Last week, San Francisco resilience GIS analyst and SEIU 1021 member Alex Morrison joined other SEIU members from across California to rally in Sacramento. They advocated for lawmakers to invest in public sector approaches to fighting climate change.

He said, “Addressing climate change will take an unprecedented effort, to keep fossil fuels in the ground and fundamentally change how we approach people meeting their needs in our society.

“The public sector will play an essential role in this process. That’s why we need a transition that’s led by workers – because we have a once in a generation opportunity to not just address impacts but actually land in a better place, with cleaner air, better infrastructure, and more unionized, well-paying jobs in our public sector.

“Whether it’s COVID or any other crisis, we know that the public sector is always the best and most effective means to provide the services our communities need in an emergency. This is also true when it comes to extreme weather and climate disasters today and in the future.

“Public sector workers, whether they be nurses, teachers, custodians, transit drivers, or many more occupations, will be the ones to get us through and keep our cities running. But we have to have their backs. That’s why we need to provide the new training and work force development opportunities for these workers to be able to tap into these positions and make sure these jobs are well paid and safe for all.”

As we fight for good, union jobs that help our communities, we must make sure the wealthiest among us are still paying their fair share. That’s why we have to defeat the misleadingly named “Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act,” which is really the Taxpayer Deception Act, on the ballot this November.

If we don’t defeat this initiative, billionaires will pull huge amounts of money away from state priorities. If passed, the act would cut tens of billions in state and local revenue, threatening local public services including public schools, fire and emergency response, law enforcement, public health, parks, libraries, affordable housing, services to support homeless residents, and mental health services, to name just a few.

It would also override local voters’ recent decisions, with a retroactive clause that upends decisions made since January 1, 2022. It would eliminate the majority (50%+1) vote for local citizens’ initiatives that raise revenue, blocking future progress, while limiting state and local governments’ ability to address disasters.

It may seem early to be thinking about the November ballot, but this initiative is crucial for everyone who works in the public sector or depends on the services it provides.