state’s education and economic future. For a complete list of the Bay Area Council’s positions on various ballot measures, visit our Government Relations page.