Issues
Fiscal Responsibility
It’s time to cut spending and pass a responsible budget. Legislators of both parties have adopted phony budgets which only postpone the hard choices necessary to truly balance the budget and deal with California’s long-term fiscal problems.
In the Assembly, Andy will fight to reduce taxes for families and small businesses. He knows that we must protect Proposition 13 so jobs aren’t forced out of California and families and seniors aren’t taxed out of their homes. He will oppose any effort to lower the two-thirds threshold for legislators to pass the budget and raise taxes.
No Tax Pledge
Legislators should not take money from your hard-earned paycheck to fund their special interests and pet projects. Andy feels so strongly about this that he has put his rhetoric in writing and signed the Americans for Tax Reform Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
By signing the Pledge, Andy vows to oppose any and all tax increases. Andy made this commitment because he believes that the state should learn to live within its given budget, just as hard-working families throughout the community have had to do. As an Assemblymember, Andy will fight tax increases and focus on bringing tax relief to families.
Furloughs
As an Assemblyman, Andy will fight for a balanced budget so that furlough days for state employees are no longer necessary. However, due to our current budget crisis, furloughs are an effective way of reducing spending without terminating large numbers of state employees.
Public Safety
As an Assemblyman, public safety will be one of Andy’s top priorities. Andy will fight to ensure that criminals serve out their entire sentences. The Legislature must solve prison overcrowding without flooding our communities with felons who should still be behind bars. If that means building more prisons so be it. The solution to prison overcrowding is not the early release of dangerous criminals.
Education
Education decisions must be returned to where they are made best - the local level with the involvement of parents, students, and educators. As a father of two school aged children, Andy knows that it is the state’s role to provide local officials with sufficient funding and resources. However, each local community must be given flexibility to make curriculum decisions that fit its own needs. When it comes to education, one size does not fit all.
Andy supports charter schools as a valuable alternative to our traditional public schools. He also supports exit exams to hold schools and students accountable. California spends billions of dollars on education. Exit exams provide a tangible measurement of students’ growth – a measurement that our students, parents, teachers and taxpayers deserve.
Illegal Immigration
California must seek full reimbursement from the federal government for the tremendous cost of illegal immigration and demand the federal government do its job of defending our borders. Andy will fight any attempt to reward illegal immigrants with government benefits such as drivers’ licenses, in-state tuition for college, and welfare, all of which must be reserved for our citizens and lawful residents.
Transportation
The Legislature must stop raiding funds that are collected for and supposedly reserved for repairing and improving our state’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Andy will vote against all attempts to use these funds for non-transportation purposes.
Water
California needs a comprehensive water solution that does not send additional water to Southern California. Andy will work toward a plan that increases storage capacity, promotes conservation, and protects the Delta.
Andy will fight to put people back to work in the Central Valley by turning the water back on for agricultural irrigation. As illustrated by the situation with the Delta Smelt, our state’s water supply and agricultural economy cannot be held hostage by absurd Federal regulations. Families and farmers – not the Delta Smelt or any other animal – must always have first call on California’s water.