Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

"For many decades, California has been a magnet for attracting creative talent in research, education, and innovation. That talent has transformed every economic sector - health and medicine, communications, education, transportation, manufacturing, and the entertainment industry. The world has long looked to us for new ideas and marveled at our remarkable achievements.

But California is at a crossroads, and executive decisions made in the near term will shape the future and determine whether or not we stay at the vanguard of research and discovery while maintaining an economy that thrives on California-based creativity, informed risk taking, and investment in innovation. Unless bold action is taken now, the state will quickly face significant challenges. Our K-12 educational system, for example, is far from the powerhouse it once was. Shifts in the economic and business climate, as well as federal provisions regarding non-U.S. citizens threaten our ability to attract and retain the best and the brightest for research and innovation. Furthermore, California's competitive environment is being adversely affected by high energy costs - 30% above the national average. We should be looking for opportunities to provide Californians and California businesses with near and long term options to meet the twin goals of economically attractive energy supplies as well as mitigating potential environmental impacts including climate change.

...We see the potential for your administration to leave a powerful legacy - an opportunity to chart the course for systematic and ongoing innovation, leadership, and achievement. Science and technology long have undergirded our state's economy, but we also know that the future is anything but certain. We strongly believe that an opportunity exists now for bold actions that reassert California's unique attributes as the premier S&T leader in the nation. The consequences of inaction are great; small actions will likely only achieve small results. Therefore, whatever actions are taken must be of a scale large enough to have a measurable impact."