Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 40

I am a Candidate for State Assembly that will strive for accountability, common sense and will make it easier for the people of California to succeed in their personal and business endeavors. I am opposed to legislation that is transforming California into a "Nanny State" and is using taxes, fees and unnecessary rules and regulations to strangle our citizens and businesses and are driving people from our state every day. The promises I make, I will keep. No labor union or special interest will be able to purchase my soul or my sense of duty to those who elected me to public office.

As a native son born and raised in the District, I am uniquely qualified to represent the 40th with distinction. As a successful businessman and active community volunteer, I will bring my experience and knowledge of the needs and concerns of the Valley to the State Legislature. Historically, the Valley has been ill-served by professional politicians who play petty politics, lack a moral compass and have been proven to be deficient in using common sense.

It is an undeniable fact that our state's finances are in complete disarray and California is teetering on insolvency. It was a complete lack of leadership in Sacramento that results in a state with record budget deficits, a bond rating lower than Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico, the lowest credit rating of all 50 states and the second highest tax burden per capita in the entire country.

Our state spends three times as much per prisoner than Arizona and Florida and to add insult, last year the state legislature passed the largest tax increase in the nations' history. This tax increase raised the sales tax by a full percent and added billions in car taxes and extended and compounded the recession in California and has driven people, companies and jobs out of the state. It is important that we have leaders who are prepared to make the difficult decisions necessary to get California through the financial mess that is the result of failed policies and failed politicians.

For decades, the State Legislature has been staffed with Assemblymen and Senators who have sacrificed their morals and ethics at the expense of the men, women and children in their District and throughout the state. By allowing the politicians to draw the boundaries of their own Districts, they have made it nearly impossible to have a qualified candidate of the other party upset the incumbent. This is an example of a failed policy that will fortunately change at the next election cycle as a result of a Proposition 11 that stripped the ability for the legislature to draw their own boundaries.

Furthermore, we have been bombarded by silly, irrelevant and absurd legislation while more important issues such as the budget, California's economy, failing schools, pension reform, traffic congestion, crowded and inefficient prisons, deferred infrastructure improvements, nuclear energy, offshore drilling, tourism and creating and keeping jobs are shelved and languish because those issues require leadership and backbone + something clearly missing in Sacramento.

In the meanwhile, according to a recent Field Poll, only 9% of the people surveyed said they have a favorable opinion of the State Legislature. In other words, 91% disapprove of the folks in the State Capitol. This is not acceptable in a great state such as California. This state is known for deadlock, impasse, years of kicking the can down the street, late budgets, state IOU's, bloated pensions, lack of accountability, wild spending sprees, tax increases, billions in free services to illegal aliens and more and this all must stop now. Maybe it's true that we get the government we deserve. My candidacy represents a different option and the opportunity to cast a vote for a candidate not willing to sacrifice his morals or ethics and who will put both common sense and the best interests of the District as my top priority in the State Capitol.

I firmly believe that state government needs to support our local communities. We must control our own destiny and provide incentives to succeed. The state government cannot solve all of our problems + local control and fostering an environment whereby our citizens are not dependent on government will lead to the most effective society. I believe that we must enforce all laws and have an effective criminal justice system. I support the death penalty and will work to see that California does not continue to allow criminals to get away with murder.

I have hiked to the top of Mt. Whitney several times and have spent time in nearly every California State Park and have been to all 58 counties in this beautiful State from San Diego to Del Norte County. I support sustaining the natural environment and will actively promote the preservation of our natural resources. For these reasons, I am an avid supporter of nuclear power which provides green power and is proven safe and reliable and I will work to overturn the legislation that currently makes building new plants in California illegal. The rest of the world is leapfrogging the US in producing nuclear power and we have stepped back and let a minority of anti-nuclear activists and short-sighted politicians keep our state dependent on foreign oil and coal-fired power plants.

Regarding illegal immigration, I believe that a nation with no borders is not a nation at all. We must enforce the current laws and build and maintain the border. This is vital for our country's security. Right now, drugs, guns and other contraband flow freely from north to south and vice versa and this makes every one of us vulnerable. With secure borders, we can then enforce the federal laws regarding legal and illegal immigration. I have read and I support Arizona's recent bill regarding verification of citizenship and I feel that L.A.'s implementation of Special Order 40 has made this city a sanctuary for those who wish to flaunt our nations' laws.

My two decades of working with consumers and providing ethical and honest solutions to various financial goals and objectives have prepared me well to write new legislation that will protect consumers and the elderly from those who use guile, misrepresentation and outright fraud to steal from those most vulnerable. I look forward to adopting legislation that will aim to prevent seniors and others from losing their homes and hard earned money to unethical and illegal investment and insurance schemes.

As a real estate broker for the past 23 years, I am uniquely qualified to work on legislation to protect Californian's most important asset: their home. I will be an advocate for reforming the mortgage and lending markets to put rules in place that will help prevent another meltdown in our real estate and mortgage markets. Also, I will focus on making the process of buying and selling a home easier and more affordable for all by offering an affordable alternative to title insurance similar to the Fair Plan for fire insurance.

In my opinion, most of the members of the Legislature from both sides of the aisle have lost their sense of direction, sacrificed morals, ethics, decency and logic. This Assembly race is between a candidate willing to do what is right vs. an incumbent with a proven history of doing what is easy. I firmly believe that my message of fiscal restraint, my commitment to not raise taxes, my common sense approach to solving the issues and my ability to work well with others are tools that I have in my skill set that will make me a successful Assemblyman. Elected officials must be held accountable to the voters.

I love living in California. As a second generation San Fernando Valley resident, I have had many opportunities to experience the beautiful cities, mountains, deserts and beaches that makes people across the globe smile when they hear the word, California. However, a perpetual lack of common sense, petty politics and shortsighted politicians have been and are right now killing this state incrementally and they have alienated and ignored the people they represent. I am a candidate for the Assembly because my independence, sense of right and wrong, moral compass and common sense is needed today in our state capitol.

I have hope and am optimistic that this state can be saved from itself and I believe that reversing decades of failure needs to be our first priority. When it comes to government, we must hold our elected officials and bureaucrats accountable for their actions and inactions. I will stand behind every vote and will represent the District with pride and distinction in Sacramento.