League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Riverside County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
	Stan Skipworth Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the State Assembly; District 60

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund 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?

California needs jobs and our region--right here, in the 60th Assembly District--needs jobs throughout the private sector now. To make this happen, businesses need help as they grow.

As your Assemblyman, my work will remain the same as it has been as a Mayor and as a Councilmember: To create more jobs by reducing the challenges that are threatening the future of business in California by providing resources that will support business growth.

As Mayor, I've helped provide opportunities throughout our region by meeting with local and regional business leaders and local officials. We've developed new solutions, established new partnerships and we've advanced our regional economic development by adding jobs, growing business and rebuilding our area's economy.

To make sure our companies compete globally, we will recommit ourselves to educating and developing our existing workforces with the skills to succeed in growing and new industries in our area.

2. What types of changes or reforms, if any, do you think are important to make our state government function more effectively?

1-State commissions and boards must be reduced in size, consolidated or eliminated right away.

2-The cost of our legislature is too high, and must serve as the example of well-managed taxpayer dollars.

3-I would not cut education. The ability of our current business community to succeed on a global scale as fully as we are capable of rests solely with the skills of our workforce. This will become increasingly more important in the future, and for these reasons, we must stop the continuing attack upon the education budget.

4-Public-sector pension reform most certainly needs to be addressed.

I strongly believe there are solutions available that can have significant and lasting positive effects that will bring real savings to the current and future taxpayers of our State while ensuring that our public employees will be able to work within compensation and benefits agreements that are competitive, commensurate to their work and responsibilities, and allow them to be active participants in an improved pension structure and maintain confidence in their individual retirement planning.

The changes I and others whom I've spoken with at length on this subject would not necessarily need to be drastic and some of the recommendations I have heard--including many current public employees--would be very simple. Again, the existing parameters of our public pension system must be addressed to ensure that it will be viable long into the future.

3. Fees for public higher education have gone up dramatically and funding has been cut. Is this a priority concern, and if so, what measures would you propose to address it?

The only solution to restoring California's greatness as both a place for a higher-quality of life AND opportunity for viable and sustaining employment is to further develop our existing workforce and prepare our young people to be leaders in the industries of tomorrow that we must bring here.

The 60th District and the communities of Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Norco and Riverside are essential economic growth centers.

Our region was once a leader in the State and the Nation, and must be once again if we are going to be truly successful in bringing California back.

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

1-Immediate emphasis upon jobs growth through support of business and industry and make California a place for companies to come to and startup.

2-Recommit to the vision of education as the foundation for this State's future and success.

3-Fiscal governance through disciplined budgeting and putting true priorities back on top of our "to-do" list: Jobs growth and restoring education resources.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted.

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 26, 2012 19:12
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