Candidate for
Member, Democratic Party County Central Committee; County of Los Angeles; Assembly District 38

Environment

There is no issue as crucial as protecting the environment. The environmental damage being done today may take thousands of years to repair. We could even be facing mass extinction and the end of life as we know it. We must reduce carbon dioxide emissions, reduce dependence on all fossil fuels, protect all species and preserve their habitat, and ensure our water supply and clean air.

I try to do my part by driving a Prius, using compact fluorescent bulbs, buying Energy Star appliances, etc. California is a leader in energy efficiency. We must build on that lead through more incentives, education, and research.

Cleaning up Government

Corruption in government undermines almost everything we need to accomplish. We need Clean Money at all levels of government. We won't end political corruption while campaign contributions remain legal bribery. The conservative activists of the Supreme Court have made this worse by granting rights to corporations.

Health Care

Our current health care system is a failure. A major change is needed, and we should not settle for less than universal care. Imposing an insurance mandate without improving competition is a recipe for economic disaster, increasing demand without changing the supply. While a single-payer system would be best, we must at least have a strong public option open to all customers including employer plans.

Quality health care available to all will help protect California from the many threats experts are watching: AIDS, bird flu pandemic, resurgence of polio and TB, West Nile, etc. The existing insurance system is a mess, and it needs to be replaced with a not-for-profit system such as that proposed by then-Sen. Sheila Kuehl.

Public Education

We must meet the needs of all students, from preschool to college.

Some parents may choose private school for their children. Others do very well with home schooling. For those for whom such choices are not the best, we need to provide quality public schools. I spent 12 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and in that time I observed the wonderful things that public education can achieve while also seeing the many ways in which we can improve.

Choice

I strongly support the right to reproductive choice. Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. We must have complete freedom from government involvement in such decisions. Women must have complete freedom to choose, and doctors must have complete freedom to assist in that choice. Pharmacists must not "play doctor" by replacing medical judgment with their own.

Fiscal Common Sense

The Republicans left us in a terrible economic mess. Following years of their borrow-and-spend policies, we are forced to borrow more to avoid complete economic disaster.

It is wise to save in good years to prepare for possible bad years. We are now going through some very bad years. We need to return to long-term balanced budgets, but short-term deficits must stay with us for now. No Republican President since Eisenhower has balanced a budget. The last time a Democratic President replaced a Bush, we also did not see a balanced budget in the first four years. We will return to Democratic fiscal responsibility soon enough.

The path to recovery is jobs. Giving employers tax breaks will not be enough to create jobs. They won't hire unless they know their increased production will be met with increased sales. Consumers have to have spending money to generate those sales. That requires policies like extending unemployment benefits, reducing health insurance costs, funding research and the arts, and restoring individual bankruptcy protection. In short, it requires Democratic compassion.