The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California and asked of all candidates for this office.

See below for questions on Budget Crisis, Education, Water, Health Insurance

Click on a name for other candidate information.   See also more information about this contest.

Answer from Gail E. Neira:

Elect a Republican Majority in the State Assembly and State Assembly so Governor Schwarzenegger can "terminate" the budget crisis!

Answer from Colin V. Gallagher:

I support across the board reductions in all programs. The contracts with the public employees unions, especially the prison guards, must be re-negotiated. I would consider legalization of gambling in California if the Indian tribes are not willing to contribute more to the state's coffers. I support closing redundant offices of agencies such as the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board and the Fair Employment and Housing Commission. I would also act to privatize one of the University of California law schools and mothball the proposed U.C. campus in Merced. I support entering into contracts to create private prisons in California rather than build costly new public prisons. The budget crisis is fundamentally a spending problem and does not result from Californians being under-taxed.

Answer from Gail E. Neira:

Careful planning is needed for California long-term edcuational needs. This issue cannot be dealt with by reciting slogans!

I favor total immersion language education for non-English speaking students.

Answer from Colin V. Gallagher:

Unfortunately the spending mandates in Proposition 98 must be set aside for now. As mentioned, there is no justification for 3 U.C. law schools in Northern California and the under-performing U.C. law school should be either closed or privatized. I do support equalizing the tuition charged to state residents and illegal aliens with the tuiton charged to residents of other states. I support merit pay for teachers and ending tenure for incompetent instructors. Charter schools that have the support of parents should be encouraged and not run out of town, as they are in San Francisco. Students in sub-par public schools should have greater choice to transfer to better-performing school districts.

Answer from Gail E. Neira:

Massive planning is needed for California's future water needs. Much of California has desert-level rainfall; even much of Northern California is marginal steppe.

California is America's most productive state for agriculture, but new water sources need to be tapped - possibly from Alaska or the Yukon - in the next 20 to 30 years.

Answer from Colin V. Gallagher:

I support encouraging water conservation through tax credits for property owners who implement conservation measures. I do not support the Peripheral Canal. True deregulation of California's public utilities will effectively address our state's water and energy needs.

Answer from Colin V. Gallagher:

I do not support a "single-payer" system. I do support tax-free Medical Savings Accounts (MSA's) to encourage private citizens to set aside money for health care emergencies. I do support the limits on noneconomic damages in MICRA, which makes health insurance in California more affordable. I would also encourage closer and periodic review of Medi-cal applications for fraudulent claims. I support state income tax credits for organ donors. I believe that legal immigrants should have access to Medi-Cal and other public health services on the same basis that U.S. citizens do.

Answer from Gail E. Neira:

Give employers tax incentives, including income tax credits, to encourage them to provide health insurance for their workers!

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily.