State elected officials have a lot of work to do

So which is themore immediate crisis? Is it climate change or the continuing systematic defunding of California’s school system, which is already ranked near the bottom among all states?

States have important primary functions in our federalist system: K-12 education is the largest, along with transportation infrastructure and oversight of the electrical grid. California is objectively failing at all of these important tasks. US News & World Report ranks California 37th of all the states on K-12; 39th on energy (grid reliability and costs); 41st on commute time, road and bridge quality; 49th (only after Hawaii) on cost of living and housing affordability; 47th on income inequality (Gini index); 48th on income gap by race; and 39th by education gap by race.

These rankings are truly embarrassing for California, which Gov. Gavin Newsom hubristically likes to call our “nation state.”

Not on the list of primary responsibilities to citizen taxpayers — in any state — is solving climate change, which is a complicated issue that transcends even national borders. Novato officials considering a declaration of “climate emergency,” Newsom’s banning gas-powered cars by 2035 and efforts to rename schools and roads are all laudable initiatives, but should not be prioritized over making improvements to core service deficits — particularly in education.

Rule No. 6 in Jordan Peterson’s book, “12 Rules for Life,” is “set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.” California politicians should read it.

— Ken Broad, Mill Valley