League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Orange County, CA March 2, 2004 Election
	Donald P. "Don" Wagner Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the State Assembly; District 70; Republican Party

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. What does California need to do to address the current budget crisis?

State income is up almost 25% over the five years of the Davis Administration. But spending has gone up nearly 44%. It is clear that the budget problem is overwhelmingly on the expenditure side. The state's natural economic growth can pull us out of our budget problem. But growth can never solve the problem if we continue to spend recklessly and tax excessively.

On the spending side, the first rule of holes applies. When in a hole, stop digging. We must stop over-spending. Each budget year the government spends more than the year before. Stop. We can cut the number of state employees, cut the rich state employment benefits, and reduce benefits to illegal aliens.

As to taxes, the budget problems will not be solved by increased taxes or more bonds. Tax increases put a drag on the economy. We must be doing everything possible to spur growth. Pete Wilson imposed $7 billion in taxes in his first term but the economy remained sluggish and income from the tax did not meet projections. The economy did not turn around until Wilson cut tax rates in his second term. At the national level we saw the same thing. In the eighties, Ronald Reagan cut taxes and government receipts virtually doubled in six years. The same can happen here. We should impose no new taxes or bonds, and cut tax rates.

2. What should the state's priorities be for K-12 education? For the Community College System?

As to K-12, I support expansion of the class size reduction program, merit pay for teachers who demonstrate competence, and testing to measure school performance. I also very much support the back-to-basics movement and programs to give parents greater choice in the education system such as expanding the number of charter schools, open districts and unrestricted transfer, and per pupil funding equity.

As for the Community Colleges, I have spent the last five years as a community college trustee and am very familiar with the system. Proposition 98 has never been fully implemented for the community colleges and should be. The state also refuses to recognize in its budgeting and legislating that the community colleges are equal partners with the UC and CSU systems in the first two years of general education. Equalization is critical here to the community colleges' ability to fulfill their mission.

The single best reform the legislature could adopt in the field of education would be to completely overhaul the Education Code to eliminate outdated, redundant, or unnecessary rules and regualtions that burden the K-12 and community colleges. Virtually every law that does not (1) contribute dollars to the classroom or to the safety of students and staff at school, (2) provide for essential administrative support, or (3) empower the locally elected school boards to do their jobs rather than transfer power to Sacramento, should be considered for repeal. I believe this will literally free up billions that can then be put to use productively.

3. What measures would you support to address California's water needs?

I believe in the ability of the free market to provide most of the answers to California's water problems. The current state and federal pollution laws are sufficient, when vigorously enforced, to protect our resources. I would not support an effort by Sacramento to impose a single statewide water policy as the needs throughout the state are as varied as the state itself. One solution does not fit all. Instead, the legislature should work to preserve flexibility of the local officials to solve their problems and become involved only where necessary in dealing with elected officials in other states to reach agreement in the sharing of resources that cross state boundaries.

4. What should the Legislature be doing to address the needs of Californians without health insurance?

The legislature should reduce the regulatory burden on health care providers, insurers, and the business community. Less government involvement, not more, is the direction we should take health care policy. For example, to the extent the legislature can encourge medical savings accounts it should. The legislature should also do everything it can to encourage rationality in the allocation of health care resources. Finally, the legislature should consider efforts to protect health care providers who now face ever escalating insurance and potential litgation defense costs that drive them from the state and, by restricting supply, further increase the costs of the health care system.