League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Member of the State Assembly; District 58

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Budget, Government reform, Higher education, Major issues Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. How will you prioritize the budget choices the Legislature must make to align the state’s income and spending? Answer from Patricia A. Kotze-Ramos: There is no doubt that the budget is a mess. The culture of constant spending and kicking-the-can down the road has led to the State taking money from the places that need it the most- our cities and our taxpayers. As a legislator, I will go through the budget and prioritize our expenditures based on need, function, and whether it is the role of our State government to be bankrolling the program in question. I will work tirelessly to ensure that the programs that we have are as efficient and effective as possible, and willing to make the difficult decisions if and when deemed necessary. 2. What types of changes or reforms, if any, do you think are important to make our state government function more effectively? Answer from Patricia A. Kotze-Ramos: Sacramento has been paralyzed by patrisianship and idealogues while our communities continue to suffer through the worst recession in memory. Sacramento should be helping our communities, cities, and counties- not crippling them with unneccessary red tape and taking their resources. This culture of top-down policymaking needs to stop. I would work with the cities in the district to ensure that they have ultimate say about policy changes that affect them. 3. Fees for public higher education have gone up dramatically and funding has been cut. Is this a priority concern, and if so, what measures would you propose to address it? Answer from Patricia A. Kotze-Ramos: It is absolutely a priority concern. California's changing demographics, along with low educational attainment levels will lead to substantial declines in per capita personal income in the next decade. I will make it a priority to impliment new, cost-effective, technology-driven tools that community colleges and public universities despirately need to better educate students and better help them find their way through college into their chosen profession. 4. What other major issues do you think the Legislature must address? What are your own priorities? Answer from Patricia A. Kotze-Ramos: I believe in many of the cities I am hoping to represent, businesses are the drivers of programs that improve quality of life for residents. Many businesses are overburdened with taxes and regulatory compliance costs. If elected, I will work to ensure that these burdens are not preventing our businesses from reinvesting, expanding, and creating new jobs. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.