League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues State Senator; District 24

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 Fiscal Choices, Water, Education, Your Priorities Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. How would you prioritize the fiscal choices the Legislature must make to align the state’s income and spending? Answer from Peter Choi: Focus on improving schools and infrastructure instead of building more prisons and polluting the environment. I support Prop 47 as a good first step, but we must stand up to prison guard unions and for-profit prisons and stop sentencing young men and women (predominantly black & Hispanic from low income neighborhoods) to a life path as a convicted felon. The US has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's prison population. When we allow the state to monetize human life, then prisons prioritize recidivism over rehabilitation. How we treat those who we have deemed the least of us is a reflection of our own morality as a society. Prop 47 is a good example of how changing sentencing for non-violent crimes like petty theft and drug possession from a felony down to a misdemeanor will save the state over $200 million that will go to schools and social services instead of prisons and social injustice. California is in a strong economic state, but we must pass laws that help people get work and contribute to our economy, rather than ones that create profit for special interests who contribute to professional politicians' campaigns. 2. Given our current drought condition, concern for water rights and usage is an important issue. What solutions would you support to address our water problems? Answer from Peter Choi: Conservation across the board. Encourage reuse and recycling at the source. For instance, all new homes should be required to have a grey water system that recycles bath & kitchen water for re-use outdoors and rain gutters should empty into backyards. New roads and sidewalks should be designed to maximize run off into reuse. Water fountains should be replaced with new public art. Replace public drinking fountains with water bottle filling stations which are more hygienic and reduce waste water. Finally, hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) is bad for the ground, poisonous to our limited water supply, and unhealthy for our population. 3. California high school students rank lower than many states in student performance. What do you see as the ongoing role of the Legislature in addressing this problem? Answer from Peter Choi: I support universal preschool and high quality early education as an essential component in a child's learning development, creative enrichment, and future academic achievement. I will also fight to increase per pupil funding which is among the lowest in the country. When school budgets are cut, why is it that arts & music programs are the first to go? I believe that these programs and physical education activities are vitally important to the development of young children. Arts and music encourage creative thinking and a strong body is a necessary partner to a strong mind. As your State Senator, the creative arts would not be options, but essentials. Every student has a right to pursue higher learning at community colleges, state colleges, and universities, but I believe they should graduate without major student loan debt and with the technical skills and specific world experience that match job opportunities in the 21st century global economy. I will draw from my real world experiences working in Hollywood, as a small business owner, and as the leader of two different Chambers of Commerce to increase opportunity for students to get the experience they need, especially in the growth areas of clean and green tech jobs. Every election year we are reminded that children are our future, but in the present they are pawns in a stalemate between special interests and school districts with professional politicians acting in the best interest of campaign donors and not the students themselves. Our children need a strong independent voice to help create a true 21st century public education system that supports both teachers and the children under their tutelage. Let's make education decisions based on how it impacts the children. If we stay focused on that goal, then we will ensure that every student will be given equal opportunity and taught the comprehension skills they need to succeed and achieve. 4. What other major issues do you think the Legislature must address? What are your own priorities? Answer from Peter Choi: JOBS are the #1 issue in this election. Los Angeles is not one monolithic city. It is a necklace of neighborhoods, each its own jewel. We want to create jobs, assist entrepreneurs, and give small business start ups the tools they need to succeed while retaining each neighborhood's unique colors, cultures, and character. I believe it is long overdue to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour. When you give working families an extra few hundred a month, every dollar goes to buying shoes, school supplies, food for the table and necessary household spending. The increase in sales causes manufacturers and retailers to hire more workers to keep up with the demand. These new workers + earning a living wage of $15/hr. + will then spend every dollar on necessary items which in turn helps to expand the economy. According to a recent analysis by the Associated Press, states with higher minimum wages saw faster job growth in the first six months of 2014 than states that have not raised their wages. The only candidate in this race who is a card carrying Union member, I have stood on the strike lines as a Picket Captain and will fight for the rights of workers against the big money contributions from big corporations corrupting our legislature. ANIMAL RIGHTS. I believe that a civilized society is defined by how we treat those who cannot speak for themselves. Animal rights is both one of the most pressing social justice issues of our time and also the most misunderstood. There remains a deep social and cultural bias against sentient nonhuman life. I understand that society's current paradigm must shift from regarding animals as economic commodities to recognizing them as conscious, feeling, innocent individuals. Animal rights is inextricably connected to fighting pollution, protecting the environment, and spreading awareness of the inhumane and abusive conditions in which animals are raised for sale as food or pets. At the end of the day, the animal rights movement is about elevating the collective consciousness to appreciate that we are all God's creatures. CLEAN GOVERNMENT. My campaign is all about clean air, clean energy, and clean government. We can't have the first two without the latter. This year, when three California state senators were suspended for an outrageous assortment of ethics violations - bribery, corruption, trafficking in firearms, voter fraud and conviction for perjury. Ethics goes to the heart of our democratic system of government. The Sacramento establishment is banking on voter apathy and a cynical presumption that they can gloss over the corruption in our capitol with a barrage of flashy fliers touting hollow reform legislation which are, in the words of William Shakespeare, "sound and fury, signifying nothing." I will fight to end the pay-to-play culture corrupting our state government and return it to serving the people, not special interests & lobbyists. 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. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.