League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Napa, Solano, Sonoma Counties, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Member of the State Assembly; District 7

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 Choices, Budget Process, Higher Education, Major Issues and Priorities Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. How will you prioritize the budget choices the Legislature must make to align the state’s income and spending, and address the need for fair revenue sources that are sufficient for state and local government services? Answer from Doris Lynn Gentry: We must have concrete solutions + and I am offering them to you + these are real things that we CAN do the first year I am in office: 1. Budget - everyone says the budget cannot be completed on time or FOR LESS. I can. Budget On time + I will write legislation to mandate that failure to complete and institute a new budget on time would automatically make the previous year's budget the de facto budget for the current year with no additional spending items allowed!13 other states do this. Budget For LESS + we will write a budget every 2 years in the off-election year. Corporations, Cities and many other states do this! 2. What proposals, if any, do you support to fix the budget process? What other types of changes or reforms, if any, do you think are important to make our state government function more effectively? Answer from Doris Lynn Gentry: Spending CAP + base spending on our state's Gross Domestic Product, GDP. We can have a rate that will lock spending tied to our production + wow + once again + sounding like 3rd grade math. Our state has income and we can make sure expenses do not exceed and in fact, are below. This will force us to have fiscal discipline and protect YOU the taxpayers from `runaway train' type programmatic spending that you have been witnessing these past 10 years. Job Creation We have to put CA back to work so let's empower business! 1. Eliminate the Factory Tax + only 3 states tax manufacturing equipment, we are one of them. This tax is a major obstacle and it keeps jobs out of our state! 2. Eliminate the Small Business Start-up Tax + The $800 fee a new start-up faces deters start-up businesses + we need to stop this and NOW! 3. Eliminate State Tax on Capital Gains + CA has double taxation at its worst. Our treatment of capital gains is a major barrier to investment in new jobs. We should align with other states! 4. Promote Investments for the Agriculture Industry + Ag is vital to Ca's economy. Tax credits will stimulate investment and benefit all of California + we feed most of America and then tax our farm and ag producers like a Communist country. 3. Many members of the Legislature say that education is a high priority for the state. Yet fees for public higher education have gone up dramatically and funding has been cut. What is your vision for California’s higher education future, and how do you propose to get there? Answer from Doris Lynn Gentry: We have some of the BEST teachers in the US. The poor quality of education offered to CA students is NOT about dumb teachers. 1. Administrations and social regulations tie the hands of teachers. We need 80% of education funds for THE CLASSROOM + currently only 60% goes there! Deplorable. 2. Grade schools + A + F + let parents know how their school is doing and allow them to move to better, higher performing campuses. When parents know of poor grades they will leave + underperforming schools will be forced to close or downsize to fit the reduced demand for their services. 3. Fast-track charter schools + where schools are closed, give parents an option to quickly convert to a charter school and make learning a priority instead of hanging onto a failing school system stuck in old-school style poor-performance. 4. Expand vouchers to use as scholarships for other schools. 4. What other major issues do you think the Legislature must address in 2011? What are your priorities? Answer from Doris Lynn Gentry: Protection of Citizens & Elderly 1. Empower California's aging population Insure adequate health care Provide safe communities Offer supportive in-home assistance and provide the funding for this so our Seniors can live a complete and dignified life. 2. Crack-down on elder abuse and stiffen the fines as well as the incarceration + these are very bad people that prey on our community saints! 3. Provide safe neighborhoods with adequate fire protection & police service by expanding identification of homes that have elderly and handicapped inside. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League. No candidate may refer to another candidate in the response. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.