League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Holly J. Mitchell Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the State Assembly; District 54

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. How will you prioritize the budget choices the Legislature must make to align the state’s income and spending?

As Chair of the Assembly's Budget Subcommittee on Health & Human Services, I have successfully contributed to California's timely adoption of a balanced budget for the last 2 fiscal years. My demonstrated budget priorities are: funding essential services for California's most vulnerable populations, especially children, the poor, frail, elderly, struggling families and the disadvantaged; funding health care, social services, child care, and education; investing in job retention & creation, supporting California small businesses and encouraging green development.

2. What types of changes or reforms, if any, do you think are important to make our state government function more effectively?

As the most populous and most innovative state in the U.S., California needs a balanced approach to budgeting, so that cuts for savings and efficiency are matched with new revenues to sustain our health care, essential social services, education, infrastructure and to invest in people and business while protecting our environment. New revenue sources are needed, as in progressive reforms such as Prop 30, and split-roll property taxes to differentiate tax rates for business property from personal homes.

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?

California has cut higher education resources and raised fees more than is desirable. We must do more and better to ensure access to the vocational instruction and collegiate credentials our population needs to remain competitive in the market place and well-informed in our civic lives and personal lives. Securing more revenue to reverse the trend toward down-sizing higher education is among my highest priorities.

4. What other major issues do you think the Legislature must address? What are your own priorities?

Major issues and priorities to which I am committed for my second term include: Full implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act; a balanced budget including new revenues to ensure that affordable health care, essential social services, reliable child care and quality education are available to Californians who need them; reallocation of significant resources from warehousing prisoners for non-violent offenses to investment in effective rehabilitation and job opportunity; and protection of our natural resources.

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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.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 28, 2012 14:46
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