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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 candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. What does California need to do to address the current budget crisis?
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Answer from Mark W.A. Hinkle:
We need drastic reductions in spending and taxation. The budget has been growing faster than inflation and population growth combined. It's time to stop spending. It's time stop going deeper into debt. Cut taxes and business regulations and the California economy will grow again. Don't, and it will continue to die. The choice is simple: grow or die. It's clear that our legislature does know how to kill an economy. We need a separation of the the economy and the state just as we have separation of church and state.
Answer from Rex Keyes:
Recently our state legislature refused to cut enough spending so now our governor has asked for a federal bailout. We are now number 4 in the nation on taxes. You don't raise taxes on the poor, the working and the middle class during a recession. People are losing their jobs, their homes are in foreclosures and many are just barely hanging on. The only alternative is to prioritize and cut excessive spending.
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2. What should the state's priorities be for K-12 education? For the Community College System?
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Answer from Rex Keyes:
I support teachers enforcing higher educational standards in the classroom. Teachers should be able to give the grade that the student deserves. There is nothing wrong with a student having to take remedial classes. We are doing students a disservice if we don't maintain educational standards. The local community college also trains student in technical skills like welding, body shop and electronics. The community college system could use more of the same.
Answer from Mark W.A. Hinkle:
First, eliminate Sacramento from the picture. Return all funding back to local control at the school board level. All curriculum needs to be returned back to local control. Also, tenure must be abolished. We must be able to fire incompetent teachers and not just move them from one school to another. Parents must have the opportunity to move students into the schools best suited for them, regardless of geography. Long term, education is too important to be left in the hands of political hacks. So, the ultimate goal should be a restoration of real diversity in education through private, parochial, and alternative schools and an abolition of the government run school system.
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3. What measures would you support to address California's water needs?
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Answer from Rex Keyes:
The problem with California's water needs is storage. The state could use more reservoirs. Reservoirs could be placed above rivers and streams so as not to interfere with salmon runs. And if there is extra water in the reservoirs it could be released to help fish populations during the summer dry season.
Answer from Mark W.A. Hinkle:
Government is the only institution that can take a substance (water) that covers 3/4 of the planet and make it scarce. We must end the politics of water control and let rational decision making occur within free markets. We must end the government's monopoly control over water. The law of supply and demand is the best law to determine who gets water and at what price. Anything less breeds corruption via the political process. And that means rationing, dislocation of the economy, and classes of winners and losers.
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4. What should the Legislature be doing to address the needs of Californians without health insurance?
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Answer from Mark W.A. Hinkle:
Health insurance should be left to the free market. It is NOT a proper function of government. One of the main reasons why health care is so expensive is because of government regulation and taxation of the health care industry. All profit making businesses have to pass all costs of doing business onto their customers. That includes all business taxation and adherence to government regulations. Instead of over regulation of the health care industry, which drives up costs and reduces availability, our state government should get out of the way to allow more competition, which will drive prices down and availability up.
Answer from Rex Keyes:
Funding is a big problem of health insurance. Countries that have health insurance have a general tax that supports it. They also control medical expenses. Would the public be willing to pay say a dollar more per gallon of gas to fund it? Would the legislature be willing to put a cap on medical expenses? Would the legislature be willing to put caps on medical malpractice lawsuits? There is no easy answer. But any plan should be put out to vote.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
