About CACS
Learn more about California Common Sense.
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Mission
- Open government finances to the public
- Engage citizens in data-driven discourse
- Catalyze a grassroots movement for better governance
Theory of Change
Imagine a world in which ordinary citizens are invested in their governments and take ownership of them by virtue of actually knowing a) how government works and b) how their tax dollars are used for public services. We at CACS see that world vividly and are guided by the vision that solutions to major local and state problems will stem from the marriage of transparency and engagement. The innovative technologies we use open up government, expose its excesses, draw its shareholders - particularly young people - into the political process, and improve the efficacy of services on which citizens rely.
Accomplishments
CACS began in 2010 when a team of Stanford students and alumni created the first-ever organizational mapping of the 3800+ entities within California's executive branch. In 2011, CACS created California's first-ever interactive data transparency portal to educate the public about government finances. The data includes states around the country, enabling citizens to see how California measures up. In preparing this groundbreaking suite of transparency tools, CACS revealed California's outdated information technology, the lack of a centralized state checkbook, and sub-standard fiscal accountability.
CACS research has been sought out by the state of Georgia and the U.S. House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training. For the latter, CACS uncovered possible savings of $8.1 billion on 44 overlapping training programs. CACS has also submitted a report on trial court spending in California to the Office of Courts Research to assist in the implementation of $200 million in state budget cuts. Most visibly, CACS analysis of California Assembly data showed $2.75 million in underreporting of personal staff salaries sparking nationwide media coverage and public scrutiny of the scandal.
CACS research has been sought out by the state of Georgia and the U.S. House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training. For the latter, CACS uncovered possible savings of $8.1 billion on 44 overlapping training programs. CACS has also submitted a report on trial court spending in California to the Office of Courts Research to assist in the implementation of $200 million in state budget cuts. Most visibly, CACS analysis of California Assembly data showed $2.75 million in underreporting of personal staff salaries sparking nationwide media coverage and public scrutiny of the scandal.
CACS has also worked with the Stanford Institute for Economics and Policy Research to identify, describe, and visualize the magnitude of California's unfunded pension liabilities, the impact of this problem on California's budget, and the impact of possible reforms on the future of California's pension systems. CACS has been featured in newspapers such as the Huffington Post, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Sacramento Bee, and San Diego Union Tribune. CACS team members have published opinion pieces and made television and radio appearances around the state.
Future
CACS will add data visualizations to the transparency portal for every California municipality. This will open the door to all government data across the nation's largest state. CACS will also partner with leading think tanks to produce visualizations showing trade-offs for a variety of policies. CACS engineers will grow a revolutionary engagement platform to promote citizen-politician interaction.
Over the last decade, Silicon Valley companies such as Facebook, eBay, PayPal, YouTube, Twitter, and others have developed online communities engaging millions. At CACS, we will work with these tools (and their developers) to create a robust platform that serves as a new interface between ordinary citizens, elected officials, and other stakeholders of California's government. We expect this to become the world's leading ecosystem for government transparency and politician-citizen engagement.
Over the last decade, Silicon Valley companies such as Facebook, eBay, PayPal, YouTube, Twitter, and others have developed online communities engaging millions. At CACS, we will work with these tools (and their developers) to create a robust platform that serves as a new interface between ordinary citizens, elected officials, and other stakeholders of California's government. We expect this to become the world's leading ecosystem for government transparency and politician-citizen engagement.
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