…my campaign is about giving voice to everyone.
I grew up in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles and was raised by my mother. I was a high school dropout until a public school teacher, Herman Katz, gave me a second shot. That’s why I know firsthand how an education can open doors and change the course of a life. My mother raised us with a passion for justice. I volunteered with the farm workers’ movement and led student walkouts.
I was one of those kids they didn’t think was going to make it, but I was blessed to live in a state that gave kids like me a second chance. I might have gotten into UCLA through the back door, but I walked out through the front door—with a life-changing college degree in my hand. I then went to the People’s College of Law, a school dedicated to the public interest.
In my mid-twenties, I was elected President of the American Federation of Government Employees, a local union representing employees who enforced civil rights laws in five states. Over the next fifteen years, I continued to work as a union organizer for the Service Employees International Union, United Teachers Los Angeles and then served as President of the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
In 1994, I was elected to the California State Assembly and three years later, I was elected Assembly Speaker. While serving, I brought together environmental and business groups for a $2 billion park bond, the largest in California’s history, authored the Healthy Families program for nearly three quarters of a million uninsured children and passed a $9 billion school bond measure, the largest to that date.
In 2001, I ran for Mayor of Los Angeles and lost. I was elected to the City Council in 2003.
In 2005, I was sworn in as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles. As Mayor of Los Angeles, I led an effort to make Los Angeles one of the safest big cities in America, while building a 21st century transportation system, achieving fundamental and far-reaching education reform, spurring economic development by eliminating government red tape, streamlining the city bureaucracy and making Los Angeles a national model of sustainability and green growth.
The numbers tell the story of what happens when we focus on big things together. While I served as Mayor, we doubled the number of high-performing schools and graduation rates went from 44% to 72%. We expanded the public transit system and, with Measure R, raised $40 billion for transportation projects, including new rail and bus lines. Los Angeles was the first big city to set a goal to become independent of coal by 2025 and during my tenure, we reduced overall greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 30 percent.
Today, I want to be California’s next governor because I believe that we need to bring this state together around a shared vision—lifting more families into the middle class and creating high wage jobs by improving our schools and investing in our infrastructure like roads, bridges, transportation, ports and waterways. We can rebuild a California that gives every family the chance to succeed.
While proud to become the state’s first Latino governor since 1875, I would be prouder still to be everyone’s governor and work every day to unite our incredible state in the service of lifting more families into the middle class.
California is the epicenter of innovation, and real innovation is making sure people who work hard have the chance to make it to, and stay in, the middle class. Innovation is continuing to be the 6th largest economy in the world while ensuring that every child has access to a quality education, everyone has access to quality health care and an affordable home, and everyone has the opportunity to achieve his or her own California dream.
Biography [born Sept. 14, 1973]
https://jointravisallen.com/about-travis-allen/
About Travis
Fighting for us
Assemblyman Travis Allen was first elected to the State Assembly in November of 2012 to represent the 72nd Assembly District, which includes the cities of Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Westminster, Los Alamitos and the unincorporated communities of Sunset Beach, Midway City, and Rossmoor, as well as portions of Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, and Santa Ana.As a State Assemblyman, Travis Allen has fought for lower taxes, safer communities, better roads and better schools. He knows that if we work together California can once again be a place that is not only known for its great weather, but a state that has the best schools, safe neighborhoods, thriving small businesses, and communities where hard working families can afford to live.
A proven track record
For over 20 years, Travis Allen has operated his own small business as a Certified Financial Planner. Assemblyman Allen concentrated on investing and building secure retirements for working families, retirees, and local business owners. Despite the challenges that have come with the tough economy and volatile markets, his expertise and hard work have helped his clients reach their financial goals.As a Financial Advisor, Assemblyman Allen saw the damage done to the portfolios of his hard working clients by government overregulation and bad policies. He has seen firsthand businesses that have been forced to relocate to other states – taking their jobs with them. Seeing this repeat itself too many times, Assemblyman Allen became politically active to help small businesses by fighting for job creating policies.
Giving back to the community
Additionally, Travis Allen has a lifelong history of giving back to his community. He has given his time and resources to many charitable and community causes, including helping the homeless of Orange County with the Orange County Rescue Mission. He is active in the Christian and Jewish communities and is a strong supporter of a number of pro-Israel charities.Travis Allen is a long time resident of Huntington Beach, where he has lived and surfed for over 20 years and is well known by the local citizens and community leaders.
John Cox
Biography [born July 15, 1955]
https://johncoxforgovernor.com/about/
ABOUT JOHN COX
John Cox is a businessman – not a politician.
Raised by a single mom in the Midwest, John is a
Californian by choice, deeply committed to restoring
the Golden State to what it once was, and can be
again. And John Cox has the knowledge and experience
to do it.
John built his own business from scratch to a $200 million enterprise with almost 100 employees. He turned around a major food service manufacturing company, restored it to profitability and saved jobs. He is active in charitable organizations, and serves as a Board member for the San Diego USO. John also founded an organization that repairs the homes of low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities. Since 1991, that organization has mobilized 20,000 volunteers and repaired over 1,000 homes.
John Cox is running for California Governor to take California back from the special interests that own the politicians in Sacramento. Those special interests, and the politicians they bankroll, have given us the highest income tax as well as the highest poverty rate in the nation. They have wrecked our once-proud school system, driven small business owners to relocate their business and jobs to other states, and utterly failed to build the water storage facilities we need to manage California’s abundant water supplies.
John has four daughters and lives with his wife Sarah in San Diego where they are active in and attend Nativity Catholic Church.
John built his own business from scratch to a $200 million enterprise with almost 100 employees. He turned around a major food service manufacturing company, restored it to profitability and saved jobs. He is active in charitable organizations, and serves as a Board member for the San Diego USO. John also founded an organization that repairs the homes of low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities. Since 1991, that organization has mobilized 20,000 volunteers and repaired over 1,000 homes.
John Cox is running for California Governor to take California back from the special interests that own the politicians in Sacramento. Those special interests, and the politicians they bankroll, have given us the highest income tax as well as the highest poverty rate in the nation. They have wrecked our once-proud school system, driven small business owners to relocate their business and jobs to other states, and utterly failed to build the water storage facilities we need to manage California’s abundant water supplies.
John has four daughters and lives with his wife Sarah in San Diego where they are active in and attend Nativity Catholic Church.
Ed. note: a little thin. Here is more from Democracy in Action:
March 28, 2006 Interview
http://p2008.org/reps08.html
Moved to Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. in 2011. Chicago area lawyer, accountant and businessman. Candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, announced Feb. 2006. Ran for chair of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee in January 2005. Ran for Cook County Recorder of Deeds in Nov. 2004. Briefly sought the 2004 Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Illinois (announced July 2003, withdrew Oct. 2003). Ran for the 2002 Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Illinois (finished third with about 23% of the vote). Ran for the Republican nomination in Illinois' 10th CD in 2000 to succeed retiring Rep. John Porter (finished fifth of ten candidates). Hosted a radio program called "The Progressive Conservative" on WJJG-AM (1530). On the Illinois Steering Committee of Jack Kemp's 1988 presidential campaign. Started Cox Financial Group, Ltd., an investment advisory firm in 1985; Equity Property Management, L.L.C., a real estate management company in 1995; and a venture capital firm. Started a law and accounting firm in 1981. Associate at Devoe, Shadur & Krupp. J.D. from IT/Chicago Kent College of Law, 1980. Graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago with a degree in Accounting and Political Science. Born July 15, 1955 in Chicago, IL.
ISSUES
On their websites the major candidates offered more or less detail on their policy positions. Having a ton of detailed policy proposals does not guarantee electoral success just as being short or details need not doom a candidacy; certainly the 2016 presidential campaign showed that. It is interesting to see how the campaigns frame the many issues and challenges facing California and what issues they choose to highlight or ignore. Here are some brief observations on the candidates' issue sections.Chiang: okay but uninspired.
Eastin: nothing flashy but ample detail and clearly shows her track record.
Newsom: this is the most polished and in-depth of all the candidate issue sections, very well done. Each section is topped by a short animated video narrated by Newsom, which is a good way to engage visitors. Below a few overview paragraphs is a detailed list of points "As Governor, Gavin will:"
Villaraigosa: the issues section is not nearly as crisp as Newsom's. For each section there is "Read More," "Watch," "Discuss," and in some cases "Petition." The "Read More"s have detail but are very wordy, almost op-eds, and don't highlight the main points. There is also not a strong visual component. The "Discuss" feature is nice as it includes both comments for and against.
Allen: functional.
Cox: really, that's it?
John Chiang
https://johnchiang.com/roadmap-for-california/ < for details see
Affordable Housing and Homelessness
Every Californian has a right to an affordable, decent place to call home. Within the decade, my goal is to place a roof over the heads of an additional four million low- and moderate-income Californians by investing additional public resources into affordable housing production and doubling local government permitting activity for all types of housing.
Sexual
Harassment and Assault
As the recent disclosures by the courageous women who have stood up to denounce sexual harassment and assault in state government have demonstrated, it is long past time to change the culture in Sacramento and throughout state government. Accountability must begin at the top. We must answer the brave victims who have declared #TimesUp.
Education
We need to do everything possible to look holistically at ways to improve our education system so every student has an opportunity to achieve their dreams.
Higher Education
When California originally adopted its Master Plan for Higher Education in 1960, it expressed the intent that higher education “remain accessible, affordable, high-quality and accountable” (Legislative Analyst’s Office, 2004). In recent decades, however, the State of California has throttled down its investment in higher education. Higher education’s falling share of the state budget has meant increased costs for students and their families, larger class sizes, and an ongoing challenge to community colleges, CSUs, and UCs to maintain the quality of instruction that has made California a model for the rest of the world. As a result, over the past 20 years, tuition has tripled for UC and CSU undergraduate students. With room, board, and books, the cost for an in-state UC undergraduate student can now top $30,000 each year.
Affordable and Accessible Health Care
Health care is a right for all, not a privilege for just the wealthy. As governor, I will build a health care system that not only works for everyone in California, but that specifically takes the necessary steps to move our state towards a single-payer system.
Clean Air and Livable Earth
We are seeing the effects of climate change everywhere — extreme weather, unprecedented sea level rising, increased air pollution, mudslides, wildfires, and loss of animal habitat, to name just a few. And the last two years have been the two hottest on record. While we may have a president in the White House who doesn’t believe in climate change, an EPA Administrator who is dead set on killing the EPA, and an Interior Secretary who doesn’t care about our public lands, California can still stand up to President Trump and his Administration, and lead the way.
Dignified Retirement
After a lifetime of hard work, every Californian deserves a secure retirement. Unfortunately, the ability to retire with dignity has become an elusive dream for millions of Californians. More than one third of California households have virtually no savings. And nearly half of California’s workers are on track to retire with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level — at an estimated $22,000 per year.
Delaine Eastin
https://www.delaineforgovernor.com/her_vision
CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PRISON REFORM ECONOMY & JOBS EDUCATION GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION HOUSING & RENT CONTROL HEALTHCARE FOR ALL IMMIGRATION INFRASTRUCTURE & TRANSPORTATION LGBTQ RIGHTS SEXUAL HARASSMENT WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Climate Change & Environmental Justice
The science is clear: Climate Change is real, and it is happening now. It is a major threat to jobs across the state, to our highways and infrastructure, to our health, and to our homes and families, to a prosperous future. We need to act with great urgency to save our planet for the next generation. California’s current climate commitments, while well intended, won’t stop climate change, which means even more severe droughts, floods, and fires in the years to come. You can see our one minute video on the environment here.
The fact is that the window of opportunity for responding to this crisis is rapidly closing. Unfortunately, transitioning to renewable power won’t be enough to intercept runaway climate change. We need more effective action now, within the next 10 years, to reduce the excess heat that is driving global climate change. This action should focus not just on carbon dioxide, but also on methane, black carbon, and ozone in the troposphere, which together are responsible for nearly as much of this heat as carbon dioxide. And this needs to be done far more cost-effectively through actions that deliver the biggest bang for the buck.
Delaine is the only candidate for governor with a strong public environmental record and a comprehensive plan to face this challenge head on, based on the latest climate science.
Environmental Justice
Criminal Justice & Prison Reform
California ranks 41st in per pupil spending, but first in per prisoner expenditure. Delaine believes it is time to reexamine our criminal justice system so that we stop criminalizing poverty, skin color, and mental health. The terrible pattern of incarceration that America has been guilty of for some decades must stop. We must invest in education rather than incarceration. Since 1985 we have built 13 colleges and universities and 23 prisons. That is a misguided expenditure plan and a foolish waste of lives and tax dollars.
We must end the War on Drugs in California and begin to treat all addiction, not just alcohol and opioids, as a mental health issue.
We need to improve police training, including implicit bias training, end cash bail, stop prosecuting teenagers as adults, and end mandatory enhancements and minimums that provide no discretion to judges.
We must provide rehabilitative services to those that are in prison, and job opportunities and housing access when they leave so they have the opportunity to support themselves.
Delaine believes that we should look to Europe and create prisons more like rehabilitation centers, and train guards less as wardens and more on trauma-informed care and support, which would also create a less stressful, more satisfying and productive situation for those who are in prison and those who are responsible for their care. Delaine opposes the death penalty.
Fundamentally, to fight crime, we must invest in education, as every major study shows our prisons are filled with people who are illiterate or barely literate. They should not have to wait to get to prison to receive an education. We need to provide scaffolding for vulnerable children as they are growing up. We must focus on our poorest children who have the least access to support services in our underfunded schools, on our foster children and our incarcerated youth, so that we short circuit the school to prison pipeline.
Delaine currently serves on the Board of Yolo County's Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to help Foster Youth. During her time as a Community College Professor, Delaine taught a semester at the Youth Authority in Ventura.
Economy & Jobs
There used to be an old adage, an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay (at least if you were a white male.) When Delaine was young, 30% of the country was unionized, including her own as her father was a machinist, and the middle class thrived. Over the past several decades, productivity has skyrocketed and corporations have made billions, but more and more is being hoarded at the top as union membership has fallen to historic lows. Today, only 10% of the country is in a union, and Janus vs. AFSCME threatens to lower this even further.
Over the decades, workers have seen reduced or stagnated compensation, all while living costs such as housing, healthcare, childcare and education have skyrocketed. This is unsustainable. California must have a full court press on the issues of income inequality.
This means working to lift wages, pay equity for women, helping families secure affordable housing, childcare and preschool that doesn’t cost the same as a mortgage, healthcare for all, providing excellent k-12 education and free college tuition again.
Whether you’re a machinist in Modesto, a teacher in Tulare, a laborer in Los Angeles or a techie in Silicon Valley, California needs to be a place where you can buy a home, send your kids to college, and live a comfortable retirement.
Education
Delaine is the Former State Superintendent for Public Instruction. Education is her lifelong passion. Her parents didn't go to college, but they bought the smaller house that cost more because the schools were better, and this changed Delaine's life. Delaine was the first person in her direct line to attend college, UC Davis as an undergraduate and UC Santa Barbara as a graduate student. Delaine believes we must invest in education, from cradle through career so that today's children, can have the same advantages that she had.
The First Five Years of Life
Improve Prenatal and Delivery Care - The US has some of the worst mortality rates for mothers and babies in the western world. Our statistics are particularly devastating for black mothers across all incomes. We must therefore begin with prenatal care for both mother and child.
3 months of fully paid maternity and paternity leave - The first three months of a child’s life help to form lifelong emotional attachments. Some major employers offer fully paid maternity leave to their employees. But lower level jobs are much less likely to offer maternity leave and for whom the partial pay offered through disability isn’t a reasonable option. We need a minimum of three months of fully paid maternity leave, and Delaine hopes to expand it to 6 and then to 9 months during her time in office.
Affordable, high-quality childcare/development – High quality childcare and child development can cost as much as rent or college. The average cost for childcare is now $16,000 a year. In some parts of our state, that number is much higher. It forces women and men who earn low wages out of the workforce, dramatically reducing their lifelong earning potential. The high cost of childcare leads to low quality options that increase the opportunity gap between wealthy and poor children. We need affordable, high quality childcare for all.
Universal high-quality preschool for ALL in 5 Years - almost all European and Asian countries offer universal preschool. In France, preschool teachers are similarly educated and paid at the same rate as elementary school teachers. If we are to give our children the best chance to compete in a global market, we need to start by offering universal, high quality preschool for ALL.
K-12
California has the highest number and percentage of poor children and English learners in the country. We have some of the largest class sizes and fewest numbers of counselors, nurses and librarians per pupil in the nation.
Move California from the bottom 10 into the top 10 in per pupil spending for K-12 - We must increase our investment in education as the means to reduce class sizes, increase the number of counselors, nurses and librarians in our schools, and increase support for music and the arts that have been lost in too many schools. The Greeks believed that the act of participation, be it in sports, drama, music, or civic engagement helped to create a civic minded society. Children need exposure to all subjects. We must advance STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) with great urgency as the pace of change is accelerating.
Enrich the learning environment in K-12. California needs to dramatically improve the school day and school year. The school year should be expanded to 200 days from 180. This would give children more time to learn as they have in Asia and in Europe. This would increase teacher salaries even as children would not have to lose the first month of school to refresh what they forgot in the long summer recess. We must introduce broadband to every corner of California. We should lift up our teachers so that they feel that they have the most important job in the world because they do. We must strengthen our afterschool programs. We must bring back robust career and technical training to our high schools.
College & Career
Make College Tuition Free Again - The high cost of college is dragging down our economy and has become a barrier to entry. When Delaine attended UC Davis, there was no tuition and the fees were $82.50 a semester and that included her health insurance. CSU fees were $42 a semester and Community College was free. That means UC would be just over $600 a semester in today’s dollars or 5% of the current cost and CSU just over $350. We need to make college at UC, CSU and Community College tuition free again for instate students.
Build new Colleges, Technical Schools and Universities -- Cal State turned away a record number of qualified students because they didn't have the space. Meanwhile, we have a shortage of skilled labor because we have underinvested in career and technical training. We need to increase higher educational opportunities for students across the board, and give our young people more options that are close to home. This will attract business into areas that currently have high unemployment because they have historically been underserved and overlooked.
Delaine's record on education is vast; in fact, there is a Delaine Eastin Elementary School in Union City that attests to her leadership. Some highlights include: sponsoring the largest school bond in state history that combined K-12 and higher education into one bond for the first time after both K-12 and seen individual bonds rejected; as Superintendent joining the lawsuit against Pete Wilson for illegally withholding funds from our schools, bringing over $2 billion to our schools. Delaine used these funds to reduce class sizes in K-3 to 20-1. Delaine also served as a champion for wiring schools for technology and stronger technical and vocational training for students. She launched the Garden in Every School Initiative, was the architect of Net Day, where over 20,000 volunteers wired California schools for modern technology and was copied in 40 states and 40 countries and dramatically enhanced and expanded environmental education. As a UC Regent, Delaine argued against tuition hikes and encouraged other Regents to do the same and to oppose a tax cut; she also did this as a Cal State University Trustee, advocating against higher fees and to oppose a tax cut. Delaine served as Honorary Co-Chair of Prop 10 which created First 5, California.
Gun Violence Prevention
California has some of the strictest gun violence protection laws in the country and they are working. According to the San Francisco-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, California has reduced our rate of gun homicides by more than 60 percent since 1993.
Delaine is proud that Californians have continued to push forward on gun control measures, including giving families and authorities the right to remove guns from individuals, even as the country goes backward.
But there's only so much we can do on our own with porous borders. We need the federal government to reauthorize the assault weapons ban, as we did in California. We need them to ban high capacity magazines, support universal background checks and close the gun show loophole.
After similar tragedies, other countries have managed to all but avoid future tragedies by cracking down on the sale and proliferation of guns. We can do the same.
When Delaine was in the Assembly, she supported the nation’s first law that banned the sale of military-style assault weapons in California. She received death threats, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. The bill was signed by Republican Governor George Deukmejian after the murder of five children and wounding of 32 others in a Stockton schoolyard because at that time, Republicans and Democrats could work together to protect our children.
Healthcare for ALL
Healthcare should be a fundamental right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy. We are currently paying more than anyone else on the planet for less healthcare and worse outcomes. Delaine is the only candidate for governor who has been a staunch, unwavering supporter of SB562, the California single-payer healthcare bill. from the beginning. 2.9 million Californians remain uninsured, and many more pay high premiums and deductibles for substandard care. The Affordable Care Act was a good start, but we need to take that next step and lead the nation in providing quality healthcare to all our citizens.
70% of the funds for universal healthcare are already in the system. Delaine has read the studies, and believes that some combination of new taxes, such as the proposed gross receipts tax on business income over $2 million, combined with a sales tax increase, is one possibility that has potential merit. She also supports creating a Public Bank of California and using some of the revenue from that to fund universal healthcare. If so many countries less wealthy than the United States can figure it out, shouldn’t we be able to do this?
Housing & Rent Control
California has the largest number and percentage of homeless individuals in the nation. We have the lowest percentage of homeowners of any state in the country. We have the oldest children living at home with their parents. Roughly 33% of renters spend half their income on housing. Not only is this costing our economy billions, Delaine understands that it is just plain wrong to force so many families into poverty when it is a fixable solution. We must:
Build One Million Additional Housing Units in the Next Four Years, Focusing Near Transit Hubs - Most studies show we need 3.5 million new housing units by 2025. We are currently building fewer than 100,000 units a year. We can do better. Back in 1986 we built over 300,000 units a year and Delaine knows we can get there again. We must:
Protect Renters – A $100 rent increase is an eviction for too many tenants who are already stretched to their limits. Delaine is the only candidate who supports giving tenants more rights by repealing Costa Hawkins, which prohibits rent control on many units, as well as the Ellis Act, which has allowed for the conversion of many affordable units to higher priced condominiums. This will give cities and counties the tools they need to protect tenants and neighborhoods against massive gentrification, which is taking place in too many neighborhoods all over our state.
Declare a State of Emergency to Address our Homeless Crisis - Our homeless crisis affects us all. From deadly outbreaks of hepatitis to massive increases in sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence, the situation is dire and needs focused coordination between agencies so that people can secure shelter while we build our way out of this crisis. This includes a large expansion of housing vouchers, eliminating housing discrimination, and using hotels, motels, tiny houses and cooperative housing to help people get immediate shelter.
In her first term on the City Council in Union City, Delaine convinced the Council to pass a Mobile Home Rent Control Bill after she exposed the deception of a mobile home park owner. During her tenure on the Council the City used redevelopment funds to buy up three toxic sites in downtown, and over the years they cleaned them up and ultimately built multi-story, affordable and market rate housing near the BART station. As Superintendent, Delaine was given just 6 weeks to implement class size reduction. In those 6 weeks Delaine coordinated all the agencies, inspired the state, and 30,000 portable classrooms were delivered to schools.
Immigration
"Our Dreamers and our DACA Californians are as American as I am. And I am proud California became a sanctuary state." Delaine Eastin
Delaine's father was born in Kentucky and he was fond of saying that "Californians are people born somewhere else who came to their senses." In 2015, the most current year of data, 27% of California's population was indeed, born somewhere else. California is home to more than 10 million immigrants with half of California’s children having at least one immigrant parent.
California is the second most diverse state in the country, and Delaine considers it our greatest strength. Immigrants are the most entrepreneurial people in our country. They dream and do and sacrifice to give their children the American dream. A majority of new companies started in California have at least one founder who is foreign born.
Delaine strongly supports California’s status as a Sanctuary State. She believes we must provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients that includes granting protected status to their parents, and that the very idea that the government would betray these amazing young people by targeting their parents is anti-American. Family is everything. President Trump says he wants to stop chain migration, but it was acceptable for his wife’s parents to enjoy such chain migration.
Regarding workplaces, our state Attorney General has suggested the state will fine any business that voluntarily cooperates with ICE. As Governor, Delaine would act to make sure that our undocumented (and documented) workers are protected from the predatory behaviors we have witnessed the federal government take.
Under the Constitution, state and local governments have every right to refuse to help enforce federal law. In cases like Printz v. United States (1997) and New York v. United States (1992), the Supreme Court has ruled that the Tenth Amendment forbids federal “commandeering” of state governments to help enforce federal law. Most of the support for this anti-commandeering principle came from conservative justices such as the late Antonin Scalia, who wrote the majority opinion in Printz. Southern states have aggressively cheered the 10th amendment for decades as a means to justify racial discrimination, so we should use those principles as a means to protect our immigrants who are in California and playing by the rules.
Few if any federal grants to state and local governments are conditioned on cooperation with federal deportation efforts. The Supreme Court has long ruled that conditions on federal grants to state and local governments are not enforceable unless they are “unambiguously” stated in the text of the law “so that the States can knowingly decide whether or not to accept those funds.”
Throughout Delaine's career she has stood up for all Californians to live with dignity and to be treated with respect. As State Superintendent she stood strong against Governor Pete Wilson after the passage of Prop 187. He ordered Delaine to have teachers act as immigration agents. When Delaine said no he threatened to have her recalled. She joined the lawsuit against Prop 187 and they won. Delaine also opposed Propositions 209 and 227. In her race to serve a second term as Superintendent, she was specifically attacked for being a strong supporter of bilingual education. Recently the voters of California joined Delaine and repealed Prop 227 that had banned bilingual education.
Infrastructure & Transportation
For too long our basic infrastructure has been allowed to crumble. California must reinvest in state and local infrastructure even as the federal government seems to be becoming more feckless. This should include providing public broadband for all families, in urban and rural communities, who have been historically underserved.
The American Society of Civil Engineers issued a recent report that rated 5.5% of California bridges structurally deficient. It said that poor roads are costing drivers over $800 a year in repair costs. Drinking water improvement needs an estimated $44.5 billion, and wastewater needs total $26.2 billion. 678 dams are considered to be high-hazard potential. As we all know, we barely avoided disaster last winter. The state’s schools have an estimated capital expenditure gap of $3.2 billion and yet the state is withholding releasing funds that were approved by the voters.
It’s going to take serious effort and long-range planning to fix this mess. We cannot keep borrowing money to build shiny new projects without first fixing what we already have. We owe it to future generations.
Our highways, public transit, and utilities infrastructure are in dire need of an upgrade. In a state whose economy ranks 5th in the world, we should be using our revenue to improve the services we use every day. Delaine Eastin is committed to improving our state’s infrastructure and doing it responsibly.
Prior to her time in the Assembly, Delaine worked as a long-range planner for Pacific Telesis. As an Assemblymember, Delaine Chaired the Committee on Government Efficiency and served on the Transportation Committee. She steered legislation that sped up road construction for counties that had passed 1/2 cent sales tax measures, cracked down on unlicensed contractors, streamlined hospital construction (she was blocked from doing the same for school construction), and sponsored a bill to do a long-range water plan. The bill was vetoed by the Republican Governor who claimed that long-range planning was for Communists. Delaine earned a host of accolades for her work including: Assembly Member of the Year, American Planning Association, California Chapter - The John F. Foran Award for Legislator of the Year, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission - “We Dig California Award” Engineering and Utility Contractors Association - High Tech Recognition Award, California State Government Affairs Committee - Presidential Citation Award, AIA Legislator of the Year, California Council, American Institute of Architects.
LGBTQ Rights
Delaine is a fierce defender of LGBTQ rights. As governor, Delaine will fight to ensure LGBTQ rights are the same rights and protections as all other Californians receive, and make sure there are protections in place to fight discrimination and push back against the Supreme Court decisions as necessary. For example, if the so-called Phillips case is decided in a way that is adverse to the rights of LGBTQ, California must take it upon ourselves to pass additional protections to override this ruling.
Delaine supports efforts to make all single stall restrooms gender neutral to provide more publicly available options. She understands that the lack of gender neutral restrooms can be a major source of anxiety, and with conservatives elevating this to the national stage, it is critical that we protect our transgender population from potential violence.
She will advocate for inclusive learning environments in schools and a no tolerance policy for bullying behavior. She believes it is critical that LGBTQ individuals are included in positions of leadership and government at all levels. It is critical for young people to see individuals that look like them in positions of authority so they can look with hopeful eyes to their own futures.
Delaine has been a lifelong supporter of LGBT rights and fought to defeat Prop 64 back in 1986. Delaine was the first State Superintendent to march in the San Francisco Gay Rights Parade. As State Superintendent of Public Instruction she set up an LGBT Task Force to make sure students felt safe and welcomed, and that teachers knew how to support them. She got death threats and but never waivered. The report included “acknowledging lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender historical figures and eight related events, concepts, and issues in the revisions of content standards and curriculum frameworks, when appropriate. Identify and expand the available lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender resources for school library materials.” Delaine was a deciding vote on the Board of Regents when Governor Wilson tried to keep the UC system from extending spousal benefits to same-sex partners. In her successful race to serve a second term as Superintendent, she was attacked for supporting a 'gay agenda.'
Sexual Harassment
Delaine is fond of saying that "the fish stinks from the head." She promises that her office will have zero tolerance for sexual harassment. The State's leadership will reflect the people of California. It will be at least 50% female and the most diverse to date. She will change the culture in Sacramento including comprehensive training and clear accountability as it relates to sexual harassment by anyone.
Delaine will protect victims of sexual harassment and assault so that their brilliance isn’t lost to us. Too many amazing young women and men have seen their careers in state government cut tragically short because they’ve been victims of sexual harassment and dared to stand up for themselves and their rights. We will not only protect the victims but we will expose the perpetrators and no more public money will be spent to cover up these actcs.
The length of time it took to establish a simple, anonymous hotline is indefensible. The End Harassment office will be set up and fully funded immediately. Reports will be monitored and fully investigated by an outside legal firm, free of conflicts of interest.
While Delaine will protect the identity of victims, she will not hide the identity of perpetrators. The public has the right to know who is guilty of sexual harassment following such a determination. Also, perpetrators will be financially liable for any payments made due to their actions.
Delaine believes that in order to end the culture of sexual harassment and assault, we must start in our schools to teach our children about consent and support their emotional health and development.
Women's Rights
It was Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman in Congress, who said, “At present, our country needs women's idealism and determination, perhaps more in politics than anywhere else.”
Women make up only 23% of California’s legislature. Only one of our Top 10 cities by population has a female Mayor, and California has never had a female Governor. Delaine understands that when women make up at least 30% of a legislative body, more support goes to education, to families, to healthcare and to support seniors. Budgets are statements of values, and we need women’s voices to be at the table making important decisions on behalf of our country.
Right now, the face of poverty in California is a single mother and her children. In fifteen or twenty years it will be a senior woman. Women still earn 80 cents on the dollar, and the figure is lower for black and brown women. In California, it is often our richest communities that show the highest disparity. For example, in California Congressional Districts 17 and 18, home to the Silicon Valley, women earn just 68 and 64 cents on the dollar compared to men in the same region. Meanwhile, Hollywood, the supposed bastion of liberalism, is being investigated for its abysmal discrimination against female directors and treatment of women in general.
California needs to lead the nation in fixing these disparities for the residents of our state. We must continue to protect a woman’s right to choose, and we also need to go further in providing pre-natal care and real maternity and paternity leave for women and for men. We must figure out the best means to offer high-quality AFFORDABLE childcare for all. Infant childcare can cost more than college tuition. That is not sustainable and it leads to women forced out of the workforce and/or to children receiving substandard care.
As Governor, Delaine commits to having a leadership team that is at least 50% women that reflects the vast diversity in our state. We will strive toward the goal that women and people of color will earn $1.00 for every $1.00 that men earn.
Delaine will champion pay equity and have zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the state. Delaine is commited to a comprehensive review of job titles and pay scales in state government, so that we lift up the salaries for women and people of color to compare to those of men with similar skill levels.
Delaine will also require corporations and nonprofits seeking to do business with the state to have implemented policies for equal pay, to demonstrate that they promote and support women and people of color in leadership, and to have comprehensive standards for handling sexual harassment in their workforce.
Delaine believes there is no more basic right than the right to control OUR OWN BODIES. She has been a long time advocate for reproductive rights, and she has always spoken out against efforts to turn back the clock or make access difficult, whether the law was parental notification or efforts by religious groups to intimidate women. As Governor she will fight to broaden access to contraception and stand steadfastly for full access to abortion as well. She will push for abortion access for all women in our state, including our rural counties, and she will ensure that Medi-Cal reimbursement rates are fair and provide access for vulnerable women.
Delaine is the past President of California Women Lead, Chair of ClosetheGap, California in 2016, and Faculty for Rutgers Project 2012. She was a founder and chair of her local NWPC (National Women’s Political Caucus) chapter as well as Chair of the California Legislative Women's Caucus. She worked as a Women's Studies Coordinator and has developed courses on Women in Politics. Delaine has been a consistent voice for reproductive rights and paid family and medical leave. She has consistently spoken to women’s groups engaging women in running and getting politically involved, including Emerge America and Ignite. As an Assemblywoman, she was one of 600+ legislators (of 7000 possible) who signed 1989 Supreme Court Amicus Brief in William Webster vs Reproductive Health Services in defense of abortion access. As State Superintendent, Delaine was accused of having a department 'run by women.' She did a study and determined that 56% of her leadership was female. Delaine has fought for women’s rights her entire adult life, and has been an inspired mentor and hero to countless women and men.
Reproductive Rights: When Delaine was a City Councilmember she crossed an angry line of anti-choice fanatics to support the opening of Planned Parenthood in Fremont. As an Assemblywoman, she consistently voted for reproductive freedom and she was one of the 600+ legislators (of 7000) from around the country who signed the 1989 Supreme court Amicus Brief in William Webster vs Reproductive Health Services in defense of abortion access. As Superintendent of Public Education she consistently supported comprehensive education about reproduction and sex education generally. She has opposed parent notification for young women under 18 to access abortion or contraception and she has consistently opposed government support for fake clinics.
Gavin Newsom
Championing California's Values
California’s values aren’t just a point of pride - they are the very fabric of the state’s history, identity, and future. At a time when actions by the Trump Administration are further disenfranchising the poor, women, and people of color, California must step up and defend its residents – advancing policies grounded in both compassion and innovation.
California is the fifth largest economy in the world, and continues to show the world that an economy can thrive when it protects workers’ rights, environmental protections, civil rights, and vulnerable communities. Gavin understands that California remains an engine of economic growth when we stick up for our values.
Gavin has boldly led the charge for major social change campaigns his whole life. He has fought for what’s right and won results that are making a real difference in people’s lives. He believes that the state government ought to reflect the values of its people, not the other way around. More than ever, America needs California’s example, to prove that old fears and prejudices need not be the new normal, and to match resistance with results.
https://gavinnewsom.com/california_values
Eliminating Child Poverty in California
Today, one in five of California’s children are living in poverty, amounting to nearly two million – more than any other state in the country. Almost one-third of African American children and one-third of Latino children in California live in poverty. And while our state’s unemployment rate has declined since the Great Recession, our child poverty rate has remained mostly stagnant. That’s a moral outrage.
Over the past decade, advances in cognitive research have shown that the stress that comes with growing up in poverty quite literally alters children’s brains, making it nearly impossible for them to focus on their schoolwork. It’s no surprise that study after study shows just how debilitating growing up in poverty is to a kid’s potential in life. It’s correlated with lower educational attainment, lower incomes, increased likelihood of homelessness and, devastatingly, increased likelihood of interacting with the criminal justice system. No kid should be denied a fair shot at success in life because of their parent’s income or the zip code in which they live, but for so many kids in this state, that is all too often the case. Gavin is making the elimination of child poverty the north star of a Newsom administration.
Gavin is proposing a two pronged strategy to ensure equal access to opportunity and prosperity for all of our children. First, we must do more to help young people and their families who are currently living in poverty. Second, those efforts must be part of a broader strategy to break the cycle of multi-generational poverty through education and creating real opportunities for economic advancement for every child.
https://gavinnewsom.com/child_poverty
Building an Upward Economy for All
California is a place of unparalleled economic opportunity, where high tech comes to take flight, where our creative workforce entertains and connects the world, and where our agricultural products feed America.
Over the past six years, businesses and employers have created 2.5 million jobs, helping us reach the lowest unemployment rate in more than a decade and cementing our status as the fifth-largest economy in the world.
But for too many, California’s economic recovery is a spectator sport. Ours is at once the richest and poorest state. Eight million Californians are below the poverty line. Nearly two million children – one in five – live in poverty. We’re witnessing staggering levels of income and wealth inequality.
I’m focused on building an upward economy that works for every Californian - one that is measured by growth and inclusion. Fighting income inequality and unequal opportunity is the defining economic challenge of our time, and California must face it head on.
https://gavinnewsom.com/economic_development
Renewing California's Commitment to Education
https://gavinnewsom.com/educationAs the recent disclosures by the courageous women who have stood up to denounce sexual harassment and assault in state government have demonstrated, it is long past time to change the culture in Sacramento and throughout state government. Accountability must begin at the top. We must answer the brave victims who have declared #TimesUp.
Education
We need to do everything possible to look holistically at ways to improve our education system so every student has an opportunity to achieve their dreams.
Higher Education
When California originally adopted its Master Plan for Higher Education in 1960, it expressed the intent that higher education “remain accessible, affordable, high-quality and accountable” (Legislative Analyst’s Office, 2004). In recent decades, however, the State of California has throttled down its investment in higher education. Higher education’s falling share of the state budget has meant increased costs for students and their families, larger class sizes, and an ongoing challenge to community colleges, CSUs, and UCs to maintain the quality of instruction that has made California a model for the rest of the world. As a result, over the past 20 years, tuition has tripled for UC and CSU undergraduate students. With room, board, and books, the cost for an in-state UC undergraduate student can now top $30,000 each year.
Affordable and Accessible Health Care
Health care is a right for all, not a privilege for just the wealthy. As governor, I will build a health care system that not only works for everyone in California, but that specifically takes the necessary steps to move our state towards a single-payer system.
Clean Air and Livable Earth
We are seeing the effects of climate change everywhere — extreme weather, unprecedented sea level rising, increased air pollution, mudslides, wildfires, and loss of animal habitat, to name just a few. And the last two years have been the two hottest on record. While we may have a president in the White House who doesn’t believe in climate change, an EPA Administrator who is dead set on killing the EPA, and an Interior Secretary who doesn’t care about our public lands, California can still stand up to President Trump and his Administration, and lead the way.
Dignified Retirement
After a lifetime of hard work, every Californian deserves a secure retirement. Unfortunately, the ability to retire with dignity has become an elusive dream for millions of Californians. More than one third of California households have virtually no savings. And nearly half of California’s workers are on track to retire with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level — at an estimated $22,000 per year.
Delaine Eastin
https://www.delaineforgovernor.com/her_vision
CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PRISON REFORM ECONOMY & JOBS EDUCATION GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION HOUSING & RENT CONTROL HEALTHCARE FOR ALL IMMIGRATION INFRASTRUCTURE & TRANSPORTATION LGBTQ RIGHTS SEXUAL HARASSMENT WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Climate Change & Environmental Justice
The science is clear: Climate Change is real, and it is happening now. It is a major threat to jobs across the state, to our highways and infrastructure, to our health, and to our homes and families, to a prosperous future. We need to act with great urgency to save our planet for the next generation. California’s current climate commitments, while well intended, won’t stop climate change, which means even more severe droughts, floods, and fires in the years to come. You can see our one minute video on the environment here.
The fact is that the window of opportunity for responding to this crisis is rapidly closing. Unfortunately, transitioning to renewable power won’t be enough to intercept runaway climate change. We need more effective action now, within the next 10 years, to reduce the excess heat that is driving global climate change. This action should focus not just on carbon dioxide, but also on methane, black carbon, and ozone in the troposphere, which together are responsible for nearly as much of this heat as carbon dioxide. And this needs to be done far more cost-effectively through actions that deliver the biggest bang for the buck.
Delaine is the only candidate for governor with a strong public environmental record and a comprehensive plan to face this challenge head on, based on the latest climate science.
- Delaine is the first candidate to call for a total ban on oil and natural gas fracking here in California. She believes we need full accountability for the climate impacts of any oil or gas we import into the state. In addition to the problems fracking can cause for groundwater and sensitive environments, it is associated with high levels of methane emissions. Methane is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
- We must clamp down even more aggressively on methane emissions from all of our natural gas and oil production storage, waste management facilities, livestock operations, and other industrial sources.
- We must do much more to stop black carbon pollution (soot -- a very potent climate pollutant that comes from diesel), agricultural and residential burning, and industrial smokestacks.
- We must double down on dangerous air pollutants that combine to form ozone gas. This not only causes smog at ground level, but is also hundreds of time more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas when formed in the troposphere.
- We must continue to reduce our state’s and our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. The steps we take here in California will have ripple effects across the country. Delaine adamantly opposes oil drilling off of our long-protected coasts, and efforts to import coal and export fossil fuels.
- For full transparency, we must update our methods of tracking California’s contribution to climate change, which are woefully out of date. Our current carbon footprint only looks at annual emissions of greenhouse gases. However, carbon dioxide is very long-lived in the atmosphere. That means that the carbon dioxide we’ve been releasing into the atmosphere for the past two hundred years is still there, and still affecting climate. Moreover, this current carbon footprint accounts for only a fraction of methane emissions, and leaves out black carbon and tropospheric ozone altogether.
- Our state, regional and county Climate Action Plans, should also be updated to account for all climate pollutants based on the latest climate science. This will help to incentivize a wider range of mitigation options.
- We support current efforts nationally to institute a carbon fee and dividend, updated to include all climate pollutants.Through direct project funding, the cost of mitigation could be driven down substantially. This could create real incentives for industry participation and achieve the level of mitigation we need. Instead of $12/ton for mitigation, the typical going rate for cap and trade programs, mitigation could be achieved at far more affordable rates estimated at about 12¢/ton, according the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and other sources. So, for instance, California could establish climate performance requirements and policy incentives, which companies could fulfill by funding suitable projects around the world at these dramatically lower costs.
- We must rationally investigate and undertake climate restoration options that allow the earth to heal itself, reducing heat on the planet without causing negative side effects for people or the environment.
- We must join with other states, countries, NGOs, and private sector partners to zero in on those climate mitigation strategies with the greatest ability to stabilize this crisis within the next decade, even if those strategies are deployed outside our state borders. California can’t do it alone, but we can lead the way.
Environmental Justice
- Everyone deserves a fundamental right to breathe clean air and drink clean water, yet our poorest communities and communities of color routinely experience higher levels of pollution; from nitrates in groundwater, to poor air quality to lead poisoning. This leads to long-term health issues.
- We need long range planning to ensure that we do not compromise the health and safety of future generations for temporary profits for large corporations or giant agribusiness enterprises.
- We need to expand services in vulnerable communities, including access to safe parks, fresh food and other services that improve health and well-being.
Criminal Justice & Prison Reform
California ranks 41st in per pupil spending, but first in per prisoner expenditure. Delaine believes it is time to reexamine our criminal justice system so that we stop criminalizing poverty, skin color, and mental health. The terrible pattern of incarceration that America has been guilty of for some decades must stop. We must invest in education rather than incarceration. Since 1985 we have built 13 colleges and universities and 23 prisons. That is a misguided expenditure plan and a foolish waste of lives and tax dollars.
We must end the War on Drugs in California and begin to treat all addiction, not just alcohol and opioids, as a mental health issue.
We need to improve police training, including implicit bias training, end cash bail, stop prosecuting teenagers as adults, and end mandatory enhancements and minimums that provide no discretion to judges.
We must provide rehabilitative services to those that are in prison, and job opportunities and housing access when they leave so they have the opportunity to support themselves.
Delaine believes that we should look to Europe and create prisons more like rehabilitation centers, and train guards less as wardens and more on trauma-informed care and support, which would also create a less stressful, more satisfying and productive situation for those who are in prison and those who are responsible for their care. Delaine opposes the death penalty.
Fundamentally, to fight crime, we must invest in education, as every major study shows our prisons are filled with people who are illiterate or barely literate. They should not have to wait to get to prison to receive an education. We need to provide scaffolding for vulnerable children as they are growing up. We must focus on our poorest children who have the least access to support services in our underfunded schools, on our foster children and our incarcerated youth, so that we short circuit the school to prison pipeline.
Delaine currently serves on the Board of Yolo County's Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to help Foster Youth. During her time as a Community College Professor, Delaine taught a semester at the Youth Authority in Ventura.
Economy & Jobs
There used to be an old adage, an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay (at least if you were a white male.) When Delaine was young, 30% of the country was unionized, including her own as her father was a machinist, and the middle class thrived. Over the past several decades, productivity has skyrocketed and corporations have made billions, but more and more is being hoarded at the top as union membership has fallen to historic lows. Today, only 10% of the country is in a union, and Janus vs. AFSCME threatens to lower this even further.
Over the decades, workers have seen reduced or stagnated compensation, all while living costs such as housing, healthcare, childcare and education have skyrocketed. This is unsustainable. California must have a full court press on the issues of income inequality.
This means working to lift wages, pay equity for women, helping families secure affordable housing, childcare and preschool that doesn’t cost the same as a mortgage, healthcare for all, providing excellent k-12 education and free college tuition again.
Whether you’re a machinist in Modesto, a teacher in Tulare, a laborer in Los Angeles or a techie in Silicon Valley, California needs to be a place where you can buy a home, send your kids to college, and live a comfortable retirement.
Education
Delaine is the Former State Superintendent for Public Instruction. Education is her lifelong passion. Her parents didn't go to college, but they bought the smaller house that cost more because the schools were better, and this changed Delaine's life. Delaine was the first person in her direct line to attend college, UC Davis as an undergraduate and UC Santa Barbara as a graduate student. Delaine believes we must invest in education, from cradle through career so that today's children, can have the same advantages that she had.
The First Five Years of Life
Improve Prenatal and Delivery Care - The US has some of the worst mortality rates for mothers and babies in the western world. Our statistics are particularly devastating for black mothers across all incomes. We must therefore begin with prenatal care for both mother and child.
3 months of fully paid maternity and paternity leave - The first three months of a child’s life help to form lifelong emotional attachments. Some major employers offer fully paid maternity leave to their employees. But lower level jobs are much less likely to offer maternity leave and for whom the partial pay offered through disability isn’t a reasonable option. We need a minimum of three months of fully paid maternity leave, and Delaine hopes to expand it to 6 and then to 9 months during her time in office.
Affordable, high-quality childcare/development – High quality childcare and child development can cost as much as rent or college. The average cost for childcare is now $16,000 a year. In some parts of our state, that number is much higher. It forces women and men who earn low wages out of the workforce, dramatically reducing their lifelong earning potential. The high cost of childcare leads to low quality options that increase the opportunity gap between wealthy and poor children. We need affordable, high quality childcare for all.
Universal high-quality preschool for ALL in 5 Years - almost all European and Asian countries offer universal preschool. In France, preschool teachers are similarly educated and paid at the same rate as elementary school teachers. If we are to give our children the best chance to compete in a global market, we need to start by offering universal, high quality preschool for ALL.
K-12
California has the highest number and percentage of poor children and English learners in the country. We have some of the largest class sizes and fewest numbers of counselors, nurses and librarians per pupil in the nation.
Move California from the bottom 10 into the top 10 in per pupil spending for K-12 - We must increase our investment in education as the means to reduce class sizes, increase the number of counselors, nurses and librarians in our schools, and increase support for music and the arts that have been lost in too many schools. The Greeks believed that the act of participation, be it in sports, drama, music, or civic engagement helped to create a civic minded society. Children need exposure to all subjects. We must advance STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) with great urgency as the pace of change is accelerating.
Enrich the learning environment in K-12. California needs to dramatically improve the school day and school year. The school year should be expanded to 200 days from 180. This would give children more time to learn as they have in Asia and in Europe. This would increase teacher salaries even as children would not have to lose the first month of school to refresh what they forgot in the long summer recess. We must introduce broadband to every corner of California. We should lift up our teachers so that they feel that they have the most important job in the world because they do. We must strengthen our afterschool programs. We must bring back robust career and technical training to our high schools.
College & Career
Make College Tuition Free Again - The high cost of college is dragging down our economy and has become a barrier to entry. When Delaine attended UC Davis, there was no tuition and the fees were $82.50 a semester and that included her health insurance. CSU fees were $42 a semester and Community College was free. That means UC would be just over $600 a semester in today’s dollars or 5% of the current cost and CSU just over $350. We need to make college at UC, CSU and Community College tuition free again for instate students.
Build new Colleges, Technical Schools and Universities -- Cal State turned away a record number of qualified students because they didn't have the space. Meanwhile, we have a shortage of skilled labor because we have underinvested in career and technical training. We need to increase higher educational opportunities for students across the board, and give our young people more options that are close to home. This will attract business into areas that currently have high unemployment because they have historically been underserved and overlooked.
Delaine's record on education is vast; in fact, there is a Delaine Eastin Elementary School in Union City that attests to her leadership. Some highlights include: sponsoring the largest school bond in state history that combined K-12 and higher education into one bond for the first time after both K-12 and seen individual bonds rejected; as Superintendent joining the lawsuit against Pete Wilson for illegally withholding funds from our schools, bringing over $2 billion to our schools. Delaine used these funds to reduce class sizes in K-3 to 20-1. Delaine also served as a champion for wiring schools for technology and stronger technical and vocational training for students. She launched the Garden in Every School Initiative, was the architect of Net Day, where over 20,000 volunteers wired California schools for modern technology and was copied in 40 states and 40 countries and dramatically enhanced and expanded environmental education. As a UC Regent, Delaine argued against tuition hikes and encouraged other Regents to do the same and to oppose a tax cut; she also did this as a Cal State University Trustee, advocating against higher fees and to oppose a tax cut. Delaine served as Honorary Co-Chair of Prop 10 which created First 5, California.
Gun Violence Prevention
California has some of the strictest gun violence protection laws in the country and they are working. According to the San Francisco-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, California has reduced our rate of gun homicides by more than 60 percent since 1993.
Delaine is proud that Californians have continued to push forward on gun control measures, including giving families and authorities the right to remove guns from individuals, even as the country goes backward.
But there's only so much we can do on our own with porous borders. We need the federal government to reauthorize the assault weapons ban, as we did in California. We need them to ban high capacity magazines, support universal background checks and close the gun show loophole.
After similar tragedies, other countries have managed to all but avoid future tragedies by cracking down on the sale and proliferation of guns. We can do the same.
When Delaine was in the Assembly, she supported the nation’s first law that banned the sale of military-style assault weapons in California. She received death threats, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. The bill was signed by Republican Governor George Deukmejian after the murder of five children and wounding of 32 others in a Stockton schoolyard because at that time, Republicans and Democrats could work together to protect our children.
Healthcare for ALL
Healthcare should be a fundamental right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy. We are currently paying more than anyone else on the planet for less healthcare and worse outcomes. Delaine is the only candidate for governor who has been a staunch, unwavering supporter of SB562, the California single-payer healthcare bill. from the beginning. 2.9 million Californians remain uninsured, and many more pay high premiums and deductibles for substandard care. The Affordable Care Act was a good start, but we need to take that next step and lead the nation in providing quality healthcare to all our citizens.
70% of the funds for universal healthcare are already in the system. Delaine has read the studies, and believes that some combination of new taxes, such as the proposed gross receipts tax on business income over $2 million, combined with a sales tax increase, is one possibility that has potential merit. She also supports creating a Public Bank of California and using some of the revenue from that to fund universal healthcare. If so many countries less wealthy than the United States can figure it out, shouldn’t we be able to do this?
Housing & Rent Control
California has the largest number and percentage of homeless individuals in the nation. We have the lowest percentage of homeowners of any state in the country. We have the oldest children living at home with their parents. Roughly 33% of renters spend half their income on housing. Not only is this costing our economy billions, Delaine understands that it is just plain wrong to force so many families into poverty when it is a fixable solution. We must:
Build One Million Additional Housing Units in the Next Four Years, Focusing Near Transit Hubs - Most studies show we need 3.5 million new housing units by 2025. We are currently building fewer than 100,000 units a year. We can do better. Back in 1986 we built over 300,000 units a year and Delaine knows we can get there again. We must:
- Rezone for 100 percent residential housing projects on our underutilized commercial lots;
- Add middle housing units such as two-to-three story duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes that are cheaper and faster to build than mega complexes; and
- Create Small Lot Developments to increase homeownership at reduced costs. When the amount of land needed for housing construction is decreased, the savings in land costs can be passed on to the homebuyer.
Protect Renters – A $100 rent increase is an eviction for too many tenants who are already stretched to their limits. Delaine is the only candidate who supports giving tenants more rights by repealing Costa Hawkins, which prohibits rent control on many units, as well as the Ellis Act, which has allowed for the conversion of many affordable units to higher priced condominiums. This will give cities and counties the tools they need to protect tenants and neighborhoods against massive gentrification, which is taking place in too many neighborhoods all over our state.
Declare a State of Emergency to Address our Homeless Crisis - Our homeless crisis affects us all. From deadly outbreaks of hepatitis to massive increases in sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence, the situation is dire and needs focused coordination between agencies so that people can secure shelter while we build our way out of this crisis. This includes a large expansion of housing vouchers, eliminating housing discrimination, and using hotels, motels, tiny houses and cooperative housing to help people get immediate shelter.
In her first term on the City Council in Union City, Delaine convinced the Council to pass a Mobile Home Rent Control Bill after she exposed the deception of a mobile home park owner. During her tenure on the Council the City used redevelopment funds to buy up three toxic sites in downtown, and over the years they cleaned them up and ultimately built multi-story, affordable and market rate housing near the BART station. As Superintendent, Delaine was given just 6 weeks to implement class size reduction. In those 6 weeks Delaine coordinated all the agencies, inspired the state, and 30,000 portable classrooms were delivered to schools.
Immigration
"Our Dreamers and our DACA Californians are as American as I am. And I am proud California became a sanctuary state." Delaine Eastin
Delaine's father was born in Kentucky and he was fond of saying that "Californians are people born somewhere else who came to their senses." In 2015, the most current year of data, 27% of California's population was indeed, born somewhere else. California is home to more than 10 million immigrants with half of California’s children having at least one immigrant parent.
California is the second most diverse state in the country, and Delaine considers it our greatest strength. Immigrants are the most entrepreneurial people in our country. They dream and do and sacrifice to give their children the American dream. A majority of new companies started in California have at least one founder who is foreign born.
Delaine strongly supports California’s status as a Sanctuary State. She believes we must provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients that includes granting protected status to their parents, and that the very idea that the government would betray these amazing young people by targeting their parents is anti-American. Family is everything. President Trump says he wants to stop chain migration, but it was acceptable for his wife’s parents to enjoy such chain migration.
Regarding workplaces, our state Attorney General has suggested the state will fine any business that voluntarily cooperates with ICE. As Governor, Delaine would act to make sure that our undocumented (and documented) workers are protected from the predatory behaviors we have witnessed the federal government take.
Under the Constitution, state and local governments have every right to refuse to help enforce federal law. In cases like Printz v. United States (1997) and New York v. United States (1992), the Supreme Court has ruled that the Tenth Amendment forbids federal “commandeering” of state governments to help enforce federal law. Most of the support for this anti-commandeering principle came from conservative justices such as the late Antonin Scalia, who wrote the majority opinion in Printz. Southern states have aggressively cheered the 10th amendment for decades as a means to justify racial discrimination, so we should use those principles as a means to protect our immigrants who are in California and playing by the rules.
Few if any federal grants to state and local governments are conditioned on cooperation with federal deportation efforts. The Supreme Court has long ruled that conditions on federal grants to state and local governments are not enforceable unless they are “unambiguously” stated in the text of the law “so that the States can knowingly decide whether or not to accept those funds.”
Throughout Delaine's career she has stood up for all Californians to live with dignity and to be treated with respect. As State Superintendent she stood strong against Governor Pete Wilson after the passage of Prop 187. He ordered Delaine to have teachers act as immigration agents. When Delaine said no he threatened to have her recalled. She joined the lawsuit against Prop 187 and they won. Delaine also opposed Propositions 209 and 227. In her race to serve a second term as Superintendent, she was specifically attacked for being a strong supporter of bilingual education. Recently the voters of California joined Delaine and repealed Prop 227 that had banned bilingual education.
Infrastructure & Transportation
For too long our basic infrastructure has been allowed to crumble. California must reinvest in state and local infrastructure even as the federal government seems to be becoming more feckless. This should include providing public broadband for all families, in urban and rural communities, who have been historically underserved.
The American Society of Civil Engineers issued a recent report that rated 5.5% of California bridges structurally deficient. It said that poor roads are costing drivers over $800 a year in repair costs. Drinking water improvement needs an estimated $44.5 billion, and wastewater needs total $26.2 billion. 678 dams are considered to be high-hazard potential. As we all know, we barely avoided disaster last winter. The state’s schools have an estimated capital expenditure gap of $3.2 billion and yet the state is withholding releasing funds that were approved by the voters.
It’s going to take serious effort and long-range planning to fix this mess. We cannot keep borrowing money to build shiny new projects without first fixing what we already have. We owe it to future generations.
Our highways, public transit, and utilities infrastructure are in dire need of an upgrade. In a state whose economy ranks 5th in the world, we should be using our revenue to improve the services we use every day. Delaine Eastin is committed to improving our state’s infrastructure and doing it responsibly.
Prior to her time in the Assembly, Delaine worked as a long-range planner for Pacific Telesis. As an Assemblymember, Delaine Chaired the Committee on Government Efficiency and served on the Transportation Committee. She steered legislation that sped up road construction for counties that had passed 1/2 cent sales tax measures, cracked down on unlicensed contractors, streamlined hospital construction (she was blocked from doing the same for school construction), and sponsored a bill to do a long-range water plan. The bill was vetoed by the Republican Governor who claimed that long-range planning was for Communists. Delaine earned a host of accolades for her work including: Assembly Member of the Year, American Planning Association, California Chapter - The John F. Foran Award for Legislator of the Year, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission - “We Dig California Award” Engineering and Utility Contractors Association - High Tech Recognition Award, California State Government Affairs Committee - Presidential Citation Award, AIA Legislator of the Year, California Council, American Institute of Architects.
LGBTQ Rights
Delaine is a fierce defender of LGBTQ rights. As governor, Delaine will fight to ensure LGBTQ rights are the same rights and protections as all other Californians receive, and make sure there are protections in place to fight discrimination and push back against the Supreme Court decisions as necessary. For example, if the so-called Phillips case is decided in a way that is adverse to the rights of LGBTQ, California must take it upon ourselves to pass additional protections to override this ruling.
Delaine supports efforts to make all single stall restrooms gender neutral to provide more publicly available options. She understands that the lack of gender neutral restrooms can be a major source of anxiety, and with conservatives elevating this to the national stage, it is critical that we protect our transgender population from potential violence.
She will advocate for inclusive learning environments in schools and a no tolerance policy for bullying behavior. She believes it is critical that LGBTQ individuals are included in positions of leadership and government at all levels. It is critical for young people to see individuals that look like them in positions of authority so they can look with hopeful eyes to their own futures.
Delaine has been a lifelong supporter of LGBT rights and fought to defeat Prop 64 back in 1986. Delaine was the first State Superintendent to march in the San Francisco Gay Rights Parade. As State Superintendent of Public Instruction she set up an LGBT Task Force to make sure students felt safe and welcomed, and that teachers knew how to support them. She got death threats and but never waivered. The report included “acknowledging lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender historical figures and eight related events, concepts, and issues in the revisions of content standards and curriculum frameworks, when appropriate. Identify and expand the available lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender resources for school library materials.” Delaine was a deciding vote on the Board of Regents when Governor Wilson tried to keep the UC system from extending spousal benefits to same-sex partners. In her successful race to serve a second term as Superintendent, she was attacked for supporting a 'gay agenda.'
Sexual Harassment
Delaine is fond of saying that "the fish stinks from the head." She promises that her office will have zero tolerance for sexual harassment. The State's leadership will reflect the people of California. It will be at least 50% female and the most diverse to date. She will change the culture in Sacramento including comprehensive training and clear accountability as it relates to sexual harassment by anyone.
Delaine will protect victims of sexual harassment and assault so that their brilliance isn’t lost to us. Too many amazing young women and men have seen their careers in state government cut tragically short because they’ve been victims of sexual harassment and dared to stand up for themselves and their rights. We will not only protect the victims but we will expose the perpetrators and no more public money will be spent to cover up these actcs.
The length of time it took to establish a simple, anonymous hotline is indefensible. The End Harassment office will be set up and fully funded immediately. Reports will be monitored and fully investigated by an outside legal firm, free of conflicts of interest.
While Delaine will protect the identity of victims, she will not hide the identity of perpetrators. The public has the right to know who is guilty of sexual harassment following such a determination. Also, perpetrators will be financially liable for any payments made due to their actions.
Delaine believes that in order to end the culture of sexual harassment and assault, we must start in our schools to teach our children about consent and support their emotional health and development.
Women's Rights
It was Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman in Congress, who said, “At present, our country needs women's idealism and determination, perhaps more in politics than anywhere else.”
Women make up only 23% of California’s legislature. Only one of our Top 10 cities by population has a female Mayor, and California has never had a female Governor. Delaine understands that when women make up at least 30% of a legislative body, more support goes to education, to families, to healthcare and to support seniors. Budgets are statements of values, and we need women’s voices to be at the table making important decisions on behalf of our country.
Right now, the face of poverty in California is a single mother and her children. In fifteen or twenty years it will be a senior woman. Women still earn 80 cents on the dollar, and the figure is lower for black and brown women. In California, it is often our richest communities that show the highest disparity. For example, in California Congressional Districts 17 and 18, home to the Silicon Valley, women earn just 68 and 64 cents on the dollar compared to men in the same region. Meanwhile, Hollywood, the supposed bastion of liberalism, is being investigated for its abysmal discrimination against female directors and treatment of women in general.
California needs to lead the nation in fixing these disparities for the residents of our state. We must continue to protect a woman’s right to choose, and we also need to go further in providing pre-natal care and real maternity and paternity leave for women and for men. We must figure out the best means to offer high-quality AFFORDABLE childcare for all. Infant childcare can cost more than college tuition. That is not sustainable and it leads to women forced out of the workforce and/or to children receiving substandard care.
As Governor, Delaine commits to having a leadership team that is at least 50% women that reflects the vast diversity in our state. We will strive toward the goal that women and people of color will earn $1.00 for every $1.00 that men earn.
Delaine will champion pay equity and have zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the state. Delaine is commited to a comprehensive review of job titles and pay scales in state government, so that we lift up the salaries for women and people of color to compare to those of men with similar skill levels.
Delaine will also require corporations and nonprofits seeking to do business with the state to have implemented policies for equal pay, to demonstrate that they promote and support women and people of color in leadership, and to have comprehensive standards for handling sexual harassment in their workforce.
Delaine believes there is no more basic right than the right to control OUR OWN BODIES. She has been a long time advocate for reproductive rights, and she has always spoken out against efforts to turn back the clock or make access difficult, whether the law was parental notification or efforts by religious groups to intimidate women. As Governor she will fight to broaden access to contraception and stand steadfastly for full access to abortion as well. She will push for abortion access for all women in our state, including our rural counties, and she will ensure that Medi-Cal reimbursement rates are fair and provide access for vulnerable women.
Delaine is the past President of California Women Lead, Chair of ClosetheGap, California in 2016, and Faculty for Rutgers Project 2012. She was a founder and chair of her local NWPC (National Women’s Political Caucus) chapter as well as Chair of the California Legislative Women's Caucus. She worked as a Women's Studies Coordinator and has developed courses on Women in Politics. Delaine has been a consistent voice for reproductive rights and paid family and medical leave. She has consistently spoken to women’s groups engaging women in running and getting politically involved, including Emerge America and Ignite. As an Assemblywoman, she was one of 600+ legislators (of 7000 possible) who signed 1989 Supreme Court Amicus Brief in William Webster vs Reproductive Health Services in defense of abortion access. As State Superintendent, Delaine was accused of having a department 'run by women.' She did a study and determined that 56% of her leadership was female. Delaine has fought for women’s rights her entire adult life, and has been an inspired mentor and hero to countless women and men.
Reproductive Rights: When Delaine was a City Councilmember she crossed an angry line of anti-choice fanatics to support the opening of Planned Parenthood in Fremont. As an Assemblywoman, she consistently voted for reproductive freedom and she was one of the 600+ legislators (of 7000) from around the country who signed the 1989 Supreme court Amicus Brief in William Webster vs Reproductive Health Services in defense of abortion access. As Superintendent of Public Education she consistently supported comprehensive education about reproduction and sex education generally. She has opposed parent notification for young women under 18 to access abortion or contraception and she has consistently opposed government support for fake clinics.
Gavin Newsom
Championing California's Values
California’s values aren’t just a point of pride - they are the very fabric of the state’s history, identity, and future. At a time when actions by the Trump Administration are further disenfranchising the poor, women, and people of color, California must step up and defend its residents – advancing policies grounded in both compassion and innovation.
California is the fifth largest economy in the world, and continues to show the world that an economy can thrive when it protects workers’ rights, environmental protections, civil rights, and vulnerable communities. Gavin understands that California remains an engine of economic growth when we stick up for our values.
Gavin has boldly led the charge for major social change campaigns his whole life. He has fought for what’s right and won results that are making a real difference in people’s lives. He believes that the state government ought to reflect the values of its people, not the other way around. More than ever, America needs California’s example, to prove that old fears and prejudices need not be the new normal, and to match resistance with results.
https://gavinnewsom.com/california_values
Eliminating Child Poverty in California
Today, one in five of California’s children are living in poverty, amounting to nearly two million – more than any other state in the country. Almost one-third of African American children and one-third of Latino children in California live in poverty. And while our state’s unemployment rate has declined since the Great Recession, our child poverty rate has remained mostly stagnant. That’s a moral outrage.
Over the past decade, advances in cognitive research have shown that the stress that comes with growing up in poverty quite literally alters children’s brains, making it nearly impossible for them to focus on their schoolwork. It’s no surprise that study after study shows just how debilitating growing up in poverty is to a kid’s potential in life. It’s correlated with lower educational attainment, lower incomes, increased likelihood of homelessness and, devastatingly, increased likelihood of interacting with the criminal justice system. No kid should be denied a fair shot at success in life because of their parent’s income or the zip code in which they live, but for so many kids in this state, that is all too often the case. Gavin is making the elimination of child poverty the north star of a Newsom administration.
Gavin is proposing a two pronged strategy to ensure equal access to opportunity and prosperity for all of our children. First, we must do more to help young people and their families who are currently living in poverty. Second, those efforts must be part of a broader strategy to break the cycle of multi-generational poverty through education and creating real opportunities for economic advancement for every child.
https://gavinnewsom.com/child_poverty
Building an Upward Economy for All
California is a place of unparalleled economic opportunity, where high tech comes to take flight, where our creative workforce entertains and connects the world, and where our agricultural products feed America.
Over the past six years, businesses and employers have created 2.5 million jobs, helping us reach the lowest unemployment rate in more than a decade and cementing our status as the fifth-largest economy in the world.
But for too many, California’s economic recovery is a spectator sport. Ours is at once the richest and poorest state. Eight million Californians are below the poverty line. Nearly two million children – one in five – live in poverty. We’re witnessing staggering levels of income and wealth inequality.
I’m focused on building an upward economy that works for every Californian - one that is measured by growth and inclusion. Fighting income inequality and unequal opportunity is the defining economic challenge of our time, and California must face it head on.
https://gavinnewsom.com/economic_development
Renewing California's Commitment to Education
School did not always come easy to
Gavin, but thanks to the perseverance of his mother,
and the dedication of his teachers, they finally
named the problem – dyslexia. His
dyslexia led him on a unique educational journey, one
of self-pace and self-discovery. It’s what he needed
to help him learn and it’s shaped his thinking today:
Gavin believes that every student in California
deserves the same opportunity to achieve success.
As Governor, Gavin is calling for the California Promise, a new way of thinking about education as a lifelong pursuit. He believes that our role begins when babies are still in the womb and it doesn’t end until we’ve done all we can to prepare them for a quality job and successful career.
As Governor, Gavin is calling for the California Promise, a new way of thinking about education as a lifelong pursuit. He believes that our role begins when babies are still in the womb and it doesn’t end until we’ve done all we can to prepare them for a quality job and successful career.
Leading the Nation in Environmental Protection
From its dramatic coastline to dense forests, majestic mountains and diverse desert ecosystems, California is unparalleled in its natural beauty. Our state must remain at the forefront of environmental leadership as we tackle some of the planet’s greatest challenges. The impacts of climate change are already being felt today. Our state has faced a devastating drought, damaging wildfires, and deadly mudslides. And to make matters worse, we now have to fight the backward policies coming out of Washington D.C.
Since taking office, President Trump has overturned or announced his intention to overturn dozens of environmental rules. His picks to lead the Energy Department, Interior Department, and Environmental Protection Agency are openly antagonistic toward the mission of the agencies they run. Collectively, they are moving at breakneck pace to reverse the great progress achieved by the environmental movement. It is outrageous that the Trump Administration has proposed removing protections for public lands, opening up the Arctic and our coastlines to oil drilling and pulling out of the Paris Climate agreement. Despite these challenges, California will continue to lead the nation and the world in clean energy, conservation, and the fight against climate change.
Gavin knows that California does not have to wait for Washington to be a global leader on any issue — and certainly not when it comes to energy, the environment and the economy.
https://gavinnewsom.com/environment
Meeting California's Housing Needs
Too many Californians are staring at our sky-high economy from the very bottom of the income ladder, while the costs of everyday life in California rise faster than wages. This is a question of who we are. Housing is a fundamental human need — let’s not forget the human face behind the dire statistics. It’s a single mother doing her best to put food on the table and tuck her kids in at night with a roof over their heads. It’s a student striving to maintain friendships and good grades while forcibly shuffled between schools with each move. Housing instability can cause genuine mental and physical adversity, and lead to insufferable decisions: no one should have to choose between paying rent or buying groceries.
We’re experiencing a housing affordability crisis, driven by a simple economic argument. California is leading the national recovery but it’s producing far more jobs than homes. Providing adequate housing is fundamental to growing the state’s economy. The current housing shortage is costing California over $140 billion per year in lost economic opportunity. Creating jobs without providing access to housing drives income inequality up and consumer spending down. The simple fact is the more money people need to spend on rent, the less they can spend supporting small businesses. Employers, meanwhile, are rightfully concerned that the high cost of housing will impede their ability to attract and retain the best workers.
https://gavinnewsom.com/housing
More https://medium.com/@GavinNewsom
Antonio Villaraigosa
https://antonioforcalifornia.com/issues/ < for details see
IDEAS TO BRING CALIFORNIA TOGETHER
To restore the luster
of the California dream – to thrive as a state
– we have to make sure that we’re growing
together. California is the 6th largest
economy in the world, but we also have the
highest effective poverty rate in the country.
We can’t leave so many people behind.
California needs a leader focused every single day on growing our economy. We have so many unanswered needs, but we have one clear answer – create more high-wage jobs. Creating millions more high-wage jobs starts with making sure our state is investing in our schools, colleges and universities, our healthcare, roads, rail, housing and water infrastructure – which are the basic building blocks of a strong economy.
We live in a progressive state, but California can’t truly be progressive unless we are making progress for everyone. To be truly progressive, we need a constant and consistent focus on closing the gap between rich and poor by lifting more Californians into the middle class and keeping them there.
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY & EQUALITY
California needs a leader focused every single day on growing our economy. We have so many unanswered needs, but we have one clear answer – create more high-wage jobs. Creating millions more high-wage jobs starts with making sure our state is investing in our schools, colleges and universities, our healthcare, roads, rail, housing and water infrastructure – which are the basic building blocks of a strong economy.
We live in a progressive state, but California can’t truly be progressive unless we are making progress for everyone. To be truly progressive, we need a constant and consistent focus on closing the gap between rich and poor by lifting more Californians into the middle class and keeping them there.
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY & EQUALITY
It’s a tale of two
Californias, one coastal and thriving, one
inland and still suffering the effects of
the Great Recession. That’s why we need to
rethink our one-size-fits-all approach to
economic policy and regulation.
A policy that might make sense in Silicon Valley doesn’t necessarily make a difference in Fresno. A regulation that is a small annoyance for a thriving business on the west side of Los Angeles could be a job killer for an industry in the Inland Empire. Here’s a plan that will solve it.
A policy that might make sense in Silicon Valley doesn’t necessarily make a difference in Fresno. A regulation that is a small annoyance for a thriving business on the west side of Los Angeles could be a job killer for an industry in the Inland Empire. Here’s a plan that will solve it.
Education is often called the
great equalizer — putting all kids on a level playing
field and giving them an equal shot at a good life.
But American education is still unequal and inadequate
for too many young people. But the good news is with
the right mix of smart policies – and a little courage
– we can fix it.
BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING
PROTECTING DREAMERS
& IMMIGRANTS
CALIFORNIA LEADING
THE WAY
BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING
California has the highest
effective poverty rate in the nation, in large
part due to our high cost of housing. But the good
news is that addressing our housing shortage will
help lift millions of families into the middle
class – because it will lower the overall cost of
housing for everyone and will also create hundreds
of thousands of new high-wage construction jobs.
California has long been
synonymous with innovation, multiculturalism and
our palm-tree-lined version of the American Dream.
The secret to our success is that we attract the
brightest minds from all over the world. We are a
nation of immigrants, and treating undocumented
people with dignity and respect is not just the
right thing to do morally – it is the prudent
thing to do financially.
President Trump launched his career in business, and any sensible businessperson should focus on the bottom line. The bottom line is clear: without the work and contributions of immigrants, our state would be in deep economic trouble.
DEFENDING AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE
TRANSPORTATION
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
President Trump launched his career in business, and any sensible businessperson should focus on the bottom line. The bottom line is clear: without the work and contributions of immigrants, our state would be in deep economic trouble.
DEFENDING AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE
Protecting healthcare
for millions of Californians takes more than a
press release and a slogan – it takes a real
plan. The very first priority of our next
governor must be to stand up to Republicans in
Washington and preserve – and expand – the
Affordable Care Act.
The importance of
transportation infrastructure for American
society cannot be overstated. Our highway
system, ports, airports and railroads are the
arteries of the California economy – moving
goods, services and workers inside cities and
between states.
As President Donald Trump
continues to try and implement his vision of a
much smaller federal government, it is up to all
Americans to work with him where we can and defend
our values where we must.
One of the most powerful ways we can defend our people is to make sure we are uniting with other cities and states to advance and preserve policies that help us meet the challenges put forth by the Trump administration.
Travis Allen
https://jointravisallen.com/take-back-california/
California Must Cut Taxes
As a financial advisor for over two decades, Travis knows first hand how to make tough financial choices. The 13.3% income tax rate for California is the highest in the nation. Our state sales tax of 7.25% is also the highest in the nation – and when you factor in local taxes, sales tax in some cities can reach as high as 10%. If that wasn’t enough, California also pays among the highest gas taxes and highest car registration fees in the nation. We must repeal Jerry Brown’s gas tax and cut taxes for all Californians.
California Must Get Tough on Crime
As a State Assemblyman, Travis has been fighting for policies to keep criminals off of our streets and out of our neighborhoods. Keeping our citizens safe is the number one responsibility of government. In 2014, Jerry Brown and the California Democrats pushed and helped pass AB 109 – the “realignment” bill that released thousands of criminals from state prisons. Since then, crime has spiked – increasing by 7.6% in 2015 alone, and violent crimes have increased by double digits in major cities in 2016. California must re-establish our tough on crime policies that allow law enforcement to do their jobs and protect the victims of crimes, not the criminals.
California Must Fix our Roads and Reduce Traffic
Travis introduced the Repeal the Gas Tax Initiative so Californians can vote to overturn Jerry Brown’s widely unpopular gas tax, and actually fix California’s roads and expand our highways with the money our state already has. Every year the average Californian spends up to 90 hours in traffic away from their families and their jobs. California has the revenues to fix traffic congestion. Let’s spend our existing tax revenue on desperately needed transportation infrastructure instead of California’s bloated government bureaucracy and high speed rail.
California Must Once Again Provide the Best Education in the Country
Despite pouring tens of billions of dollars over many years into our public education, California’s public school system ranks among the bottom in the nation. Tragically, our public education system puts the interests of teachers’ unions and the highly paid school administrators ahead of our California students and their parents. Our children deserve better. They deserve safe schools where great teachers are rewarded and bad teachers are fired. That is why Travis has introduced pro-parent choice legislation every year in the Legislature to allow parents to choose what is best for their children’s education, not un-elected Sacramento bureaucrats. California needs more charter schools and greater school choice to truly educate our children.
California Must Complete the State Water Project
For the past three years, Jerry Brown and the California Democrats have been more interested in telling Californians how to kill their lawns, cut their showers, and fine their neighbors than actually fixing our broken water system in California. Their negligence directly caused the failure of Oroville Dam and the evacuation of 188,000 Californians, not to mention the wasting of all of the water conserved by Californians statewide between 2014 and 2017. California still has not spent $1 of the $7 Billion Water Bond issued in 2014 on water storage. California has more than enough water for the entire state, including the enormously productive Central Valley that has lacked water for years, and Southern California. Completing the State Water Project will preserve the Delta, and will supply Californians with abundant water through our inevitable droughts and floods.
John Cox
https://johncoxforgovernor.com/my-policy-agenda/
My Policy Agenda
June 10, 2018
One of the most powerful ways we can defend our people is to make sure we are uniting with other cities and states to advance and preserve policies that help us meet the challenges put forth by the Trump administration.
Travis Allen
https://jointravisallen.com/take-back-california/
California Must Cut Taxes
As a financial advisor for over two decades, Travis knows first hand how to make tough financial choices. The 13.3% income tax rate for California is the highest in the nation. Our state sales tax of 7.25% is also the highest in the nation – and when you factor in local taxes, sales tax in some cities can reach as high as 10%. If that wasn’t enough, California also pays among the highest gas taxes and highest car registration fees in the nation. We must repeal Jerry Brown’s gas tax and cut taxes for all Californians.
California Must Get Tough on Crime
As a State Assemblyman, Travis has been fighting for policies to keep criminals off of our streets and out of our neighborhoods. Keeping our citizens safe is the number one responsibility of government. In 2014, Jerry Brown and the California Democrats pushed and helped pass AB 109 – the “realignment” bill that released thousands of criminals from state prisons. Since then, crime has spiked – increasing by 7.6% in 2015 alone, and violent crimes have increased by double digits in major cities in 2016. California must re-establish our tough on crime policies that allow law enforcement to do their jobs and protect the victims of crimes, not the criminals.
California Must Fix our Roads and Reduce Traffic
Travis introduced the Repeal the Gas Tax Initiative so Californians can vote to overturn Jerry Brown’s widely unpopular gas tax, and actually fix California’s roads and expand our highways with the money our state already has. Every year the average Californian spends up to 90 hours in traffic away from their families and their jobs. California has the revenues to fix traffic congestion. Let’s spend our existing tax revenue on desperately needed transportation infrastructure instead of California’s bloated government bureaucracy and high speed rail.
California Must Once Again Provide the Best Education in the Country
Despite pouring tens of billions of dollars over many years into our public education, California’s public school system ranks among the bottom in the nation. Tragically, our public education system puts the interests of teachers’ unions and the highly paid school administrators ahead of our California students and their parents. Our children deserve better. They deserve safe schools where great teachers are rewarded and bad teachers are fired. That is why Travis has introduced pro-parent choice legislation every year in the Legislature to allow parents to choose what is best for their children’s education, not un-elected Sacramento bureaucrats. California needs more charter schools and greater school choice to truly educate our children.
California Must Complete the State Water Project
For the past three years, Jerry Brown and the California Democrats have been more interested in telling Californians how to kill their lawns, cut their showers, and fine their neighbors than actually fixing our broken water system in California. Their negligence directly caused the failure of Oroville Dam and the evacuation of 188,000 Californians, not to mention the wasting of all of the water conserved by Californians statewide between 2014 and 2017. California still has not spent $1 of the $7 Billion Water Bond issued in 2014 on water storage. California has more than enough water for the entire state, including the enormously productive Central Valley that has lacked water for years, and Southern California. Completing the State Water Project will preserve the Delta, and will supply Californians with abundant water through our inevitable droughts and floods.
John Cox
https://johncoxforgovernor.com/my-policy-agenda/
My Policy Agenda
Once the land of promise and opportunity,
California today is on the brink of financial
insolvency, thanks to the failed policies of
the Jerry Brown Liberal Democrats.
My plan is simple.
We should begin by repealing Jerry Brown’s massive $52 billion gas tax increase and instituting a full independent audit of CalTrans, the most inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy on the planet.
Next, we need to unshackle the productive capacity of California’s vast economic engines. The only possible way to rescue California from a likely financial melt-down is to unleash small business, roll back oppressive regulations and focus on economic growth.
It’s time to fight back, not by trying to out-spend and out-tax the politicians, but by taking our government back.
I’m a businessman, not a politician. I have a 35 year fiscally conservative record and have an economic plan that will make California affordable again for middle class families.
If you agree that it’s time to fight back – and I hope that you do – then I urge you to join Team Cox today.
My plan is simple.
We should begin by repealing Jerry Brown’s massive $52 billion gas tax increase and instituting a full independent audit of CalTrans, the most inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy on the planet.
Next, we need to unshackle the productive capacity of California’s vast economic engines. The only possible way to rescue California from a likely financial melt-down is to unleash small business, roll back oppressive regulations and focus on economic growth.
It’s time to fight back, not by trying to out-spend and out-tax the politicians, but by taking our government back.
I’m a businessman, not a politician. I have a 35 year fiscally conservative record and have an economic plan that will make California affordable again for middle class families.
If you agree that it’s time to fight back – and I hope that you do – then I urge you to join Team Cox today.
June 10, 2018
