Clean Air & Water
"Cut Air Pollution Statewide by Up to 50% -- and Restore
Independence From Foreign Oil."
"Invest in Hydrogen Highways."
"Fight for federal dollars for hydrogen fuel development."
"Expedite clean fuel transportation."
"Get gross-polluting vehicles off the road now."
"Protect California's air quality standards for industrial facilities"
"Reduce Ocean Pollution. I will take action to protect our coasts from
sewage and storm water pollution. I will direct state agencies
to incorporate pollution-free coastal development techniques,
accelerate the repair of leaking sewer systems, and fully implement
existing water quality programs, such as municipal storm water
permit programs and Total Maximum Daily Load programs. California
must handle and treat its sewage under the requirements of the
Clean Water Act to protect our oceans and beaches and the people
who use them."
"As Governor, I will urge the Congress to fully restore CAL-FED funding
immediately. With proper leadership and resources, CAL-FED can
implement the most effective ways of making the best use of our
water supplies and encouraging economic growth in California."
"As Governor, I will direct Cal/EPA and the Resources
Agency to completely overhaul their recent "California Watershed
Management MOU" from a bureaucratic do-nothing document to an action
plan that will clean up California's most endangered watersheds
now."
"As Governor I will also support the extension of tax credits for businesses
and commercial establishments which install on-grid solar photovoltaic
and other renewable generation systems."
"Incentives will be established, including a Green
Building Bank, using private financing and targeted public loan
guarantees, to swiftly retrofit as many buildings as possible,
reducing the need for new power plants, saving money for businesses
and taxpayers alike, and preserving air
quality."
"Increase Renewable Energy. As Governor, I will fully endorse California's
Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which requires that 20% of
the state's total power supplies be generated from renewable
sources by 2017. My Administration will also direct the California
Energy Commission to define incentives and implement strategies
that will target achievement of the 20% standard a full seven
years early - - by 2010 - - and set the state on course to derive
33% of its power from renewable sources by 2020."
Jobs and the economy
"Repeal the Car Tax: In 2003, the vehicle license fee increase cost California
residents and businesses more than $4 billion. Car owners in
the state have seen their vehicle license fee increase by 300%
from last year. The car tax is regressive and hurts all Californians."
"Oppose the $3 billion split roll property tax increase proposed
by Cruz Bustamante: Lt. Governor Bustamante wants to roll back
existing Constitutional protections so that he can collect $3 billion
more from property owners. According to a 1992 Governor's Office
of Planning and Research study, a similar split roll property
tax would have
reduced the number of jobs in California by nearly 75,000 jobs
and reduced personal income by $11.4 billion. That's exactly
the wrong direction to take California's economy."
"Stop the 60% Unemployment Insurance Hike on Businesses: California
has the easiest eligibility requirements in the country, along
with the largest Unemployment Insurance system in the nation. As a
result of letting the UI system go unchecked, the cost of insurance
for California businesses will increase by 60% in January 2004
- an action that will be directly responsible for killing more
jobs in the state. If elected, I will eliminate this hike by
taking action to reduce unnecessary
costs in this program."
"Implement a 6 Point Energy Plan to reform the current regulatory
framework in order to encourage private sector investment and protect
ratepayers.
1. Create a uniform energy strategy to stimulate private investment
and align the 13 state energy agencies to support that strategy
2. Reform the wholesale power market
3. Assure adequate and diverse fuel for power generation
4. Encourage cost effective conservation by increasing demand
response to changing electricity markets
5. Enact electricity reserves requirements for power generators
6. Explore ways to lower the cost of Gray Davis' overpriced power
purchase agreements"
"As Governor, I will reform the Unfair Competition Law to:
- Preserve the power of state, county, and city attorneys to
bring lawsuits on behalf of the public
- Require that lawyers and plaintiffs represent the public interest,
not their private pocketbooks
- Require public notice of settlements
- Require settlements to be approved by the court"
"Propose legislation to limit payment of "front pay" as
damages for wrongful termination suits
Propose legislation to
require age discrimination plaintiffs to show adverse impact
from the employment decision"
"Work with the legislature to:
a. Implement objective and enforceable utilization guidelines
and establish well defined networks of providers.
b. Eliminate excessive permanent disability payouts by adopting
American Medical Association guidelines for impairment ratings.
c. Reduce unnecessary litigation and judicial involvement by
adopting an effective Independent Medical Review process.
Initiate
a comprehensive review of the State Compensation Insurance
Fund to assess its current financial condition and take action
as necessary.
Appoint a new team to the Division of Workers' Compensation
and make cost containment job one"
"Review all regulations enacted under Gray Davis to determine
if they are consistent with the enacting legislation AND minimize
the economic impact to the regulated communities. To start with,
I will work with the Building Standards Commission to adopt a
sensible 'PEX' Plastic
Pipe code to reduce the cost of building in California as recommended
in the Uniform Plumbing Code. Californians pay as much as $53
million more in building costs as a result of prohibitions on
the use of plastic pipes in buildings"
Neighborhoods
"Working with local officials, my Administration will develop an Infill
Incentives Package to help local governments deal with the jobs/housing
imbalance throughout the State and to spur smarter development
by providing a mechanism for planners to identify and evaluate
redevelopment of blighted and underutilized sites, allowing cities
to accommodate mixed use, compact development and urban infill
growth while curtailing urban sprawl."
"In addition, my Administration will direct appropriate agencies
to draft a plan to rapidly complete the cleanup of brownfield
sites, especially the thousands of locations with leaking underground
petroleum
storage tanks, enabling these sites to be developed for productive commercial
uses."
Parks and open space
"As Governor, I will protect California's coastline by fighting
for a permanent ban on all oil drilling in coastal waters and
will urge the federal government to purchase the remaining offshore
oil leases as it has in Florida."
"I will protect the integrity of the California Coastal
Commission, which for decades has served to protect our valuable
coastal resources."
"As Governor, I will take action to update the plan to
accelerate improvement of Tahoe's waters, trails and wildlife,
in order
to "Keep
Tahoe Blue.""
"I will order the Resources Agency to develop a comprehensive
facility assessment and improvement plan for state parks, beaches,
and coastal access, with emphasis placed on investments that
enhance local economies and access for California's seniors and
the disabled."
"As Governor I will propose establishment
of a Sierra Nevada Mountains Conservancy."
Schools and education
"As Governor, I will:
Make sure California's schools have the tools they need to serve
California's students. We will start by:
1. Letting Schools Make Decisions and Take Responsibility
2. Investing in High-Quality Teachers
3. Meeting Special Needs
4. Empowering Parents
5. Building More Schools, More Efficiently"
"I strongly support Proposition 98 and I will protect California's
commitment to education funding. And by empowering local communities
to make decisions, we can spend that money better."
"We need to stop hiring people to work in the central office and start
investing in the men and women who work with our children - classroom
teachers and principals."
"I will work to repeal prescriptive state laws and rescind the burdensome
state regulations that serve special interests and waste education
dollars on non-instructional uses. "
"SB 1419 demonstrates
what's wrong with the top-heavy approach to education under Gray Davis,
and I will call for its repeal. Passed
in 2002, the bill restricts the ability of school and community
college districts to contract out for non-educational services
like transportation, maintenance, and landscaping."
"I will work to give principals authority for hiring qualified staff,
managing their school's money, choosing instructional strategies
and materials that work, and setting class schedules. "
Traffic and transportation
"I will seek to implement innovative, market-based and means of reducing
congestion on California's highways - including congestion pricing,
eliminating congestion-causing toll booths when they can easily
be replaced by technology, and similar measures."
"As Governor, I will ask the federal government to restore to California
its fair share of gasoline tax money generated in the state,
along with other federal funds, to assist with critical mass
transit improvements."
