The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California and asked of all candidates for this office.

See below for questions on Budget Crisis, Education, Water, Health Insurance

Click on a name for other candidate information.   See also more information about this contest.

Answer from Donald P. "Don" Wagner:

State income is up almost 25% over the five years of the Davis Administration. But spending has gone up nearly 44%. It is clear that the budget problem is overwhelmingly on the expenditure side. The state's natural economic growth can pull us out of our budget problem. But growth can never solve the problem if we continue to spend recklessly and tax excessively.

On the spending side, the first rule of holes applies. When in a hole, stop digging. We must stop over-spending. Each budget year the government spends more than the year before. Stop. We can cut the number of state employees, cut the rich state employment benefits, and reduce benefits to illegal aliens.

As to taxes, the budget problems will not be solved by increased taxes or more bonds. Tax increases put a drag on the economy. We must be doing everything possible to spur growth. Pete Wilson imposed $7 billion in taxes in his first term but the economy remained sluggish and income from the tax did not meet projections. The economy did not turn around until Wilson cut tax rates in his second term. At the national level we saw the same thing. In the eighties, Ronald Reagan cut taxes and government receipts virtually doubled in six years. The same can happen here. We should impose no new taxes or bonds, and cut tax rates.

Answer from Chonchol D. Gupta:

Returning California to a business friendly state by getting rid of outrageous workers compensation insurance premiums will make it easier for both small and big businesses alike to hire more employees. We can end our reliance on foreign labor and return jobs to Californians.

Another way to curb our economy's deficit is to halt illegal immigration. Although our nation's immigration policy should be handled by the Federal Government, billions of our states tax dollars are being used when our Federal Government fails to enforce border policies.One way of accomplishing this, is to require the illegal immigrants who are working in our state to pay their fair share of income tax. The Federal Government has made it illegal for companies to hire illegal aliens, yet undocumented workers continue to work, and send billions of dollars of untaxed money out of our state annually. By giving California Tax Identification numbers to all people in California- legal and illegal, we can start to pay for the bill the Federal Government has left us with.
This system would not give a visa to illegal immigrants. What it would do is give the undocumented workers in California a way to pay their fair share of taxes. A California Tax Id Number system would cut down on the number of stolen Social Security numbers, and provide an alternative to Gray Davis' plan of giving all illegal immigrants California Drivers Licenses.

Answer from Chuck DeVore:

First, cut spending.

Second, improve the economy by reforming workers' compensation, cutting taxes, simplifying the tax code, and reducing regulations.

Third, improve efficiency by making California's procurement system more competitive (saving tax dollars).

Fourth, sell unused state assets.

Answer from Chonchol D. Gupta:

I first decided to run for State Assembly when some of my schoolmates could not continue their higher education because the University of California increased its' annual tuition by nearly $1,500. There is no reason that students should have to give up all the hard work and studious hours they invested through high school and through college, just because our state government can not correctly balance a budget. Our school system should remain great regardless of the state of our economy! More control needs to be given to our local school districts so the needs of each school and each teacher can be accurately addressed, so that no student gets left behind due to bureaucracy. When we utilize the full potential of our school system, we will produce strong and technically able students, thus creating a business industry that has competent and able employees.

As the son of a teacher and a product of California public schools, I have seen first hand the dilapidated state of our education system. The California State Government has stripped virtually all autonomy away from local schools and districts, forcing them to compete with one another for money and benefits. Our schools should not be run as horses on a race track. We should not leave any school behind. This requires that the state return some decision making to local districts and schools. California is currently basing the effectiveness of a school on its children's performance on standardized tests. We must stop this destructive habit and realize that teachers across our county and across California cannot simultaneously and effectively educate our diverse group of students, and prepare them for one standardized test that will determine the amount of money that school will receive.

Answer from Chuck DeVore:

More money for the classroom, less for administration. How?

First, invest in new business systems and processes to bring more of the huge productivity gains seen by business in recent years into the school system.

Second, introduce two year budgeting to give local school districts more planning time and less chaos.

Third, cut unfunded mandates and earmarks from the state (Governor Schwarzenegger is already trying this and it should be encouraged).

Answer from Donald P. "Don" Wagner:

As to K-12, I support expansion of the class size reduction program, merit pay for teachers who demonstrate competence, and testing to measure school performance. I also very much support the back-to-basics movement and programs to give parents greater choice in the education system such as expanding the number of charter schools, open districts and unrestricted transfer, and per pupil funding equity.

As for the Community Colleges, I have spent the last five years as a community college trustee and am very familiar with the system. Proposition 98 has never been fully implemented for the community colleges and should be. The state also refuses to recognize in its budgeting and legislating that the community colleges are equal partners with the UC and CSU systems in the first two years of general education. Equalization is critical here to the community colleges' ability to fulfill their mission.

The single best reform the legislature could adopt in the field of education would be to completely overhaul the Education Code to eliminate outdated, redundant, or unnecessary rules and regualtions that burden the K-12 and community colleges. Virtually every law that does not (1) contribute dollars to the classroom or to the safety of students and staff at school, (2) provide for essential administrative support, or (3) empower the locally elected school boards to do their jobs rather than transfer power to Sacramento, should be considered for repeal. I believe this will literally free up billions that can then be put to use productively.

Answer from Donald P. "Don" Wagner:

I believe in the ability of the free market to provide most of the answers to California's water problems. The current state and federal pollution laws are sufficient, when vigorously enforced, to protect our resources. I would not support an effort by Sacramento to impose a single statewide water policy as the needs throughout the state are as varied as the state itself. One solution does not fit all. Instead, the legislature should work to preserve flexibility of the local officials to solve their problems and become involved only where necessary in dealing with elected officials in other states to reach agreement in the sharing of resources that cross state boundaries.

Answer from Chuck DeVore:

California needs to invest more in infrastructure. In addition, water should be handled more like a commodity. Paying market prices for water will encourage efficient use and conservation.

Answer from Donald P. "Don" Wagner:

The legislature should reduce the regulatory burden on health care providers, insurers, and the business community. Less government involvement, not more, is the direction we should take health care policy. For example, to the extent the legislature can encourge medical savings accounts it should. The legislature should also do everything it can to encourage rationality in the allocation of health care resources. Finally, the legislature should consider efforts to protect health care providers who now face ever escalating insurance and potential litgation defense costs that drive them from the state and, by restricting supply, further increase the costs of the health care system.

Answer from Chuck DeVore:

Encourage more business growth to give workers more employer options.

Examine fundamental reasons for lack of health care: high medical and insurance costs due to the cost of litigation and fraud, low-wage jobs, lack of jobs caused by burdensome government regulations that drive business out of state.

Mandating that all businesses provide health insurance coverage will only make the California economy worse.

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily.