League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Trinity Counties, CA March 2, 2004 Election
	Ray Tyrone Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the State Assembly; District 1; Republican Party

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. What does California need to do to address the current budget crisis?

The state needs to stop the out of control spending in Sacramento. We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. Secondly the level of bureaucracy in Sacramento is also out of control. We have redundant agencie's at most levels. This needs to be reviewed and consolidated to reduce the size and cost of State Governmet.

2. What should the state's priorities be for K-12 education? For the Community College System?

Our school system is broken. We need to eliminate as much of the bureaucracy as possible to make sure that all available funds get down to the schools. We need to look at where the lottery money is going and how it is being used. We need to remove as many mandates on how funds are used as possible to allow the teachers and administrators to perform their jobs more effectively. I believe in putting trade schools back in all high schools. Only 30% of our students are currently going on to college. We are abandoning the other 70% that are not college bound. I believe that all students that are not college bound should be able to graduate high school with a saleable skill.

3. What measures would you support to address California's water needs?

Water is a very complex issue. There are numerous groups involved including environmental, private, local, county, state and federal. Currently these groups appear to be working primarily by themselves. I believe if we are ever going to reach workable solutions that are acceptable to all concerned parties. They will all have to come together as a group and develop cohesive solutions and future plans.

4. What should the Legislature be doing to address the needs of Californians without health insurance?

I believe that this issue is going to have to be solved at a national level. I feel that some form of privately run, non-profit national health care system will be the ultimate answer. This is not a new approach. There are numerous systems in use today in other countries that are much more efficient and cost effective. We should study systems that are already working to help us make our decisions.