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LWV League of Women Voters of California Education Fund

Smart Voter
San Francisco, San Mateo County, CA November 2, 2004 Election
Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues
Member of the State Assembly; District 12


The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California and asked of all candidates for this office.

See below for questions on Budget Crisis, Education, Water, Health Insurance

Click on a name for other candidate information.   See also more information about this contest.


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

Answer from Chris Maden:

We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. During the boom economy, state spending grew out of all proportion to inflation; a return to pre-dot-com spending numbers would be a first step.


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

Answer from Chris Maden:

Education is too important to be a political football. Allow local school districts to opt out of state control, fostering local innovation and competition. Establish an endowed private foundation to administer the community colleges without having to worry about whether their budget will be spent on fixing potholes instead.


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

Answer from Chris Maden:

Private property rights have been shown again and again to be the best solution to resource management. Government subsidies hide the true environmental cost of desert sprawl like Los Angeles. Encourage a transition to free-market water competition. (Note that this is not the same as the so-called energy "deregulation" disaster; that was only a re-regulation that encouraged gaming the system.)


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

Answer from Chris Maden:

Getting out of the way. Legislation and regulation, however well-intentioned, inevitably drives up cost through compliance paperwork and limited competition.


Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League. 

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily.


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Created: December 15, 2004 13:39 PST
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