Chris Hoene (he/him/his)
Executive Director
Chris Hoene, Executive Director, leads the strategic direction of the organization, acts as primary spokesperson, and works with the board of directors and community partners to advance the organization’s values, policy directions, and development. Chris is a dynamic leader who strives to build relationships and a collective vision with a range of partners and people, including the Budget Center team, policymakers, advocates, organizers, the media, and funders to improve the lives of Californians, particularly those who have been barred from sharing in California’s prosperity.
Before joining the Budget Center in 2012, Chris worked as the director of the Center for Research and Innovation at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. He also worked as an analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C. and the Public Policy Institute of California in San Francisco. Chris holds a Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Idaho. In 2011, Chris was elected as a fellow into the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) in recognition of his service to the state and local community.
Chris is married to Darrene Hackler and, in their free time, they can be found hiking, playing tennis, paddleboarding, traveling, cooking, and seeking out good wine — not necessarily in that order, but ideally in the same day!
Recent posts by Chris Hoene
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Commentary
The tools used to manage the state’s finances need structural reform
How can the state avoid the whiplash of budget surpluses and shortfalls in the future?California Budget -
Report
California Spending on Law Enforcement, the Legal System & Incarceration
Recent acts of police brutality against Black Americans and greater public outcry over the continued abuse and deaths of people across Black communities have amplified calls for defunding, abolishing, and reimagining local policing. This also comes with growing understanding that police violence has disproportionately fatal consequences for Black men and women, and Black transgender women in particular.The calls to action involve significantly transforming the mission and structure of local law enforcement, divesting from local law enforcement in its current forms, and reinvesting the freed-up funding into community-building capacities that would also seek to end racial profiling and police brutality against Black people and other people of color.COVID-19Justice System -
Commentary
What California needs to move forward economically – it doesn’t start with austerity
Californians recently learned of alarming estimates of the state’s budget shortfall as a result of the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state faces a $54 billion budget shortfall for the current and next fiscal years – a 37% decrease from the current state funding level. This stark news comes just ahead of his revised 2020-21 budget proposal. We can’t ignore how quickly COVID-19 has changed California’s fiscal outlook. Nor can we look away from the high price Californians are paying as they shoulder the economic impact of this crisis. -
Report
Californians Could Expand Property Tax Breaks Under Proposition 5
Proposition 5 would significantly expand special rules under which certain property owners can lower their property taxes. This Issue Brief examines Prop. 5 and shows that its ultimate effect would be to expand tax breaks for older, wealthier Californians at the expense of other homeowners, including those who are younger and less affluent.Ballot PropositionsCalifornia BudgetTaxes & Revenue -
Report
Californians Asked to Eliminate Transportation Funding Under Proposition 6
Proposition 6 would eliminate taxes and fees that California enacted in 2017 to fund transportation infrastructure. This Issue Brief examines Prop. 6, which will appear on the November 6, 2018 statewide ballot, and discusses what the measure would mean for California.Ballot Propositions
