Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 12

I'm running to bring common sense solutions to the state's problems. I'm a small business owner by trade. As such I've learned to define problems and solve them quickly and economically.

The state faces a variety of problems, a few of them are declining property rights, deteriorated infrastructure, lack of fiscal responsibility and problems with education.

The first issue is property rights. Recently there has been an attempt to bring San Francisco style anti-property rights legislation to Sacramento. The most recent being attacks on the Ellis Act. I will fight to preserve the Ellis act as is. I will oppose any attempt to usurp an owner's right to control their property. I will also oppose any eminent domain taking that is not for real public use. If the two anti-Kelo case petitions currently circulating to protect property owners don't pass I with author or co-author similar legislation in the Assembly. I will author or co-author legislation to restore control of property to its rightful owners.

Second is the infrastructure. In March of 2003 I wrote about the need to rebuild the infrastructure + our roads, bridges, dams, waterways, levees, power gird and so forth. We need more water storage for the projected population growth. I also called for high speed rail through out the state starting with San Francisco to LA. In 2003 the cost was estimated at $175 Billion. Today the Governor estimates it at $222 Billion. The longer we procrastinate the more it will cost. The recently proposed bonds supported by the Governor and Legislative Leaders are a good start. Unfortunatley these bonds do not address the need for additional water storage or high speed rail. Water storage and high speed rail must be addressed in the future.

Third is the budget. At budget time the state consistently robs Peter to pay Paul. California lags behind the rest of the county in economic recovery and growth. We have to attract new businesses to California and retain the businesses that are here. For the last several years business legislation has been skewed toward labor. That has cost job. We have to move toward the middle. No one side is always right. A good start would be to return California to a 40 hour week instead of an 8 hour day to compute overtime. We are the only state I the nation to do so. There is an attempt to undo the Governor Schwarzenegger Worker's Compensation reform. I will fight to stop any undoing of the reform. We have to check the labor and business codes to do way with job killers. We also need to keep personal and business taxes and fees as low as possible.

California must have a top quality educational system I don't believe that all of the problems in the schools should be laid at the feet of the teachers. Teachers tell me that if students come from homes where education is not valued, where parents can't or don't help their children, don't teach them the alphabet or to count before kindergarten the teachers start at a deficit. That's why most teachers leave difficult schools as soon as seniority allows. That's why I will propose merit pay for teachers at difficult schools. I will support charter schools and innovated methods.