Jennifer Hawks, a candidate for California state treasurer, shared her qualifications and vision for the office in an interview on California Politics 360.
Hawks, a Republican, faces Democratic candidate and current Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis on the November ballot.
Hawks retired in 2021 after a career spanning banking, human resources, and business administration. She worked for a nonprofit in San Jose, a Forbes-recognized company in Los Altos, and a prestigious school in Atherton, where she spent 20 years in business administration. She has never held elected office.
“I think a pair of outside eyes might be a good, good set for this particular office in particular,” Hawks said.
She expressed concern over California’s growing budget, which she noted has doubled in the last decade to $354 billion.
Hawks criticized the state’s financial management, citing high gas prices, failing schools, and deteriorating infrastructure.
“Something is wrong. Something’s broken,” she said. “I’m coming up here to get a fresh set of eyes on what’s going on with our money, and see if we can’t get to the bottom of cleaning some things up.”
Hawks highlighted the state’s bond debt as a major issue, explaining that California has $74 billion in outstanding bonds, with an additional $37 billion already approved and another $35 billion on the ballot this November.
“This is debt that’s now going on our kids, our grandkids, our great-great-grandkids,” she said. Hawks pledged to review the state’s bond debt and payment schedules to address what she sees as a pressing issue.
She also criticized the management of the Capitol Annex project, which she said has ballooned from an initial budget of $543 million in 2023 to $1.2 billion, with completion delayed until 2027.
Hawks pledged to bring transparency to the state’s finances, pointing to challenges with the state’s accounting system, FI$Cal. She plans to work with Herb Morgan, the Republican candidate for state controller, to implement a system called “radical transparency” that would allow Californians to see how every dollar is spent. “I want you to know where every dime is going,” she said.
When asked about her ability to work with a government dominated by Democrats, Hawks said, “I can work with anybody if you’re honest. If we can have a good conversation and try to fix the problem, I can work with anybody.”
Hawks noted that her Christian faith is important to her.
When asked if her religion would play a role in her responsibilities as treasurer:
“I can see somebody right away taking that and going, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s going to give the money here, give that.’ No,” she said. “There’s a group of people that sit down and make these decisions. I don’t make these on my own.”
She emphasized her commitment to accountability and transparency.
“This is the people’s money. We need to start remembering that we’ve got families in the Central Valley that have two and three kids that are getting up at 6:00 in the morning, going to work, packing lunches, coming home, fixing dinner, doing laundry to fall into bed, to do it all over again, and for us to waste their hard-earned tax dollars because we want to ship granite to Italy to have it fabricated. Not under my watch,” she said.
Hawks also discussed the state’s investments, saying she plans to conduct a full review of the pooled money investment account, where tax dollars are held before allocation. “I want to see where our money is invested,” she said. Hawks expressed concern about risky investments, citing examples of losses in the state’s pension system and other funds.
She concluded by emphasizing her conservative approach to money management and her commitment to serving the people of California.
Acknowledging California’s state lawmakers and leaders are mostly Democrats, she said she’s prepared to work across the aisle.
“I’m going in to be a team player and see if we can’t get our finances back on track and transparent accountability and transparency. That’s what I hope to bring to the office,” Hawks said.
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.