fresno elections 2008

California must live within it means. Over the last 4 years, revenues have grown by 40%, but spending has grown by 44% in the same time period. We can not continue to spend more money than we bring in. Our state clearly has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Our budget crisis was not caused by a lack of revenues, but years of overspending. Every day, California families are forced to live within a budget and find ways to reduce spending when times get tight, so should their government. Tax increases are not the answer. At a time when the price of gas and groceries is up and home values are down, the last thing people need is higher taxes. We can close the gap by making the tough decisions to reduce spending and live within our means. That should be coupled with meaningful budget reform that will prevent us from getting into budget crisis like this in the future.

We must work together, Republicans and Democrats, to reduce wasteful government spending and get California back on track.

I regularly work across party lines to make positive changes in our state. At the beginning of our current 2007-2008 Legislative Session, I worked with Governor Schwarzenegger and the other legislative leaders to pass the historic bipartisan prison reform measure, AB 900, which adds over 50,000 new beds to our prisons to reduce overcrowding. Taking this step also alleviated the need to let prisoners out into our community before they have served their time.

I am currently working with Speaker Nunez to reform the way California’s political lines are drawn. Right now, political districts are so gerrymandered in favor of one party or another, that fair elections are virtually impossible. We must restore the voice of the people to their government. Voters should pick who represents them, rather than politicians picking who their voters will be. Only by giving the power to draw district lines to an independent citizens’ commission can we draw fair lines that will result in competitive elections. Doing so will make politicians more accountable to their constituents.

I don’t think bipartisanship is defined by going against the conventional wisdom of your party. Bipartisanship exists when the two parties come together to find common ground and do what’s best for the people of California. I have worked in a bipartisan manner in the State Assembly and will continue to do so if re-elected.

I have been working to increase California’s water supply and delivery system since being elected to office. As California’s population has grown, our water infrastructure has become inadequate, yet the state has failed to build more water storage or strengthen crumbling levees. Very little surface storage has been built since the 1960’s despite very large increases in population and large increases in agricultural products that are sold nationwide and internationally.

If we fail to take responsible steps to build more water storage, we could see strict and severe mandatory water rationing across the state. In 2007, I authored the Governor’s water infrastructure proposal with Senator Dave Cogdill. That proposal was a $9 billion water infrastructure plan that would build more water storage and conveyance while protecting natural resources.

Our proposal contained $5.6 billion for water storage, including $5.1 billion for 3 reservoir storage projects, including Temperance Flat, and $500 million for new groundwater storage. It also dedicated $1 billion for water reliability, $1.9 billion for Delta restoration and $500 million for resource stewardship. The proposal also included million of dollars for improved water quality and drinking water systems.

Unfortunately, Democrats rejected this much needed plan. Instead, they pushed their own plan that did not include any money for water storage projects.

I will continue to work with Governor Schwarzenegger, Senator Cogdill and my Democrat colleagues to build the water storage our state so desperately needs. We must build more above ground water storage in a way that is fiscally responsible and utilizes public-private partnerships to keep state costs down. Working together, I am confident we can build more water infrastructure.

As Assembly Republican Leader, I serve as the lead budget negotiator with Governor Schwarzenegger and the other legislative leaders. I regularly advocate for funding fairness when it comes to state funding of things like education and transportation projects. There’s no reason urban areas like San Francisco and Los Angeles should get the majority of state funds over the Central Valley.

When the infrastructure bonds were being negotiated at the State Capitol, I insisted projects be funded on a competitive basis, so urbanized areas wouldn’t get more funding than the Central Valley. I have also fought for equalization when it comes to education funding so that schools in our area are given just as much as schools in larger cities.

I also work closely with the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley to improve our regions economic vitality. We can get the most for the Central Valley when we work together to advance issues important to our region.

I will continue to work hard for the Central Valley’s priorities such as transportation, agriculture, education, water supply and air quality.

I do not support reservation shopping. In 2000, California voters approved tribal gaming in our state. As a result, the tribes that operate casinos came to an agreement to pay the state a certain amount of revenue each year. I do think tribes that operate casinos on their land should honor their agreements made with the state. That money is used to fund important things like schools, public safety and other programs relied upon by millions of Californians.

I think we can do more to provide greater access and choice in our health care system and reduce costs. Last year, my Republican colleagues and I put forward a health care reform plan which would have maximized choice, reduced costs and increased access to care. Our plan would have made health care more affordable without growing government, busting the budget, raising taxes or hurting the economy.

I think people should be in charge of their health care decisions, not government bureaucrats. Putting government in charge of people’s health care will do nothing to lower medical costs or provide families with more affordable options. That’s why we introduced a health care reform package that would have allowed families to take advantage of tax-free health savings accounts, let you deduct out-of-pocket medical expenses from your taxes, pave the way for more neighborhood health clinics and let you buy a health plan that is tailored to meet your needs.

You should be in charge of your health care, not the government.

As a father, I know the effects our air-quality issues can have on our regions children. That’s why I have supported several measures that would give incentives to reducing emissions. I have successfully fought against cuts to programs like the state’s Carl Moyer Program, which provides grants to replace or retrofit engines to reduce pollution emissions. Innovative programs like this, which provide incentives to people rather than burdensome government regulations, go a long way in cleaning up our air. I think we should develop more programs like the Carl Moyer Program, and look for new and creative ways to reduce emissions. Through tax incentives and other means, we can get businesses to clean up their act without imposing costly regulations that could hurt many of our regions vital industries and jobs.