Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 38

Valley Secession:

This issue strikes right at the core of the American way. It is crucial not just to the voters of the San Fernando Valley part of the district, but to the rest of the district, the remainder of Los Angeles and California as a whole. Indeed the entire nation is watching this issue carefully. Philip Baron personally went out door to door during the petition phase of the project and gathered hundreds of signatures in an effort to ensure the movement's success. Self determination is a fundamental right of a free people and no government body should have veto power (or any other power) to hinder this right. Valley VOTE, LAFCO, and other groups aiming to bring this issue to a vote of the people are facing heavy obstacles. Once elected, Philip Baron vows to minimize or remove these obstacles in order to finally allow the people to choose their destiny. For more info on secession see Valley Vote

LAUSD:

Philip Baron's son attends a public school in Northridge. By and large it is a good school and performed decently in the recent evaluation of schools published in the "Daily News." However, LAUSD as a whole did very poorly. A system that is so badly broken should not be fixed, it should simply be replaced. Philip Baron favors a complete dismantling of LAUSD. He feels that it is beyond reform and suggests that it be replaced by several smaller independent school districts. In this way parents and pupils can have a greater say on who teaches and administrates at their schools.

Sunshine Canyon Landfill Expansion:

As a libertarian, Philip Baron believes that a property owner should have dominion over the use of their land. However, if the use of the land is for profiting at the expense of taxpayers then the interest of the taxpayers must come first. Granting a permit to Browning Ferris Industries to expand Sunshine Canyon Landfill was a hastily made decision by L.A. City Council and Mayor Richard Riordan. Philip Baron has no qualms about confronting the legislature on this issue. Many California legislators have received generous contributions from BFI (click here for facts). Philip Baron wants to line them up in front of Granada Hills residents and let them explain why they are accepting campaign contributions from the company that is opening a dump in their back yard. Philip Baron believes that there are alternatives for trash disposal that are both cheaper and less threatening to the environment. He plans to push the issue to the forefront. For more info on the North Valley Coalition see Dump the dump.

STATE ISSUES:

TAXES:

Income tax, property tax, sales tax, use tax, business tax, utility tax, gasoline tax, and so on. It's enough to drive one insane. The key to reducing or eliminating these taxes is of course privatization of government services or at least tax earmarking (e.g. the gasoline, which earmarked for road and highway construction and maintenance). Baron believes in very small government and will work hard to shrink the size of the gargantuan California budget. Baron also wants the DMV to pay up on the illegally collected "smog compliance" tax which was charged to residents bringing in vehicles from other states (thankfully, Assemblyman McClintock has already made great strides in this area).

EDUCATION:

California's spending per pupil (K-12) has risen steadily in the past four years, yet academic performance has not improved (see chart) Clearly, throwing more money at the schools will not solve the problem. Phil Baron favors local control of schools, where teachers and administrators will be accountable to the communities in which they work. In the 1/30/00 issue of the "L.A. Times" the same opinion is rendered by California's Legislative Analyst.

BALLOT MEASURES:

See web site of the Libertarian Party of California.

Other issues:

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