Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 33; Democratic Party

I intend to go to Sacramento to act as an agent for change. We need to assure that all actions on revenue and budget be determined by a majority vote. While I campaign for the 33rd Assembly District I will speak out forcefully in favor of any initiative that addresses this structural problem. I feel the most important problem we face in California is the inability to craft a budget and the two-thirds majority requirement to raise taxes or pass a budget allows a small group of legislators to hold California hostage. The result promotes the incorrect view of stalemate in Sacramento that doesn't place the blame squarely on a small minority of elected officials. This unfortunate situation plays right into the general public's perception of the California Legislature as dysfunctional. Education, health, social services and our small business sector all suffer from this paralysis.

1st Priority: Structural reform for revenue and budget process

If the structural problem that defines the budget and revenue process is not solved by the initiative process in November then my first priority as an Assembly Member will be to work to solve the 2/3 rule for passage of new revenues and the budget and a workable overhaul of the process. I intend to be one of the new Democratic members that will craft this policy. I support a two year budget/revenue package to allow for adequate time to negotiate, restructure and identify the new revenue sources necessary to restore the educational system in California to match our history of public educational excellence of the 1960's. I will bring my experience in finance, taxes and public policy to identify the best ways to accomplish this goal with other legislators. I think there must be a short term plan to rescue education and restore the almost 18 million dollars taken from the system. Once this has been legislated we will need a long term plan to sustain and rebuild education in the Golden State.

2nd Priority: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

I will support programs to develop small business enterprises, especially in the sustainable green job sector. This will support the educational system as the core of any successful job training and technical skills development. Partnerships with universities and business will help both to bring the best trained employees from our California schools into the business sector. In this regard, I am particularly interested in small business development for the communities of Northern Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County.

3rd Priority: Implement proven reform policies in education

I will support proven reforms. We have ample research, both quantitative and qualitative, that clearly shows what works in education. Proven reforms I will work to see implemented are:

• Reducing K-12 class sizes to levels that are proven to work for excellent results as shown in test results and teacher reports
• Having qualified teachers in all core subjects is particularly important in the sciences and arts
• Increasing the number of credentialed counselors in primary and high schools. Identifying learning disabilities and interventions are important supports and will contribute to the achievement of results
• Establishing equitable distribution of teacher background and experience particularly in diverse communities
• Assuring that any high school equivalency examination allows for training and certification of students who excel in the trades, technical careers and the service sector because we understand that not every student should be assessed on the same intellectual scale that a university student must demonstrate
• Establishing training programs and time for collaboration for administrators and teachers and the mentoring of new teachers

I will investigate and work to eliminate unfair tax breaks, assess a severance tax on oil production, and ensure corporations are taxed equitably to remove special corporate income and sales tax loopholes. My job will be to identify sources of revenue that invest in child care programs and supports for working families, especially those who are seeking to gain economic self-sufficiency (CalWORKs, student parents, etc.)