Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 41

As a candidate, I have visited, listened and learned about the 41st Assembly District, and the issues and concerns are the same.

Our public education system needs a major overhaul, so that principals and teachers are free to innovate # adapt # respond to the needs of our students and communities. Parents shouldn't feel they have to send their children to private schools because of poor performing public schools.

We must find local solutions to promote meaningful local control, such as more charter schools to create a climate in which individual and community educational innovation and excellence can flourish.

We must deal with the school curriculum and our core education standards. California businesses rely on an educated workforce and our children need the tools to succeed in a competitive world.

It's time to deal with the break-up of LAUSD. Smaller is better. Los Angeles needs its school districts to be in more manageable chunks.

LAUSD Bureaucracy # I want to see this issue responsibly addressed. The bureaucracy is criminal # a taxpayer buy out of someone who couldn't do the job.

And of course, My passions is school health and safety. Real strides will mean addressing prevention, tolerance among students and the need for counseling and crisis services. The school environment is crucial # otherwise, students won't learn.

Higher education can't be a backseat issue. We must maintain funding, encourage research, and provide apprenticeship opportunities as part of continuing education for California's young people.

Transportation

We need a regional transportation solution, and I think we need to pursue this solution with MTA on the state level, through the legislative process.

When I think of MTA, I think of money thrown away. The real issues in this district are the bottlenecks on freeways and the basic daily gridlock, not just during rush hour. We must address the need for adequate resources and timely attention to road infrastructure and maintenance, including more buses, not subways.

Public Safety

Again, as citizens, parents and business people, public safety is a concern. Although violent crime is down, we still suffer from neighborhood crimes like vandalism, theft, burglary, fear to walk our streets at night, and other safety concerns. We must remain vigilant and aggressive on behalf of law enforcement, fighting for resources, and encouraging community policing and neighborhood watches. And, I support tough penalties for criminals, full stop!

Environment

When I think about the environment, I remember that I am a mom. I want to ensure that the water is clean and there are environmental preserves for our citizens to enjoy. The 41st is home to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the California coastline.

On environmental issues, too many politicians think we must choose between a clean environment and a strong economy. These are the kind of false choices we should reject. Instead, we need to bring clean industries to the district. The jobs of the future are clean jobs. And yet, when corporations are bad citizens, and pollute our environment, we have to respond with harsh penalties. I will fight for balance on this issue, enhancing our clean air and water laws, and addressing the quality of our groundwater and the steps we must take to keep it clean for our citizens.

Jobs

A strong economy # the kind we enjoy today # is critical to California's continued success. Only a strong and growing economy can provide the public services we all want for our children # schools, roads, health care, and environmental protection.

I will work against forces in Sacramento that want to take our economy backwards through over- regulation and over-taxation.

We also need to continue to deal with issues that impact a business's bottom line: worker's compensation, healthcare costs, labor issues, access to capital and educated workforce issues.

I also support free and open trade. Our unique access to Latin America and the Pacific Rim are a boon to our economy. However, that does not mean that we abdicate our responsibility to California's workers and their families.

Healthcare

The challenge facing healthcare is to maintain access, affordability and quality, while monitoring costs so they don't bankrupt government or the private sector.

As a Registered Nurse, I am committed to a meaningful Patients Bill of Rights, to set the tone in policy for quality care that puts patients first:

-providing healthcare for working Californians; partnering with nonprofits and the healthcare industry to find solutions for others in need of coverage.

-continuing HMO reforms to ensure that doctors make medical decisions.

-assuring that doctors can afford to practice medicine. We need to preserve a reasonable MICRA.