League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Butte, Sutter, Yuba, Tehama, Glenn, Colusa Counties, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Member of the State Assembly; District 3

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 Jim Reed: I want to eliminate many user fees such as the fire protection fee and school bus fees charged to those who must use school buses. I also think we need to increase education spending. To pay for these changes, we need to close the Proposition 13 loophole that gives property tax advantages to industrial property owners. Prop. 13 is great for homeowners and needs to be preserved, but there is no justification for giving this tax break to oil refineries and other large industrial property owners. In addition Prop. 13 discourages investment in infrastructure improvements because the tax is based on the cost of improvement not the value added to the property. If this change is made, it will encourage investment by the private sector in infrastructure. 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 Jim Reed: I oppose the twin tunnels. We need additional water storage, improvements/repairs to leaking modes of transporting water, and most of all conservation. 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 Jim Reed: We are 47th out of 50 states in per student funding and this needs to change. I support common core. I believe every student must have access to computers or other forms of on-line research and communication. We also need to invest in pre-kindergarden education. 4. What other major issues do you think the Legislature must address? What are your own priorities? Answer from Jim Reed: California's economy is not uniform across the State. San Francisco and the Silicon Valley are doing very well while many rural areas are still in a deep recession. I believe we need to give Statewide tax incentives to Companies to move to rural areas to help the local economies. I also support woman's rights, the need to deal with global warming, and equal protection of gays. 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.