S T A T E M E N T

Governor Schwarzenegger and California Performance Review Establish a “Benchmark” for Reform of State Government

For Immediate Release
August 3, 2004

SACRAMENTO – Carl DeMaio, president of The Performance Institute, issued the following statement in response to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s release today of the California Performance Review’s recommendations for overhauling state government:

“Just a little over a year ago, the Sacramento establishment swore off the notion of ‘real reform’ as impossible. Throwing out the ‘it’s always been done this way’ mentality, the California Performance Review today is releasing its sweeping final report – an action plan that paves the way for the most massive overhaul of how California government serves its citizens in modern history.

We congratulate the Governor, the leadership of the CPR, and the 260 dedicated state employees who worked diligently to finally bring transparency, accountability and efficiency to the state government without raising taxes or slashing services, but instead by eliminating waste and a bloated bureaucracy.

No doubt the Governor faces a rocky road on getting these reforms through the Legislature. The Performance Institute stands ready to help with building grassroots support for passing these critical and landmark reforms.”

Based in San Diego and Washington, D.C., The Performance Institute is a national government reform think tank that promotes the principles of performance, transparency, competition and accountability in government. In 2003, The Performance Institute released the landmark “California Citizens’ Budget Plan” that outlined a sweeping reform agenda for California state government. The Citizens’ Budget has been widely credited with getting the ball rolling on reform in California.

Additional information on the Citizens’ Budget Plan can be found at www.performanceweb.org.

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