Candidate for
Governor; Democratic Party

I am running for Governor to make California a place of fairness and broad opportunity in the 21st century and to ensure that all of our people can succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. Around the globe, our economic competitors are running a race to the top, investing in the education of their children. To meet that challenge, California must invest across the board + to educate our children, train our workers, build our infrastructure, and develop clean technologies and renewable energy - so that we can win the high-wage jobs of the future and build new industries and opportunities for all.

As Governor, I will fully fund our schools, invest in our children, and balance the state budget. I will crack down on tax cheating and carry out reforms to make government more efficient and productive. As Treasurer, I compiled a record of innovation and cost-efficiency, and managed to reduce the size of the Treasurer's office staff by 9% and meet the state's 2003 budget-cutting goals. But I will not deceive you. California cannot restore fiscal integrity and make the needed investments in education with efficiencies alone. Presently, large corporations and people making more than $500,000 a year are receiving $17 billion a year in tax cuts from the state and federal governments. Meanwhile, our schools are under-funded and middle class families are paying more for college. As Governor, I will close corporate tax loopholes and ask the wealthiest Californians to pay their fair share again.

EXPANDING EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AND OPPORTUNITY

As Governor, I will invest across the board in educating our children and will fight to ensure that California has the highest standards, the best schools, and the most affordable, most accessible colleges and universities in the nation - not just for a few, but for all our children. Today, California ranks 43rd in school funding and 48th in school performance. I will be a governor who stands up for our children and works with teachers to expand - not limit - educational opportunity and funding for our schools.

To meet the challenge of recruiting over 100,000 new teachers in the next decade, I will pursue a comprehensive plan, Teachers for Our Future, to assure that every child has a well-trained teacher in the classroom and that every teacher has the support he or she needs to do a difficult and vital job. My plan will attract bright young people and mid-career workers to teaching, reduce fees on students studying to become teachers, and provide more support and professional training for teachers in the classroom. (To read more about my Teachers for our Future initiative, please visit: http://www.angelides.com/teachers.)

To renew California's commitment to college opportunity for all and increase the number of well-educated workers for California's economy, I will ensure that more young Californians, not fewer, go to college and succeed there. I will roll back the current fee hikes at community colleges and universities, open the college doors wider by admitting 20,000 more students to our state colleges and universities, expand eligibility for financial aid, and double the number of public school counselors, so that students have the guidance and academic preparation for higher learning. (To read more about my College Opportunity for All initiative, please visit: http://www.angelides.com/collegeopportunity.)

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

I will act to reduce California's consumption of oil, clean the air, pursue smart growth, and protect the coast. My Clean California plan sets a goal to reduce gasoline and diesel use by 25 percent in ten years, putting California on a path for even steeper reductions in the following decade. My plan will include investment initiatives to spur new clean energy technology, new standards for automakers and oil companies, and a comprehensive smart growth plan. It will give California families the chance to cut their fuel costs, protect themselves against sudden upswings in gasoline prices, and reduce the time they spend stuck in congestion. My plan will make California the world's leader in reducing oil consumption: cleaning the air, combating global warming and curbing sprawl while creating tens of thousands of jobs and strengthening California's economy. (To read my environmental policy plans, please visit http://www.angelides.com/enviros.)

INCREASING ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE

Our current employer-based system of funding health insurance is increasingly putting American workers and businesses at a competitive disadvantage in a global economy where our competitors finance health insurance through national funding systems, not the workplace. I believe all Californians deserve access to affordable, quality health care. I understand the stakes of health care reform and believe that access to affordable quality care is essential for the state's long-term economic competitiveness. As Governor, I will work with the Legislature to lead California toward a health financing system that will provide universal coverage and remove our competitive disadvantage.

For more information about my record and positions, please visit my website: http://www.angelides.com. Thank you for your interest.