League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Orange County, CA June 3, 2014 Election
	Anna Bryson Answers Questions Candidate for Member of the State Assembly; District 73

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. How would you prioritize the fiscal choices the Legislature must make to align the state’s income and spending?

In 2012, it was discovered that the California State Department of Parks and Recreation had since the late 1990s been hiding away tens of millions of dollars in a slush fund. Further investigation revealed that the same sort of thing was going on in the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

This state-government park bureaucracy was saying it would have to close parks to the public. Meanwhile, it had millions in secret accounts known only to top bureaucrats.

California no longer has a central transparency website, and California departmental and agency websites are not searchable for spending data. California does not provide spending information on off-budget agencies and noncontract spending. California used to have a dedicated, one-stop-shopping transparency site where those interested could look at spending information from the various state departments.

From my Assembly campaign platform: "We need greater transparency and more accountability in California budgeting and spending. We need the wise stewardship and responsible use of the people's money.

California's government should be able to live within its means. Politicians and public officials shouldn't be able to turn to taxpayers' wallets whenever government spending gets out of control.

"As such, I support a balanced budget that puts taxpayer's priorities like education, law enforcement, and transportation first."

2. Given our current drought condition, concern for water rights and usage is an important issue. What solutions would you support to address our water problems?

For years, politicians in California have been warned of the imminent water-supply problem. If we'd started investing in our water infrastructure then, including new reservoirs, groundwater storage, and desalination plants, we wouldn't be in this situation.

We need to take back control of water policy from opponents of storage and desalination and start building now. We need additional pipes and aqueducts to get water from Northern California to Southern California. We need rational pricing. In drought situations, we need policies in place that put farmers over fish.

3. California high school students rank lower than many states in student performance. What do you see as the ongoing role of the Legislature in addressing this problem?

During my tenure on the school board, Capistrano Unified School District has risen to being the highest-performing large school district in the state.

While the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) is an imperfect yardstick, California is near the bottom in the ranks of states in results on that test. We should be in the top ten. Here are some of the priorities that need attention:

1. Close the Latino learning gap.
2. Bring math achievement levels closer to achievement levels in East Asian "tiger" countries.
3. Guard against neglecting the students in the middle of the pack.
4. Raise reading comprehension levels. Increase student knowledge of background information as a basis for reading comprehension.
5. Defend a rigorous course of study.
6. Maintain school safety and classroom discipline.

We also need stable, predictable budgets for school districts. The existing erratic, up-and-down guessing game every year prevents school districts from planning ahead in a sensible way. This annual yo-yo of uncertainty is detrimental to schoolchildren and their parents, as well as unfair to administrators and teachers.

In communities across California, including many large urban areas, public schools are failing our children. Charter schools in these communities (and others) provide public school options for parents. There are many examples of charter schools providing transformational opportunities.

From my Assembly campaign platform: "A solid K-12 education is a civil right. Every child deserves the opportunity to have a good education. We need teachers who are successful in getting children to learn the subject matter. We can do better than the national Common Core academic standards and gain a competitive advantage for California schoolchildren -- by expecting Algebra I in eighth grade; emphasizing mastery of subject-matter content, not requiring unproven teaching methods; assigning great literature; and protecting student privacy. An effective preschool program should concentrate on children from disadvantaged families, providing aid where it is most needed. Both private and public preschool options should be available."

4. What other major issues do you think the Legislature must address? What are your own priorities?

My legislative priorities:

Reduce unfair and confusing state regulations that make it hard to start a business here.

Cut waste and pay down state debt so that we can actually have a real balanced budget without raising taxes.

Hold schools accountable for results; make sure every California child has the opportunity to get a great education.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: June 1, 2014 17:06
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