This is an archive of a past election.
See http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/state/ for current information.
Alameda County, CA June 6, 2006 Election
Smart Voter Political Philosophy for John Russo

Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 16; Democratic Party

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

Education NOW!

Dramatic, long-term reform and immediate action is needed to help the hundreds of thousands of students and families being short-changed of quality educations. Improving our public schools is the most important issue facing our community today.

Naturally, funding must be the basis for continued support of our teachers and public school system. Proposition 39 has already lowered the threshold for passing facilities bond measures from a two-thirds requirement to a super-majority 55% threshold, under certain parameters. Now we find ourselves in a situation where K-12 districts can upgrade and improve their facilities, but still lack adequate resources to recruit and retain teachers, provide classroom materials, or protect essential academic programs.

Proposition 39 should be viewed as an important step, but only the first step. We must also consider legislation to lower the threshold for passing School Parcel Taxes and other types of funding mechanisms that specifically address teacher salaries, curriculum, and classroom materials in addition to facilities upgrades.

I am interested in the "small schools" model. The small schools model is an innovative new program that that has been successfully implemented in Los Angeles, New York, Washington State, and other urban school districts across the nation. The concept of small schools is based on the premise that, in contrast to large, factory-model schools, smaller schools of 400-500 or less creates a more intimate learning environment where teachers are better address the educational needs of students.

I propose we expand the successful small schools model further in the East Bay, and throughout California, to address the issues facing our schools and improve education for our children.

Healthcare NOW!

I am for single-payer, universal healthcare based on residency not employment. For me, this is a moral imperative. But the reality is that this is also a competitiveness issue for California businesses. The current system works for no one; it's bad for patients, it's bad for healthcare providers and it keeps the people who do the hard work of the healthcare profession in lower paying jobs. We have to address this promptly, because as the baby boomers age, healthcare costs will bankrupt the state.

We have a duty to ensure access to basic and catastrophic health care services to all people + regardless of ability to pay. Rising medical costs are not just a moral issue. These costs damage the competitiveness of California's businesses and the increase and spread of communicable diseases threatens our very way of life.

My only sister died of cancer when she was only 47 years old. Our family suffered and mourned this terrible loss and has always wondered whether better testing and earlier diagnosis might have saved her. We are such a rich country; we have to do a better job keeping our citizens healthy.

It is long past time that California have a universal, single-payer health insurance system, based on residency + not tied to a job.

The state's fiscal deadlock will continue to drain healthcare financing and programs. In the meantime, the economics of healthcare have changed dramatically, putting our public and nonprofit community hospitals and healthcare systems at risk. We must:

  • Ensure that all of our local hospitals are seismically safe and able to function in a major catastrophe
  • Assist those most vulnerable who are uninsured (such as seniors on fixed incomes and children) to receive the healthcare they need
  • Make prescription drugs affordable to retirees and seniors
  • Keep nurse to patient ratios low

Healthy Neighborhoods

As an Oakland City Councilmember, I drafted and passed the original legislation in 1997 to ban the City's use of unsafe toxics, one of the strongest municipal anti-pesticide ordinances in California.

As the father of two young children, I feel strongly about this issue. Since 1997, further studies have shown that exposure to glyphosate herbicides (such as Monsanto's Roundup)has been linked to genetic damage to laboratory animals and increased risks of cancer, miscarriages, and attention deficit disorder in children.

We all want our children, pets and family members to be in an environment that is healthy, safe and free from toxins. Herbicides like Roundup are carcinogens. In the last five years, three studies have linked exposure to them and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer. Additionally, a 2001 study associated using glyphosate herbicides in the three months prior to pregnancy with an increased risk of late miscarriages. These toxins can also stay in our environment for years, infecting our urban streams and causing genetic damage to wildlife.

Next Page: Additional Endorsements

Candidate Page || Feedback to Candidate || This Contest
June 2006 Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter


The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidate or political party.
Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 10, 2006 23:09
Smart Voter   <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://ca.lwv.org