California State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

2. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- Yes

3. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- I support full reproductive rights for all women, including access to a safe and legal abortion.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
- No

2. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees?
- No

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- No

4. An income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I believe we need a distributed and broad-based tax system that makes us resilient to economic downturns. I would support a gross receipts tax on all businesses to both stabilize the budget and generate revenue for needed social programs like universal health care, tuition-free college, and affordable housing. We should also have more progressive taxation to alleviate income and wealth inequality.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates?
- Yes

2. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

3. Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
- Yes

4. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- No

5. Do you support repealing California's nonpartisan blanket primary election system?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- Big money in politics is corrupting our democracy. I strongly support implementing a system of publicly funded elections so that all people have an equal voice in our democratic process. We must also overturn Citizens United so that corporations and special interests can no longer pour unlimited amounts of money into our elections. I support California's independent redistricting process to prevent partisan and/or racial gerrymandering.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- No

2. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes

3. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No

4. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Our criminal justice system is deeply flawed, as it disproportionately punishes people of color and the poor, often for low-level, non-violent drug offenses. We waste billions of dollars in California through over-incarcerating people who pose no serious threat to society and through costly, drawn-out lawsuits prosecuting those who the state has placed on death row. I oppose capital punishment and I oppose cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which behaves like a rogue agency implementing a cruel and inhumane deportation policy.

Economic

1. Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

3. Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector?
- No

4. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- No

6. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of California?
- Yes

7. Do you support expanding state public housing programs?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- People who are working full-time and seniors who worked hard their entire lives are increasingly struggling to make ends meet and have their basic needs met. We need a minimum wage that is a real living wage for working people; we need paid family leave for our families; we need a universal, single-payer healthcare system; we need tuition-free public college; and we need to reinstitute and repurpose California's redevelopment agencies to build truly affordable housing for everyday working people and seniors.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in California?
- Yes

2. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from California high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- We need to fully and fairly fund our public schools and reaffirm the basic principle that public schools provide an essential function for our society by preparing young people to be engaged members of our democracy. I support a moratorium on new charter schools and a formal evaluation of existing charters to determine whether or not they are fulfilling a specific social function. I also adamantly believe we need to make public colleges and universities tuition-free so that our young people can focus on solving society's problems, not paying back massive amounts of debt.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
- Yes

4. Do you support permanent statewide water usage restrictions?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- Climate change is the most urgent issue of our time, as it poses an existential threat to modern society itself. I support a statewide ban on fracking, a halt on all new oil and gas projects and infrastructure, and a rapid transition to 100% renewable energy. I would also support a carbon fee and dividend to drive down the use of carbon across the economy. We need to heavily invest in wind and solar, as well as in regenerative agriculture, or "carbon farming," which can be used to store atmospheric carbon in the soil.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- Yes

3. Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom?
- No

4. Should a license be required for gun ownership?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I strongly support common-sense gun control reform like strong universal background checks and a complete ban on assault weapons. I believe we should treat firearms similarly to how we treat motor vehicles, with a rigorous licensing and license-renewal program that enforces responsible gun ownership. It is time for us to protect our kids and address the endemic gun violence that pervades too many California communities.

Health

1. Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
- Yes

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through California's health care programs?
- Yes

3. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- Yes

4. Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia?
- Yes

5. Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- Healthcare is a human right. I strongly support guaranteed healthcare for all Californians, administered through a single-payer system that would cover everyone, provide better care than we receive now, and save the state tens of billions of dollars every year.

Social

1. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in California's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

2. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in California's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

3. Do you support greater efforts by California state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
- Yes

4. Do you support California's "Sanctuary State" immigration policies?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- We need to treat all people with dignity and respect, regardless of their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status, ethnicity, or age. I support the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, as well as the struggle against the Trump administration's brutal and inhumane deportation agenda. I support strengthening California's Sanctuary State law so that local sheriffs cannot circumvent its intent and continue to cooperate with ICE. We need to combat discrimination wherever it exists in our society.

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- (1) Pass guaranteed universal health care legislation through a single-payer system. This could be paid with a 2% gross receipts tax on businesses bringing in more than $2 million per year, plus a 2% sales tax.(2) Implement tuition-free public college and post-high school technical training. This could be paid for with the funding we would gain from passing Prop 13, enabling fair property taxes on commercial properties.(3) Reinstituting and repurposing California's redevelopment agencies to build truly affordable housing across the state.