Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 24

Statement of Personal Philosophy

This assembly district has had the good fortune to be represented by a succession of independent thinkers, representatives like Congressman Tom Campbell, Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush, Assemblyman Jim Cunneen, and Former State Senator Becky Morgan. I want to continue that tradition of strong support for business and litigation reform, of moderation on social issues and of concern for our schools

I endeavor to continue this tradition of independent leadership on which the 24th Assembly District has come to rely. I want to see California return to its former reputation as having the best education in the country, not a broken-down system that ranks near the bottom of the national scale. I want our kids to feel safe and comfortable in our schools and have the reading, writing and math skills they need to compete and thrive in a free enterprise system. The four new education bills that were recently passed by the legislature and signed by the governor will address reading instruction, teacher training and evaluation, high school graduation testing and school accountability. They are just the start in the process of making California schools the best that they can be. We also need to address the school infrastructure # safe and sound buildings that meet the needs of the new larger number of classes, adequate, well trained, credentialed teachers, and up-to-date textbooks and class materials that are conducive to learning. If our kids feel safe and think we care about how they are learning by our participation in the modernization and building of adequate schools and classrooms, they will excel .

I am a Registered Nurse. As a health professional, and as a past President and current Board Member of the California Medical Association Alliance, I have worked to make affordable healthcare available to all of California's citizens and to preserve the strong doctor-patient relationships that have always characterized health care in this country. I want to champion patient protection, high-quality health care, and litigation reform.

I am also acutely aware of the tremendous success of job creation and our high tech industry. Along with this success has been the critical need for affordable housing and the alarming volume of traffic that is now adversely impacting the quality of life affecting all of us not only in Silicon Valley, but in the surrounding communities. We must encourage continued growth in this industry without government over regulation, while taking an active part in the discussion to find workable solutions to these consequences of our success. I have been working with the Joint Venture focus groups that are addressing land use and housing issues and am encouraged by the ideas and workable solutions that have been discussed. I will strive to work on these solutions and make them an integral part of my agenda.