Yes, it’s a lot of money. But if just 1,000 readers here gave five dollars that would help me reach my personal goal of raising $5,000 for my husbands State Senate campaign. He’s running because of me, I have to support the deadbeat.
Yes, that’s humor. He’s a good guy and we are working on many other means to raise money. The official campaign stationary is on the way, unfortunately the wrong paper was delivered, we are insisting on recycled paper and are using a local union printer. All important choices on our part.
So, what can I share about Gary? Well, he got the Democracy for America (Orange County Chapter) endorsement last week and that meant the world to both of us. I will include his questionnaire behind the cut so you can learn more about what he believes.
I’m a 37 year old California native who was born in the Central Valley town of Bakersfield and raised near the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park.
I now live in Aliso Viejo with Heather my supportive spouse of 10 years; Charlotte our exuberant five year old daughter; and Sophie our
family’s high-strung weimaraner.
I am a dedicated educator in the public school system. I completed college in Southern California where I attended Chapman University, the Claremont Graduate School, UCLA, and UCI. I hold a Ph.D. in the Social Sciences and am a tenured professor in the Fine Arts and Communication Division of Cerritos College where I have taught since 1999. In the summer, I am also a lecturer at UCI.
As a tested leader in the California Community College system, I have served as a department chair, sat on curriculum and program review committees, co-authored grants for the National Endowment of the Humanities and federal vocational education programs. I have chaired tenure committees, reviewed textbooks, authored new curriculum including distance education courses, and have participated in a variety of local and national conferences and symposia.
* Why are you running? What are your goals in office?:
My first reason for running was to just get a “D” on the ballot, but then I decided that if I was going to run, I was going to do my best. The only way to make progress in red areas in the Country is to run. Democrats can’t win if they don’t run and every contest contributes to Governor Dean’s vision of the fifty state strategy.
* How are you socially progressive and fiscally responsible?:
I support civil unions for same sex couples as well as adoption rights and protection from discrimination. I would include transgender and transsexuals in equal protection laws as well. I support a woman’s right to choose.
Most importantly I believe in the idea of the common good, that we are all in this together and that Government should provide a safety net for when we fall on hard times. This would include universal health care in the form of a single payer system (universal health insurance really) as one of the most important socially progressive issues of our time.
I would demand Fiscal Responsibility that would allow a surplus so that in the boom times we sock away money for the lean times, such as now, and the state would not have to sacrifice such things as funding for education.
As Democrats, we have a responsibility to redefine how Americans perceive taxes. They serve a purpose and they provide for many of the things that we need as citizens. It’s time to stop demonizing them and to also emphasize that spending should also be prudent and balanced. It should also be transparent, taxpayers should have the ability to easily find out where their money is going through the local, State and Federal level.
And most importantly is the need to change the perception of Government by redefining it as something that works for the people again and not special interests and corporations.
1. What are the top three issues that you are running on? Please explain your stances and provide any personal background and experience that you consider important for implementing, if elected.
If I were to win, I would forward the very important goals of Universal Single Payer Health Care in the state of California. Everyone should have health care access where people are put before corporate profits. People are starting to understand the importance of single payer as well as eliminating such issues as pre-existing conditions as a means to exclude people from coverage. It would also eliminate the connection of employment to health care meaning people would not have to worry about losing their health care when they lose a job or change their profession, it would also take the burden of health care costs away from employers.
Another goal would be promoting green jobs, protecting our water supply and promoting different ways for our communities to lower their consumption of water and other limited natural resources (gas). It would also include attempting again to reclassify hemp as a legal sustainable crop, more incentives for electric cars, solar power on individual homes and other areas and more uniform and consistent recycling programs throughout the state.
Education is the largest part of our State’s budget, as it should be. It is what allows California to lead the way in technology, keep business thriving and maintain our high quality of life. Education is a lifetime process from K-12 to our State’s public Colleges and Universities. Parents should be able to expect a quality public education for their children and for themselves, learning is a lifetime pursuit.
More money per student does not mean better teaching but funds for the classroom, teacher pay and school improvements are important for a quality public education. Bureaucracy and endless paperwork takes time away from the classroom and we have to not only fully fund our schools but make it possible for teachers to spend more time doing what they are there to do, teach!
2. What is your strategy for a viable plan to win this race? Please include considerations of grassroots organizing and support, obtaining finances needed and how DFA’s support will help in your race.
We plan on raising money through reaching out to our community with house parties and fund raisers at local gathering spots (We plan on having a fund raiser at Steamers Café in Fullerton). I am seeking the endorsement of as many unions as possible and hope to garner their support as a union member myself.
Grass roots organization by getting people registered as Democrats and speaking to as many independents and Republicans as possible. We plan on using any money we raise to hire one person for the summer so that he can learn how to run a campaign (A politics student who interns with DPOC) and have a chance to work towards the goal of turning Orange County blue. Our goal is also to raise enough for four pieces for mailers and walk pieces to hand out during canvassing. We would also like to have enough to get a statement on the ballot. All of this is realistic and important to building on a future run for other Democrats in the County.
3. To the extent that you have not covered the issues below in your answers to question I, please address your stances/proposed solutions for each. The particular order in which you address these categories is up to you. There is an overarching theme that runs through these categories, i.e., how to ameliorate the disproportionate control by corporate big money interests in all aspects of the functioning of our government. Please address that theme, where you can, in each category.
a. Restoring the Constitution, the rule of law, Civil Liberties/Rights,
Congressional checks and balances and meaningful oversight functions.
All signing statements and activities leading up to the war in Iraq should be reviewed by the incoming President. All torture and war crime activities should be investigated as well as the immediate closure of Guantanamo Bay. There should also be the restoration of Habeas Corpus and no immunity to the telecommunications companies for their involvement with the illegal wire tapping of American citizens.
On the local level, California needs to force for the funding of the 9/11 Commission recommendations from our airports to our ports.
b. Economic Justice
America has experienced the largest redistribution of wealth in its history in the last eight years. The rich have literally gotten richer under the current tax structure and many more people have become poorer. The top one half of one percent has amassed the same amount of wealth as the bottom 40 percent which has driven down the quality of life for so many in our Country.
Things must change from raising the capital gains tax to closing unfair loopholes that only benefit the wealthy (such as the yacht tax loophole in California). But our tax code should be fair.
Economic justice also includes access to loans based on credit score not zip code. Many minorities are subject to higher interest rates and unfair practices by predatory lenders. Payday loan shops should be closed and access to banking accounts, savings and checking accounts should be more readily available.
There should also be a living wage in California and our minimum wage should increase with the rate of inflation. California also needs to deal with the pay inequity that still exists between men and women.
c. Health Care
Universal single payer is the only way to go when it comes to health care. Health Care coverage should not be connected to employment and should cover every single person. We need to eradicate the term “pre-existing condition” as no one should be denied coverage.
The biggest challenge to UHC is changing the talking points from “socialized medicine” to single payer insurance. People need to understand how much time doctors spend in paperwork and bureaucracy rather than in treating patients and by having single payer it will in no way affect our quality of care.
d. Environmental Issues (global warming; environmental protection and conservation)
California needs to invest in green technology (Solar and wind, no nuclear) and green collar jobs. Our infrastructure is sorely in need of repair and improvement and it offers us the opportunity to change things for a more green option.
There should also be the encouragement and incentives on the local level for homeowners and businesses to move to green alternatives. All residents should be encouraged to do away with their lawns for more water saving alternatives. We should also encourage the purchasing of local produce.
California cannot wait for the Federal Government to cap green house gas emissions, we need to institute our own standards and enforce them by incentives rather than punitive means. We also need to raise gas mileage standards so that other states can follow.
Hemp should be legalized as an industrial crop to serve as a sustainable option for paper products and other things commonly made from trees and cotton. Hemp is also environmentally friendly because it requires no pesticides. Currently hemp is imported for use in products and it could easily become a crop in areas where other things are not viable.
The US must sign the Kyoto accord.
e. The war/occupation of Iraq, the Middle East, and care of military personnel
Our government has a responsibility to provide life time health care for our veterans and a guaranteed free education as well (The first GI Bill following WWII is credited with creating the middle class). The tour of duties by our active soldiers should be returned to sane lengths and those who do serve should be protected from losing their jobs, their homes and their families due to their long absence.
There also has to be something done about our 200,000 plus homeless veterans with accessible mental health care and low cost housing. They should also have access to job training and employment opportunities by encouraging small and large businesses to hire and invest time and money in our veterans.
And although I am running for a State position, I feel that is the responsibility for all elected officials to put pressure on their federally elected representatives to begin the immediate and safe withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The US has to restore its moral authority in the world by complying with international law. We must demand that the Iraqi Government take over in its own rule and protection and ask the surrounding nations who have a more vested interest in a stable middle east to participate in rebuilding Iraq. We also should implore other industrialized nations to help rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure. All contracted military personnel should also be removed from Iraq, such as Blackwater and the Government must stop employing them.
f. Election Integrity (public financing; election protection; voter intimidation)
A large part of election integrity is linked to the consolidation of our media and the lack of real information regarding many important issues facing our Country and the world. Any election reform must be accompanied by the restoration of the Fairness Doctrine.
There also must be a paper trail to any election so that in the need of a recount there is a means to verify the actual vote. Everyone should have safe access to voting as well as time off in order to do so. There also needs to be more uniform election law in national contests, such as a Presidential Election.
All candidates should have access to the airwaves as well as publically funded campaigns. The influence of lobbyists and corporations on our elections have skewed the agenda in the wrong direction for far too long.
There is also a huge need to outlaw the thirty second campaign ad and the use of robo calls to unfairly influence voters (They should at least say who is funding and supporting the call).
g. Media Reform
Restore the Fairness Doctrine to allow real fair and balanced coverage on radio, TV, print and internet news by ensuring the change from corporate media that is concentrated to a small number of owners to a more unconsolidated media system. We should find a means to encourage all media to return news to being non-profit driven and ratings driven entities that have a responsibility to cover events rather than sensationalizing them.
So here is my meter and I’m asking that you help me raise $5,000 for Gary Pritchard, he’s on the ballot because of me. And he’s on the ballot because no other Democrat would run in this district. When good people step up to get a “D” on the ballot, they need your help. Our main goal is to hire someone to help us, someone we could employ through November. Imagine being able to pay someone’s salary, I think it’s the best thing we can do with our campaign money.
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