1. What do you say to the millions of Californians who polls show are unhappy about the higher cost of living and their perception that quality of life has been declining in their communities?
You’re right to be frustrated. California’s cost of living is too high — from housing and health care to energy costs — and too many communities feel less affordable, less safe and less full of opportunity despite Sacramento’s significant spending increases.
California is still the best state in the country, but we will not solve these problems by pretending the status quo is working. We must hold our government accountable for delivering results.
Just as I’ve done as the mayor of the state’s third-largest city, I will fight to make it easier to build housing so working families can afford to stay here, bring down energy costs by modernizing our grid, and expand economic opportunity by making it easier to start a small business and get a middle-class job.
And I’ll ensure we spend taxpayer dollars more effectively so families actually see the benefit, whether in lower costs or real support when they need it. I’ll prioritize expanding economic opportunity and quality of life by focusing on what works. Californians are not asking for miracles, just that our government does the basics well.
2. Do you support a bill before the Legislature that would kill the key provision of the 2012 pension reforms championed by Gov. Jerry Brown: the requirement that public employees must pay at least 50% of the “normal cost” of their pension benefits?
No. Public employees play a vital role in our communities, and they deserve fair and reliable retirement benefits. At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure those benefits are funded in a way that is sustainable for future generations and fair to all residents and taxpayers.
Requiring employees to contribute half of the normal cost of their pension benefits is a basic matter of fairness and fiscal responsibility. At a time when California is already struggling to afford its basic commitments, we should not move backward on reforms that protect both public sector workers and California residents by ensuring pensions are managed responsibly.
3. Do you support the “billionaires tax” or any other specific proposed tax hikes? Why?
No. We should address growing economic inequality by improving our schools, building more housing, supporting small businesses, reducing energy costs and using our public dollars more effectively. And we should close federal tax loopholes that some wealthy individuals use to avoid paying their fair share.
But the proposed wealth tax is the wrong answer: 14 European countries have experimented with wealth taxes and most have repealed them due to capital flight, high administrative costs and lower tax revenues over time.
In fact, California already has seen roughly $1 trillion capital flight in response to this proposal. Tragically, middle-class and working families will be left to cover the costs.
Today, California’s biggest challenge is not the level of tax revenues; it is the results we are delivering with them. Before asking taxpayers for more, Sacramento should prove it can deliver better results with the dollars it already has.
I’ve released a comprehensive accountability plan on my website that outlines specific audits and budgeting strategies I would require to achieve this aim.
4. Is there a specific issue that you feel does not get enough attention?
Despite being approved by nearly 70% of voters, Sacramento has failed to meaningfully fund and implement Proposition 36, which created a pathway for court-mandated drug treatment for repeat offenders.
Voters have rightly demanded a more serious response to addiction, mental illness, retail theft and the revolving door between the streets, emergency rooms and jails. Too many people are stuck in that cycle without getting real help.
Your District Attorney Summer Stephan has worked with San Diego County counterparts to use Proposition 36 to move nearly 1,000 people into a treatment pathway, and has achieved a striking 25% reduction in overdose deaths among homeless individuals.
I will ensure that the state learns from San Diego’s proof point and funds real intervention, including court-mandated treatment, statewide to save lives, protect small businesses and make our public spaces safer for everyone.
Go to mahanforcalifornia.com for more information about the candidate.