League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Member of the State Assembly; District 39

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Budget Crisis, Education, Water, Health Insurance Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What does California need to do to address the current budget crisis? Answer from John Paul "Jack" Lindblad: Solving the state budget problem first requires: ecological wisdom: To slow global warming and stabilize our biosphere, what is urgently required is nothing less than an all-out effort worthy of last century's World War II. The Democrats take on 'green collar' jobs is too little too late. As a human species, we must halt global greenhouse gas emissions and develop zero net energy technology; reducing is not enough. The current officeholder has demonstrated an outright opposition to seriously address implementation of AB 1493 (Global Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act) - as evidenced by his fence-sitting which defeated Assemblymember Ruskin's 'Feebates' consumer credits given toward the purchase of energy-efficient, small cars in addition to surcharging purchasers of SUVs. ----- Then, to stimulate consumer spending, cut prison spending, while actually increasing education spending: decentralization: Seeding a 'green collar' economy to provide for a workforce is imperative to maintain, grow and expand zero net energy building developments, affordable housing and innovate greenhouse gas-reducing technologies. By 'getting off the grid', funding will be manageable for maintaining and improving a smaller, more efficient infrastructure. social justice, respect for diversity, feminism: Reduce inflationary spiral on lower income workforce by a phased elimination of state tax on wages and salary and sales tax compensated with a graduated tax rate on gross rents, gross business receipts and resource-based taxes. I will promote legislation to immediately end immigration raids and deportations. Political initiatives need to link every environmental demand to specific legislation that improves quality of life in our working class district + programs that employ youth in a living wage 'green collar' economic community (to answer challenges which cause gang activity), that create more parkspace (given the prevalent immigrant community's pro-environment health-conscious, wide usage of out-door public spaces and green recreational spaces), that extend opportunities for people to enjoy nature and to participate in green politics, that confront the immorality of a rich state while our children are poor. The combined tab of nearly $15 billion for prison reform has dismayed lawmakers already faced with a $16 billion budget deficit that has prompted huge proposed cuts in spending on education and health care. The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population. But it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners. My opponent's legislative initiatives creates more criminal infractions which would expand the already runaway, double-digit billion dollar California Prison-Industrial complex. My green answer is removing jail time for victimless crimes, removal of 'three strikes' and using the expanded education dollar for educative, correction-oriented programs over punishment to reduce the size and uncontrolled spending of the current prison system. Fully fund educational programs, especially those for early childhood. Costs per student are far less than the cost per prisoner in a dysfunctional prison complex. Failed mortgage lenders such as Bear Stearns (just purchased by JP Morgan) must be held accountable for their full participation in the so-called sub-prime meltdown and provide relief to the millions of homeowners unfairly treated by the privatized, unregulated banking industry. ----- Eliminate the deficit by stopping the War for Oil in Iraq and reduce military spending everywhere else, pushing Congress for our fair share given the Federal tax contribution - besides closing developer loopholes, seeding a green collar economy, while replacing the present dirty money, corporatist welfare legislation with Clean Money, publicly financed elections allowing single payer healthcare - saving 30% over the current privatized structure. After all, California is the sixth largest economy on the world stage and the actual savings will be immense. community-based economics: In an extended period of spiraling downward real estate value and economic depression, the mark of a civilized society would not to eliminate the 16 billion dollar State Budget deficit by closing parks, workforce healthcare programs, and entitlements to the poor, disabled, elderly and children. Instead, curb unsustainable speculative urban sprawl, mansionification through tax incentives by replacing tax on building improvements with tax on land. Change tax policy to close developer loopholes to provide for the common interest and to increase public coffers. Prudent land-use policy does not promote sprawl. My opponent believes not, accepting a developer's campaign donation in return for allowing the same developer to sponsor AB 212, his proposed bill (limiting L.A.'s ability to control land use) favored the same developer whose sprawling 229 single-family home Tujunga project would benefit from the legislation. Justifying developers writing state law for their own profit, my opposition claimed the legislation's rationale was to protect developers from NIMBYism. The move has riled Los Angeles City Council members (voting last month to oppose the state intervention in local land-use decisions), in addition to residents in Tujunga, La Crescenta and Glendale who have banded together to fight the proposed development and preserve the golf course. We need State Representation supportive of the local community. Green Party Member and tested leader in the community, Jack Lindblad provides that support, representing "We, the People" not "We, the Corporation." California home foreclosures hit a record ^ ^ ^ Developer sponsored land-use bill ^ ^ ^ California foreclosures at highest level in 16 years future focus/sustainability: Redirect "Enterprise zones" (in which the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency engages in real estate speculation while allowing growing blight in the community) toward attracting and encouraging transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly, mixed use, zero net energy, smart, compact, ecological-inspired architecture to reduce urban sprawl's carbon footprint and meet the 2030 mandated reduction of 80% - 90% of global greenhouse gases to mitigate global warming. Fully fund Tujunga-Pacoima Watershed projects to restore riparian and chaparral areas - especially in contaminated properties (closed landfills, and auto salvage yards) for green space (our lungs), ground-water recharge, potable water, flood control, recreation, community gardens, horse, bicycling and hiking trails. Convert impervious paved areas to pervious. Parks and recreation areas foster human development, strengthen public safety and security, promote health and welfare, bolster community self-image and instill a 'sense of place,' promote cultural solidarity, and facilitate community problem-solving. Maintain the mission of Hansen Dam to protect urban development from flooding and promote small water retention ponds, underground aquifers and cisterns. Establishment of governance based on bioregional-determined ecological conservation, watershed-based economic, political boundaries. By doing so, we begin to answer the shifting Mediterranean regional climate, rising sea levels and temperatures, drought, and water shortage challenging the continued existence of 18 million Southern Californians, while providing this planet with a new model for governance and eco-mindful consumption. Expand rail and jitney transit to compensate for the required trips now taken by private, gas-consuming vehicles - which will be phased off the roadways. personal/global responsibility: The incumbent has amassed an unknown number of 'hidden' campaign committees with unknown amounts of dollars. One might conclude that his legislative initiatives appear to be gestures toward nursing a corporatist money flow into his campaign committee treasuries. My green answer is to promote Clean Money and publicly financed elections to hold elected officials responsible and accountable to the people's interests, not corporate interests so that single-payer health care can save 30% off the cost of providing quality healthcare for all. 2. What should the state's priorities be for K-12 education? For the Community College System? Answer from John Paul "Jack" Lindblad: Fully fund pre-K, K-12, Community College, Four-year State University free education for all with stipends and academic-campus-related work programs provided for those over 15. We support lifelong public education, with an emphasis on giving our young people the tools they need to navigate their way through the sources of information which will enable them to lead meaningful and productive lives. Decrease the student-teacher ratio in classrooms and increase the number of counselors, nurses, librarians and social workers. Provide smaller, more personalized schools and a greater diversity of choices. Oppose state or federal requirements to make significant decisions about schools, teachers or students based primarily on test scores. Promote and fund bilingual and second-language immersion education with trained teachers and appropriate materials and support services. 3. What measures would you support to address California's water needs? Answer from John Paul "Jack" Lindblad: Fully fund revitalization of local watersheds. Of concern to the 18 million persons in Southern California, the region's carrying capacity can only provide water for 2-3 million people. Revealing the local water crisis confronting the Los Angeles community Without the Mono Basin, Owens Valley, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Colorado River (all with reduced or no water stream flow forecast and 500-year drought), a potential net out-migration of 15-16 million people without water must find and form new cities near adequate water. Los Angeles County flood control engineers estimated upwards of 80 percent of storm-water percolated to groundwater prior to the concretizing of our natural river systems. Only 8 percent of rainfall in urbanized areas now recharges the groundwater, the rest along with urban contaminants flow to the ocean via the channelized streams. Before suburban sprawl, the Tujunga/Pacoima Watershed was a major contributor of groundwater supply feeding the San Fernando Groundwater Basin--a natural underground reservoir that has become depleted over the years as most of the valley floor became impervious. A third of LA County's total water recharge is attributed to snow-melt, and rainwater runoff which is collected in the upper watershed by Pacoima and Big Tujunga dams and infiltrated along the Pacoima and Tujunga Washes - comprising the total local surface water infiltrated to groundwater in Los Angeles County between 2003 and 2006. Currently less than 15 percent of the water supply for the City of Los Angeles comes from local native groundwater. The other 85 percent is imported from distant sources via a delivery system that costs a significant percentage of our total statewide energy bill. Revitalizing the Tujunga/Pacoima Watershed: a local solution to our water crisis The two Upper Los Angeles River Area groundwater basins (San Fernando and Sylmar) are at a tiny fraction of capacity - with almost no infiltration. Impervious paving and long-term contamination have denied needed recharge to the basins. If one-half the urbanized lower watershed is reclaimed to it's historic, natural state - using current landscape design methods (with 'Green Streets', non-polluting transportation modes and point sources) and advanced recycled water technologies, potable groundwater could be boosted five-fold or 75% of the city water supply. To insure a safe water supply, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board have announced that Honeywell International, Inc. has recently begun construction of a wellhead treatment system for chromium in the North Hollywood region of the San Fernando Valley - Area 1 Superfund Site. State and municipal declarations of drought will require reduction in water demand (particularly for landscape irrigation), expanded conservation and re-use programs, exploration of other water supply options, and increased reliance on local supplies. Climate shift implications for neighborhood councils have to do with being frugal, making sacrifices, planting and cultivating community gardens as neighborhood festival, being able to hike, bicycle, ride a horse from our homes in the lower watersheds to the upper watersheds in the Angeles National Forest - in the process getting ourselves weened off the oil standard, weaned off the power grid. In a report just released by the U.S. Department of Energy that analyzed a scenario in which 20 percent of the nation's electricity is generated from wind power by the year 2030, the DOE noted that such a shift would reduce water use by approximately 8 percent. That's a significant savings, roughly equal to the average share of western water withdrawals claimed by urban users. Then what would one do or advocate now given the impending urgency? Urban planning and design must be ordered by the watershed. One needs to insure that survival of civitas will be dependent on having close-at-hand access to (work, food, water, shelter, clothing, health care, education.) Bio-regional determinism will define watersheds as political governing units where the bottom up governs from the grassroots. Removing developers and politicians from the built-form development decision process Surely, aesthetic, life-safety, and other community impacts will continue to enjoy the public forum for dialog, communitas and discussion between all players will continue, but the nature of bio-regional determinacy will leave the decision-making about restricting land areas from urbanization up to a process of overlaying maps of hydrologic, riparian, chaparral, flora, fauna, woodland, forest, geologic, seismic off-limits-to-urbanization preserves to be sustained for the carrying-capacity of the watershed. Crass developer payola-inspired politics shall become extinct allowing the human species to become not-extinct. 4. What should the Legislature be doing to address the needs of Californians without health insurance? Answer from John Paul "Jack" Lindblad: Guarantee universal single payer healthcare. A first step toward comprehensive coverage and provisions can be met by SB 840--Single Payer Health Bill-- now headed to the California Assembly Floor for a vote, let's hope in favor. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.