Let’s Talk NextGen Policy!

Introducing Our Team’s New Blog: “Let’s Talk”

 

The NextGen Policy (NGP) team is embarking on a journey to find more ways to connect with our audience and we invite you to come along for the ride – today, we are announcing the launch of our new blog, Let’s Talk! As an organization, we are working to change the conversation, putting equity front and center – and we believe “Let’s Talk” will allow more people to be a part of it. This blog format presents a new and exciting way for the NextGen policy advisors to share their ideas, insights, and observations with you on a wide-range of topics including: our advocacy and programmatic work, more detailed legislative analysis and updates, breaking news about happenings around the State Capitol, and much more information curated just for you.

For this first Let’s Talk blog post, we wanted to tell you a bit more about who we are and how we got started. For the last eight years, NextGen Policy has been focused on creating a more equitable, climate friendly, and prosperous California by advancing progressive policies centered on racial, economic, gender, and environmental justice. Our work involves legislative advocacy, policy development, strategic advising and communications, program delivery, and grassroots power-building.

NextGen is very proud of the fact that we are a Black-led organization that is staffed primarily by people who identify as women and people of color. Our Executive Director, Arnie Sowell Jr., consistently emphasizes that fundamental to the NextGen equity and justice mission is the imperative of being an effective and constant counterbalance to the powerful special interests roaming the halls of the State Capitol – and since 2016 we have successfully been just that. Our efforts to push against the power of special interests have helped pass important bills that benefit low-income and frontline communities as well as invest in the lives of everyday Californians; secured billions in the state budget for broadband infrastructure, healthy school meals, climate programs, and higher education; and developed an extensive partnership network of like-minded organizations.

NextGen’s work prioritizes the value of amplifying the voices of those closest to and most affected by the pressing issues facing our state – individuals and communities who are most often left out of the policy and budget decision making processes. Our small but mighty team draws on their lived and professional experiences to develop and advocate for policy solutions that address a myriad of issues: climate change; education, racial and gender equity; food insecurity; health care access and affordability; digital inclusion; immigrant rights; inclusive democracy; workforce development; and much more.

The goal of our Let’s Talk blog is to provide a different forum to showcase our work as well as dig in a little deeper on the issues that you care about. In the coming months, you can look forward to exclusive information about and updates on topics such as:

• Addressing the student and institutional debt crises in higher education; 
• Helping California achieve its climate goals by developing a fully climate-aligned state budget; 
• Building affordable and reliable broadband infrastructure and creating programs to promote digital literacy and close the digital divide;
• Plus lots more from our policy advisors and leadership team!

So find a quiet place to relax, get comfortable, and Let’s Talk about NextGen’s advocacy work, important State Capitol executive and legislative branch happenings, the status of key bills and budget negotiations, and much more! Sign up to receive an email notification when the newest post on NextGen Policy’s Let’s Talk blog is live.

Thanks for reading!

The NextGen Team