League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus Counties, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Jack Mobley Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the State Assembly; District 17

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

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?

The primary function of government is protection of its citizens. Our firefighters and police must spend their money wisely but they should have the resources they need to do their jobs with overwhelming force. Education is a priority but needs to spend its money efficiently. I am for the elimination of benefits for illegal aliens except for life saving medical services. Everything else is on the table. Hard choices must be made in order to ensure the fiscal health of California. Along with spending cuts we need tax cuts and elimination of burdensome regulations in order to attract capital back to California. Once businesses view California as a destination rather than a departure point we can count on more revenues as the government takes a smaller piece of a bigger revenue pie. Even then we can never again increase spending on permanent programs and have them be dependant on variable revenues such as we saw with the dot com bust. We need to prohibit Sacramento from raiding local funds to balance the state's budget. Additionally, we must make the hard choices and stop the ridiculous shell game our budgitary process has become where expenses are shifted to future periods and magic revenues are created.

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?

I think a two year budget cycle would give us some stablity. We would have a current budget and could spend the first part of the year adjusting the next budget to reflect changes which weren't anticipated. When that budget is put into play the next year's budget could be adjusted to compensate for unforseen changes. I also think the legislators should not leave Sacramento until there is a budget and from the point the budget is overdue until it is passed there should be a permanent forfeiture of pay and benefits by the legislators.

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?

I believe many of the problems with education funding can be solved by spending the available money more efficiently. I imagine many of the services provided by the schools can be privatized. I do not believe in teacher tenure and I do not believe illegal aliens should be able to be educated in our systems much less qualify for in state tution. I have no problem with foreign students being in our institutions of higher learning but they have to be here legally. I do not believe it should be the responsibility of the government to provide cheap subsidized higher education to its citizens. There is nothing wrong with paying one's way through school or relying on student loans.

4. What other major issues do you think the Legislature must address in 2011? What are your priorities?

The most important issue is jobs and stopping the mass exodus of employers leaving California. Nearly every company is leaving because they are taxed too much and are over regulated. When we have the jobs back, many of the problems will be solved as our citizens will be able to pay their bills, support their families and pay their taxes. In order to attract private sector employers back to our state we must show them we have restored common sense to our regulatory environment. Repealing AB32 would go a long way towards that goal. Additionally, we need to reduce taxes. The top 1% of wage earners in California pays in excess of 60% of the income taxes. That fact is unfair and is driving the people who own businesses that supply the private sector jobs we need out of California. These changes must be for the long term otherwise capital will not flow back into California and we will continue our decline.

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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.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 14, 2010 21:31
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