Candidate for
Controller; Democratic Party

If elected, I do not intend to simply write checks. My listed priorities reflect my vision for what an activist Controller pursuing a progressive agenda can tackle.

Education + California's success as one of the world's largest economies depends on future generations receiving a top-notch education. Every child deserves an equal chance to succeed. I will fight to improve the quality of education from preschool through college. I will use my power as Controller to audit school districts to ensure they are using taxpayer funds to attract and retain fully credentialed teachers, provide up-to-date equipment and books, reduce class sizes and repair and maintain safe school sites free of environmental hazards.

I will use my position on the CalSTRS and CalPERS Boards to defend the defined benefit pension system and protect employee pensions from being undermined for budget balancing purposes. A secure and sufficient pension is vital to recruiting high-caliber educators and is part of society's employment contract with its workers.

Health Care + Access to health care should be a fundamental right in a state as prosperous as California. Yet despite all of the talk about health care, employment- based health care insurance continues to decline, the number of uninsured Californians remains at nearly 20 percent and the number of people receiving health coverage though public programs is increasing.

As Controller, I will examine the resources being spent on health care to improve access to affordable, quality health care, reasonably priced prescription drugs and to safeguard against medical errors and emergency room closures.

Transportation + A top priority for California is to relieve traffic congestion, improve road safety and cut mobile sources of emissions. This is necessary, not simply to get Californians off the roads and home with their families, but because it is good for jobs and the economy. Every $1 billion spent on transportation capital improvement projects results in 42,000 jobs. For every dollar invested in transportation projects, the state generates five dollars in economic development from employment, more efficient goods movement, increased travel and better commute times. As Controller, I will audit Caltrans to ensure that the billions of dollars spent on transportation are going to improve roads and public transit, not wasted on government bureaucracy.

Environment + Preserving the environment is vital to protecting the health of Californians. Four of the most polluted cities in the nation are in our state. California's child asthma rates are twice the national average. As Controller, I will be a member of nine environmental boards and commissions, including the State Lands Commission, the California Pollution Control Financing Authority and the California Wildlife, Coastal & Parklands Conservation Programs Finance Committee. Along with the authority to audit funds expended by the California Environmental Protection Agency and its departments, these key posts give me an excellent opportunity to help clean up our air, protect our water and coastline and decontaminate toxic sites. We are responsible for preserving our natural resources as part of the legacy we pass on to future generations.

Consumer Protection + The meteoric rise in mergers and acquisitions has allowed big business to make huge profits, many times at the expense of consumers. Consolidation in industries ranging from oil and gas, cable television, college textbooks, automakers, telecommunications and grocery stores has limited consumer choice and impacted purchase prices.

My investigation into energy market manipulation showed how the lack of competition and the dysfunctional market led to the state's energy crisis. In the areas of pharmaceuticals, hospitals and health systems, these mergers have affected prices and had life-altering consequences. It is government's responsibility to protect consumers from dysfunctional markets and hold corporations accountable. I intend to use my power as Controller over all of the state's income and expenditures to be a watchdog against such predatory practices.