This is an archive of a past election. See http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/state/ for current information. |
The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Budget,
Government reform,
Higher education,
Major issues
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
Answer from Mike Hudson:
Reduce business regulation, red tape, fees and requirements. Reward hard work, investment, job creation and business growth. Limit litigation on environmental reports, ADA, citizen suits. The state must stop driving businesses to other states.
A balanced budget amendment that limits borrowing, caps spending, and creates a true reserve fund. No great spending increases in the good years and a generous reserve in the bad years.
Answer from Mike Hudson:
Make regulatory and regional boards act in a timely manner and make them accountable for delays and costs. Create clear road maps for project approvals instead of the alphabet soup of approvals that new projects must struggle through. Combine board approval processes on projects. Work in concert with federal and regional approval boards, which often have overlapping and redundant functions and concerns. Allow a project to move forward with several agencies concurrently instead of the serial approach to regulatory hearings.
Pension reform - No pension spiking, no retro pay increases, honest accounting from CalPERS (7.5% ROR), average actuarial value over 3 years, not 15 to 17. Average salaries for retirees over 3 years. Split unfunded liabilities with employees; two tiers for new hires.
Answer from Mike Hudson:
Answer from Mike Hudson:
Term limits shifted expertise and influence to staff and lobbyists. Labor leaders have an unhealthy amount of influence because of political contributions. Public employee union leadership stifles innovation and efficiency.
Support redevelopment of cities. Promote strong cities and Main Street efforts. Develop new jobs by supporting redevelopment and economic revitalization.
California needs to get back to work. Unemployment and under-employment are hurting our state's economy. This is one of the major forces in the foreclosure crisis. This also hurts the number one driver in the economy, the consumer. We need to create an economy that rewards job creators, that encourages small business.
Budget shortfalls have caused public safety to suffer. The early release of prisoners and the realignment of state prisoners to county jails puts California families at risk. Stockton will break their record for homicides in 2011. The state has taken money from municipalities and that has hurt public safety. Fewer police, diversion programs cut, and people in dire need have created a climate that allows crime to flourish. Even when the criminals are caught, we have to choose the worst of the worst because prison space is very limited.
For many reasons, California has not built infrastructure to keep pace with growth. It is already hard enough to build anything in California; highway construction is no exception. Projects take too long, are brought to a virtual standstill by environmental studies, and are mired in multi-level bureaucratic agencies. Worse, developers that are busy building new communities are not paying for the needed infrastructure to support their communities.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page. |