League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Orange County, CA November 2, 2004 Election
	Carl L. Mariz Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the State Assembly; District 70

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. What does California need to do to address the current budget crisis?

We need to fix the damage done when Prop 13 was originally passed in 1978. In addition to fixing a serious problem with home owners property taxes spiraling out of control, it also capped commercial property taxes which did not need fixing. If we increased commercial property taxes somewhat, we could go a long way to solving our problem of stabilizing state finances. These added funds also go to our local governments, which solves other problems. Other solutions include a temporary income tax increase on the highest tax brackets, a temporary increase in the sales tax (my least favorite solution). There was no reason for Governor Schwarzenagger to roll back the license fee, the original fees should be restored. The cost of this could be easily borne by each auto owner. Of course, we must do everything we can to eliminate waste in government and tax loopholes such as waving the sales tax on luxury yachts purchased out of state.

2. What should the state's priorities be for K-12 education? For the Community College System?

We first need to provide adequate funding. Most of this funding should come from local sources. This is why fixing the long-term problem associated with Prop 13 is important. In addition, we need to maintain low teacher to pupil classroom ratios which facilitate learning, especially in the lower grades. We also need to ensure that our education dollars do not go to unnecessary administrative costs. We must take a hard look at the regulations presently imposed by the legislature and purge those which are unnecessary. This will save money.

Community colleges play a very important part in our educational system. Since Community Colleges are also funded by local taxes, we need to ensure that local tax streams are adequately maintained. We should minimize any cost increases for attending these institutions as these are the educational institutions that used most by our neediest students.

3. What measures would you support to address California's water needs?

Most important, we need to remember that much of California is desert or semi-arid and we have limited water resources, unlike much of the rest of the country.

To address our water needs, I would start with conservation. There is a great deal we can do in this area. Another step we can take is to do a better job of controlling and trapping storm water runoff. It would take too much space to address this issue in proper detail. Second, we can subject our sewage to secondary and tertiary treatment so this water can be reused. The technology exists today to accomplish this. In addition, we need to take a hard look on how state agenccies and water districts price water so we can be sure that our water resources are used in the most effective manner.

4. What should the Legislature be doing to address the needs of Californians without health insurance?

I support SB921 which would provide health care for all Californians. Our present health care delivery system is broken and must be fixed. SB921 provides the best starting point to achieve this.

We can also support the recently passed bill by Senator Burton that requires large employers to provide health care to their employees. In addition, we can allow our California residents to purchase low-cost drugs from Canada.