League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Orange County, CA March 2, 2004 Election
	Mark Leyes Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the State Assembly; District 68; Republican Party

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. What does California need to do to address the current budget crisis?

State spending is out of control. In addition to eliminating wasteful programs like the urban fishing program that costs $100,000 per year, the state must begin implementing an automated child support protection system to avoid $1.3 billion in federal penalties. The state's procurement policies are another place to cut waste. There is no reason taxpayers should pay $36,000 each for Swedish wheel chairs for Medi-Cal patients. In addition to waste, we need to crack down on fraudulent Medi-Cal and Workers' Compensation claims which cost the state billions of dollars. We can balance the budget without raising taxes!

2. What should the state's priorities be for K-12 education? For the Community College System?

The key to improving public education is to allow local districts to exercise more control over their teaching techniques. State education mandates coming down from Sacramento are meant to meet the lowest common denominator; that is one reason Orange County schools suffer at the hands of large districts like LA Unified. We need to let local teachers do their job, and we need to let parents have more of a say in how their children are educated. The Commmunity College system is underfunded and underappreciated and should be strengthened.

3. What measures would you support to address California's water needs?

As a former elected Board Member of the Municipal Water District of Orange County, I am very aware of the critical water needs of Southern California and Orange County. We must work to provide adequate off-stream storage throughout our state's delivery system. We must allow and encourage the development of new water supplies and promote water marketing to shift supply from inefficient uses to high-demand areas. And we must work to guarantee affordable, high-quality water supplies as an input for business and industry and as a necessity of life.

4. What should the Legislature be doing to address the needs of Californians without health insurance?

California has an insurance crisis: Workers compensation, health insurance, liability insurance. We must stand up to the Trial Lawyers who have a vested interest in contesting claims and filing lawsuits. The litigious nature of our state is driving up the cost of all insurance (including health) and drives jobs out of state and hard-working people out of their homes. Nothing else will have the immediate and significant impact of lower costs as minimizing the influence of lawyers and frivolous lawsuits.