Business Interest is in the Public Interest: DisruptDC’s Case for Better Government

In these remarkable times with our federal government, I found Lenny Mendonca’s column announcing a new initiative to be exciting and perfectly timed to fill a leadership void in Washington, D.C.  Let’s make DisruptDC a big movement in the North Bay!

Business Interest in the Public Interest: DisruptDC’s Case for Better Government  (Link)

By Lenny Mendonca, Co-Chair, CA Fwd Leadership Council

Most people — especially those who read this blog — are already aware of the political gridlock and dysfunction in Washington, D.C. Watching Democrats and Republican spend their time arguing with each other and posturing for the camera is frustrating for most of us—-and is no substitute for what most of us want—meaningful progress on the issues that matter to this country.

What is not always so obvious is the negative effect this dysfunction is having on the economy and the business sector. Last year, a Harvard Business School report from Michael Porter concluded that our broken political system is the #1 drag on US economic competitiveness. This paralysis is at the root of countless other issues — and these times require the courage to take meaningful action.

CA Fwd, which I co-chair, has been a key player in helping identify and implement reforms that have transformed California from dysfunctional to a leader in trans-partisan governance reform. From citizens’ redistricting to open primaries, California has transformed the way it’s governed itself in the last decade. (The job is not finished, by the way.) What California and other states are learning and implementing can help reform advocates across the country and help fix the mess in D.C.

That’s why I’m excited to be part of a new organization called DisruptDC, the country’s only business coalition focused exclusively on improving our government and elections.

Right now, our country needs to bridge our political divides and deliver real results no matter who is in charge. DisruptDC stands for upgrading our political system from end to end: more competitive elections, a more results-focused policymaking process, and a more efficient and responsive government to implement our laws. This is not about bigger or smaller government, it’s about government that works for the people it’s designed to serve.

It’s not that we lack for solutions (see this CAFWD report for example)— it’s that we need the political will. Bringing business to the table as public advocates, not business lobbyists, will help generate the sustained pressure we need to get results across the country. In fact, needed reform won’t occur if the voice of business is not heard.

Fixing American government is not a linear process, but rather a portfolio of priorities that we will advance wherever we find the opportunity. Open primaries, nonpartisan redistricting, better technology, increased transparency, and anti-corruption reform may sound modest individually, but collectively they will be transformative.  DisruptDC will push these and other reforms and work to hold our representatives accountable for operating in the public interest, not any narrow interest. This means bringing integrity, accountability, and effectiveness to everything government does.

I’m looking forward to collaborating with the DisruptDC team to attack this issue. The founders are entrepreneurs based in the Bay Area, while their CEO, Charlie Kolb, is located in Washington, D.C. I’ve known him for 20 years when he led the Committee for Economic Development (the group that helped develop and lead the Marshall Plan’s passage after WWII), a business-led think tank, and now part of the Conference Board.

The credentials of this group are unassailable. The need for this group is undeniable.

Washington, D.C. needs the same kind of positive disruption and innovation that is happening across the country including here in California. This is an important new citizen-driven initiative and I’m proud to be part of it. Please join me in helping DisruptDC. http://disruptdc.org/

Everyone Needs Internet Access in Today’s World

Internet for All Now Act has positive implications for regional residents and economy

By Cynthia Murray, President and CEO, North Bay Leadership Council

While many residents of the North Bay take high-speed Internet access for granted, this isn’t the case for those living or working in the region’s small, remote and rural communities. Many residents there eagerly await improved Internet connectivity.

Fortunately, the Assembly members representing the North Bay, including Jim Wood, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and Marc Levine, have introduced the Internet for All Now Act (AB 1665). This bill will deliver $300 million for new broadband infrastructure projects in California, money that will be well spent bringing Internet to unserved households, often in rural communities.

Currently California’s goal, by law, is for 98 percent of the state’s households to have access to the Internet.  Across the state, about 96 percent of households have access to this service, which serves as a gateway to job opportunities, educational courses, government services and health care resources.

While private investment has delivered Internet for the vast majority, policymakers now have a chance to help the remaining unserved areas, often with residents that feel forgotten. As was the case with rural electrification and the State Water Project, there are simply places in California that will only be connected with the help of public funding.

This bill—the Internet for All Now Act—provides an important shot in the arm to an existing state program, the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), in need of increased funds and some practical reforms.

This is an important bill at a critical time as technology now touches every aspect of our regional economy, everything from agriculture to recreation.  As the Internet for All Now Act states, high-speed Internet, “is essential 21st century infrastructure for economic competitiveness and quality of life.”

For area residents to gain the skills they need in our modern economy and for our businesses to compete on a statewide, national and global level, new Internet infrastructure projects must be built in the coming years.

North Bay Leadership Council’s members have seen first-hand the economic impact and benefits of high-speed Internet for business and communities.  It links local businesses to many more customers and opens up new commercial opportunities. It provides more educational choices and access to better healthcare through technologies such as telemedicine, which makes online doctor visits possible.

Internet access is the all-important path to improving regional prosperity, education and economic competitiveness.  It’s fundamental to our region’s future. That’s why the Internet for All Now Act is one of many smart policies needed to bring modern communications networks and deliver new opportunities to the North Bay and all California in 2017.

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For more information:

Cynthia Murray

President and CEO

North Bay Leadership Council

707.283.0028

cmurray@northbayleadership.org

www.northbayleadership.org.

North Bay Leadership Council is an employer-led public policy advocacy organization committed to providing leadership in ways to make the North Bay sustainable, prosperous and innovative.  The Council includes 50 leading employers in the region.  Our members represent a wide variety of businesses, non-profits and educational institutions, with a workforce in excess of 25,000.