I believe that a system of public infrastructure is one of the most important things that a government can do because it is the one thing that has an impact on the lives of all citizens. Accordingly, I have introduced legislation and worked for the past four years to change the way in which California builds our system of roads, bridges, railways, and schools. Unfortunately, to date, these proposals have been met with stiff opposition from public sector labor unions who want to protect public sector jobs.

At a time when taxpayer funds are scarce, one of the methods that has been used in many other states and countries to provide for infrastructure is by utilizing the resources and capital of the private sector. Known as public private partnerships, or P3’s, many successful road and infrastructure projects around the country and the world have been built this way.

For roadways, this often means allowing a private company or investors to build a road and then allowing those investors to realize a return on their investment through the collection of tolls from motorists for the use of that road. After a period of usually 20-30 years, the road is generally turned over to the state or local government. Where no road would otherwise exist if we relied on Government funding, public private partnerships can be a very viable option and something I believe the state should strongly consider.

Do you support the development of toll roads in places where currently no roads exist?

The legislature has placed on the November ballot Proposition 1A, the High Speed Rail Bond Act that would authorize the state to sell $9 billion in new bonds to begin construction of a high speed rail system between Southern California and the Bay Area. Initially, the High Speed Rail would not connect to Sacramento, although long term plans (20-30 years) show a high speed rail stop in Sacramento.

While high speed rail is a romantic notion to be sure, the cost of this is staggering, approaching $40 billion or more. I believe that we could do a lot to improve California’s existing system of rails for this amount of money and I am opposing this bond measure.

I recently rode a high speed rail system in Europe and one of the things that struck me was how low the average speed of the line actually was. While the High Speed Rail line would indeed have a high top-end speed, by the time you factor in the number of stops and the distance between stops scheduled on this new line, the rail line likely will not achieve its expected speeds. Travel times to L.A. from the Bay Area would still be nearly three hours.

Do you support the passage of Proposition 1A, the High Speed Rail Bond Act?

At one point during this year’s budget discussions, the Governor suggested a plan to release thousands of serious criminals without supervision from parole officers. Under this plan, law enforcement would have had no idea where these former inmates were living or if they were on the path to return to a life of crime. We wouldn’t know if they are abusing illegal drugs and alcohol or had acquired a dangerous firearm. Additionally, without taking steps to help former inmates to get their lives back on track, I believe this plan could have lead to a significant rise in violent crime in communities across California, making any potential savings short-lived as they will be returned to prison once they commit a new crime. The plan was put forth by the Governor as he contends that it would have saved the state $200 million.

Do you support the Governor’s plan for early release to save the state money?

The City of Sacramento and other communities within the Sacramento region have considered asking the voters for approval of additional taxes in order to support an increase in funding for law enforcement funding.

Do you support more local or state taxes to increase funding for law enforcement?

Democrats in the Legislature believe that one of the reasons California has late State budgets is because California has a 2/3 vote requirement in each house of the Legislature. I believe that the process betrays the rules in that throughout the entire time the budget is being put together, minority input on the budget is rarely considered. Only after the budget has been put together do majority Democrats then work to get the Republican support in the Legislature to pass. This is never before early to mid June making the Constitutional deadlines exceedingly difficult to meet.

Do you support lowering the vote threshold to a majority in each House?

Proposition 6 on the November, 2008 ballot, will increase penalties for certain gang related crimes and would also dedicate $600 million annually from the State General Fund for the support of local law enforcement. Many communities in Sacramento have been impacted heavily by gang violence and while I have concerns about the dedication of State General Fund money for any purpose, I believe that this measure is needed to combat these gangs. One of the primary functions of government is the protection of the public.

Do you support Proposition 6 on the November, 2008 ballot?