FOUR CAMPAIGNS FOR KIDS
UNDERWAY THROUGHOUT STATE.
One more in the works.
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NOTE - All four of the campaigns described below hope to quality for the November 2022 ballot through voter initiatives, where the voter threshold to pass is a majority of votes. All have drafted their own measures, received a Title and Summary from the city or county attorney, and are in the process of collecting enough valid signatures to qualify - 10 to 15% of the voters in the last governor's election. Congratulations to them on their hard work to meet this milestone.
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SONOMA COUNTY: Building a political powerhouse
The Sonoma measure, known as “Our Kids, Our Future,” has been many years in the making. It will increase the sales tax by ¼ cent and raise $22 million for early care and health services for children ages 5 and under. In 2020 children’s advocates joined a mental health campaign in Sonoma and made sure that some of that funding went to kids. That was a dry run and gave them the experience they needed to do a measure on their own - an important lesson for others.
The campaign prides itself on its early endorsements, saying that almost every elected official in the county has endorsed. By building such a strong base of political support, they hope to minimize opposition. They aim to ensure a living wage for early care providers; develop child care facilities where parents live and work; and expand early childhood and perinatal mental health support.
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MONTEREY COUNTY: Uniting a diverse coalition because "childcare is everyone's business."
The advocates in Monterey County have worked hard to bring together a very diverse coalition of supporters that includes everyone from leaders of the business community to social justice advocates. They aim to prove that caring for children is the one issue that cuts across the traditional polarization in politics.
The measure will raise millions for child care through a $49 parcel tax. Groups that typically oppose taxes have come to understand that child care is essential for business recovery and economic development. The measure is known as the “Safe, Affordable, Quality Childcare in Monterey County Act.” The leaders of this effort began coming to meetings of Funding the Next Generation as early as 2014. They finally saw an opening, having built the community connections, made the case for the importance of the early years, and, interestingly with the pandemic, seeing a broader understanding of the essential need for childcare.
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POMONA: A grassroots campaign to reshuffle budget priorities
Gente Organizada, a grassroots intergenerational community organizing group in Pomona, has collaborated with allies to form a 501(c)4 which will be leading the campaign, and they hope many future campaigns. Gente Organizada has done years of groundwork to be ready for the measure that they drafted. They have studied where the city’s money goes, and determined that it makes sense to set aside 10% of the city's budget specifically for young people. Their measure will do that over a 10 year period.
Like many organizers in the youth arena, they have their hands full with mounting several parallel efforts, including one related to police accountability and another on stable housing. They have modeled their current ballot measure after the one done in Richmond, California, which was modeled in many ways after the original California measure in San Francisco. We all build on each other's progress.
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SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO: Groundbreaking effort to tax corporations to fully fund early care
In the picture: Doniella Maher and Chet Lexvold, two leaders of the Early Care and Education for All South San Francisco campaign, are training volunteer signature gatherers on a Saturday morning. That is certainly the focus of their current campaign efforts.
The South San Francisco measure, if it passes, will be groundbreaking for our movement - generating over $30M from a tax on a handful of very large corporate properties in South San Francisco. This is truly a way to begin to address the imbalance of wealth in our country. All early care providers will make a living wage, starting at $70,000 a year and going up from there. And literally all parents will be able to receive free care for their young children. We will be studying this effort for years to come.
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SACRAMENTO - A WORK IN PROGRESS. Third try at the ballot for determined youth advocates.
In November 2020, when the second attempt to create a Youth Fund in Sacramento lost at the ballot, youth advocates in the Sac Kids First coalition were determined to not give up. Mayor Steinberg had opposed their measure which had been placed on the ballot by signatures, but promised he would put a better measure on the ballot in November, 2022. Negotiations are underway. Let's hope the Mayor delivers and that the third time is a charm.
City Councilman Jay Schenirer, who has been behind every effort, has been leading the charge in Sacramento to build an infrastructure for youth services, including an office for youth in city government, as well as legislation to officially declare youth development to be a public safety service. Schenirer hopes a third ballot measure to create a youth fund will be the culmination of efforts in the city to make youth a city priority.
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON FUNDING MEASURES FOR KIDS
BRINGS 28 COMMUNITIES TO THE TABLE
Map Below: Pink = existing funds, Green = attendees and aspiring funds
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From March 22 to 24, the Children's Funding Project and Funding the Next Generation led a "boot camp" on developing local dedicated funds through ballot measures. 43 faculty members were presenters, coaches, and trainers. Teams from 28 cities and counties around the country were inspired by learning about the history of this funding movement (link to tape of opening session on the history), and by being educated on specific issues such as the use of social media in campaigns, and the elements of a ballot measure.
The meeting ended with a session on "Messaging the Movement" led by pollster Dave Metz, President of FM3, with 3 advocates (from Cincinnati, Ohio; Sonoma, CA; and St. Lucie County, Florida) explaining how they used the polling findings to craft messages for their specific and very different audiences. See link to powerpoint. The next children's funding campaign in the country will be in New Orleans on April 30.
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Funding the Next Generation has now officially merged its work with Children's Funding Project, our new fiscal sponsor and partner. We are delighted to coordinate our work and build a stronger movement to fund opportunities for children and youth, in California and nationally.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, ideas or requests for support - no matter how big or small. With a team of some of the best experts in the country, we provide free technical assistance on everything related to local revenue measures for kids and budget advocacy with your city or county.
Margaret Brodkin, Founder Director, Funding the Next Generation
margaret@fundingthenextgeneration.org
415-794-4963
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