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JANUARY 8, 2012 |
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CALIFORNIA
COMMON
SENSE |
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www.CACS.org
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Today's guest: Dakin Sloss |
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DAKIN SLOSS |
About Dakin
Dakin is a senior at Stanford studying physics, mathematics and
philosophy. He is interested in the philosophical underpinnings of
quantum mechanics and alternative approaches to quantum theory such
as Bohmian mechanics. He has completed research in the field of
neuroscience investigating where and how memories are stored in the
brain. He has also participated in physics research to improve
gravitational lensing studies that explore the nature and
distribution of dark matter. Dakin is excited to use his
quantitative analysis skills to improve the efficiency of the
California state government. His least favorite wasteful government
regulation is administered by the FDA to prevent the sale of raw
milk cheese aged less than 60 days. Dakin enjoys playing tennis and
skiing. |
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Mission |
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Open government finances
to the public
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Engage citizens in
data-driven discourse
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Catalyze a grassroots
movement for more effective and efficient governance
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Visit
CACS.org |
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ALSO BE SURE TO
SUPPORT THE "CA BILL OF RIGHTS INITIATIVE" CLICK HERE |
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Theory of Change |
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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. |
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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 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. |
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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. Third, CACS engineers will develop 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. |
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Websites and
material mentioned on
today's program: |
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www.CACS.org |
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INDEX OF RADIO
SHOWS |
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SEARCH |
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WE THE PEOPLE RADIO |
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