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The questions were prepared by the the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles County and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Qualifications,
Fiscal Crisis,
Unincorporated Areas
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. Please provide a brief list of your qualifications in bullet format, using an asterisk (*) to represent a bullet. (No more than 25 words for this section.)
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Answer from Marylou Cabral:
- CSULB student, community organizer
- Daughter of Mexican immigrants
- Leader of massive anti-war and immigrant rights marches with Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)
Answer from Don Knabe:
- 12 years experience as Los Angeles County Supervisor, Fourth District.
- 30 years total public service experience, including Cerritos City Commissioner, Councilman, and Mayor.
Answer from Jay Shah:
- EXPERIENCED COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER
- WOMEN EMPOWERMENT, EDUCATION, SAVE FAMILY
- EXPERT DOCTOR, IMPROVE MEDICAL QUALITY CARE
- STOP FINANCIAL WASTE, CORRUPTION, RACISM
- SAVE DEMOCRACT REDUCE TAXES, CRIME, POLLUTION
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2. If it were entirely up to you and not the Legislature, what measures would you take to address Los Angeles County’s fiscal crisis? (No more than 150 words total for questions 2 and 3.)
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Answer from Don Knabe:
One thing we can do to ensure our fiscal position remains strong is to keep Proposition 1A from being rolled back. Voters overwhelmingly passed this Proposition in 2004, which ensured local funds could not be raided by the state. This very practice had been going on for years and had cost Los Angeles County over $1 Billion in lost revenue in the decade leading up to the passage of Proposition 1A. Unfortunately, there is a little known loophole in Proposition 1A that allows the Legislature to override it every few years in order to use the money to balance their books. This solution is unacceptable. Local dollars need to stay local.
Answer from Marylou Cabral:
I would convene an emergency committee to discuss how funds are directed. LA County is the world's 17th largest economy; the money exists to end the financial crisis. Putting people's needs before profits is paramount.
All county money funding the Iraq war should instead fund social programs here. Taxes on large corporations should be increased. Environmental polluters should be penalized and forced to clean up, especially at the Port. Public transportation should be expanded. There should be a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions. The minimum wage should be raised to $15/hour. Money should go to public hospitals, public schools and to provide healthcare for all--not for prisons and police. LA County should be a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.
Answer from Jay Shah:
CORRUPT POLITICIANS CREATE PROBLEMS AND FIND SOLUTON TO CONTROL PEOPLE. I AM SERVANT-VOLUNTEER OF COMMUNITY. SUBSTANDARD MEDICAL QUALITY CARE IN CLINICS AND HOSPITALS, AND FISCAL CRISIS EASILY SOLVED BY "KAISER" MODEL. LET ALL 75,000 COUNTY EMPLOYEES USE COUNTY CLINICS AND HOSPITALS. IT SAVES OVER $350 MILLIONS YEARLY.
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3. What are the most important criteria for evaluating new development in the unincorporated areas of the county? (No more than 150 words total for questions 2 and 3.)
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Answer from Don Knabe:
The unincorporated areas I represent include some of the last remaining widespread tracts of undeveloped nature areas in our County. Any proposed development in these areas must be carefully balanced between growth and the preservation of open space.
Answer from Jay Shah:
FOR DEVELOPMENT, MANY FACTORS CONSIDERED -- LOCATION, NEED OF AREAS FOR COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, ECOSYSTEM, POLLUTION, ENVIRONMENT, DENSITY, NOISE TRAFFIC, TEXBASE, 10% LOW HOUSING, RESOURCES -- WATER, UTILITY, RECREATION, SCHOOLS, INFRASTRUCTURES EVALUATION, MITIGATIONS, ENCOURAGE CITIHOOD
DESTINY IN OWN HANDS FOR COMMUNITY. STOP ALL VESTED INTERESTS.
PLANNING AND OPEN INPUT BY CITIZEN.
DECISION IN OPEN FORUM. NEVER CLOSED DOOR MEETINGS, DECISIONS.
AVAILABILITY OF POLICE, FIRE PREVENTION. APPROPRIATE WITH GROWTH OF AREA.
Answer from Marylou Cabral:
Development must benefit the county's residents and the environment. Affordable housing should be prioritized. Parks and public spaces should be created and preserved. Renewable resource development and water conservation is vital.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
Until 5:00 p.m. on April 4, 2008,
candidates for County Supervisor must limit their answers to 175 words
total for all questions so that a paper Voters Guide may be published.
Specific word limits are as follows: 25 words for question 1; 150
words total for questions 2 and 3. |After 5:00 p.m. on April 4, 2008,
word limits will no longer apply.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
