Carole Migden Questionnaire (State Senate 03)

[Jeff_W]

Questionnaire for candidates

California Primary Election: June 3, 2008


Candidate/Campaign Information:
Candidate name:
Carole Migden
Office sought:
State Senate District 3
Contact person:
Lisa Gasperoni
Mail address:
601 Van Ness Ave#E3-611, SF 94102
Telephone:
916-441-1995
Email address:
carole@clickchange.com

Web address:
http://www.carolemigdenleading.com

Anticipated Budget:
$1 Million
Funds raised to date:
$900K
Percentage of donations under $50
10%

General Questions: Please write a brief response (less than 150 words) to each question. You will have additional opportunities to address these issues.

1. Why are you running? Why should we vote for you?
2.
I love my job as San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma’s State Senator and I do this job very well. I am not just a good vote but a leader on changing California for the better.I’m proud of the changes I have made through our state’s Legislature…The Clean Water Act. Headwaters Forest Preservation. Domestic Partner Registry. Expanding HMO Patient Privacy Rights. And making California the first state in the nation to oppose President Bush’s escalation of the War in Iraq… a war that costs more each week than the cost of providing health care to every Californian.

You should support my candidacy because I make things happen to protect and further values that we share. Making the press announcement is just the first step. I follow through and put the work in to ensure that my bills are signed into law.

2. What sets you apart from your opponents?

My record sets me apart from my opponents. I have authored landmark laws that have become national models for change. For instance my I wrote the law that prohibits lending institutions from predatory practices such as hidden points or targeting people who are unable to pay the loan. This was the strongest anti-predatory lending bill in the country. As I mentioned in question 1, I authored the Clean Water Act which makes California’s water pollution penalties the strongest in the nation. I am tough and I follow through, which is how I can accomplish these and many other things for California and my district.

My opponents’ records are not nearly as expansive when it comes to getting bills signed into law.

3. What are the top three issues facing California? What will you do about those issues?

1) Budget-
California’s budget process is a mess. The 2/3 vote requirement in both the Assembly and the Senate ensures that our process is held hostage by a minority party that refuses to consider any alternative to service cuts. Only Rhode Island and Arkansas have the same 2/3 voting threshold on state budgets. We must change the California Constitution and bring down the threshold to 55%. Moreover we need to restore the vehicle license fee. When the Governor repealed it in 2003, he cost the state $7 billion a year in revenue.
2) Water-
California must fortify our water infrastructure and practice much greater conservation as the threat of serious drought faces on the horizon. I often say that in Sacramento, politics often is regional and not partisan. The water issue will pit North versus South, as we have an abundance of supply as opposed to the Los Angeles area. How rebuild our infrastructure is also a contentious issue as I favor greater conservation and storage versus damns and a peripheral canal.
3) Schools-
In the 1950’s California ranked number 1 in the nation in per pupil spending.-We need to get back to that level if we are going to prepare our students for the workforce and to successfully reach for a higher standard of living for all Californians. Recruiting and retaining highly qualified professional teachers, reducing class sizes, and providing on site librarians, nurses and counsel ors to our students are all keys to a solid public educational system. All of these require a sustained investment of public funds, as a state senator I continue to fight for a an increased financial commitment to our schools.



4. SF4D PAC is committed to grassroots involvement. Please explain how you have involved ordinary citizens in your campaign.
In 2005 , I authored the Safe Cosmetics Act Requires cosmetic manufacturers to disclose ingredients & carcinogens that may cause cancer. This started with a grassroots movement lead by Marin teens who rallied together and visited my office on this issue. From their grassroots movement came the strongest bill in the nation.

My campaign has received the endorsement of neighborhood groups from all parts of the city including North Beach, the Mission, and the Haight. Our volunteer database is already over 400 strong and my campaign will have an aggressive field campaign. Neighborhood folks, organized labor and environmentalists will band together to knock on doors and get out the vote.


5. SF4D PAC endorses fiscally responsible and socially progressive candidates. Please give examples of why you fit these criteria.

My record speaks to these values of social and fiscal responsibility. Here are some of my top accomplishments for the state and the district:


1. Clean Water Act(1999): Increased fines to the point where industrial water polluters forfeited profits gained by dumping toxins in waterways.

2. Headwaters Forest (1998): Appropriated $245.5 million to buy of the Headwaters Forest Preserve and its 1000 year old trees.

3. SF Wetlands/Cargil: $30 million from the General Fund (GF) to the newly created San Francisco Baylands Restoration Program Account (Account) for the purpose of acquiring and restoring wetlands in the San Francisco Bay area.

4. Predatory Lending (2001): Prohibits lending institutions from predatory practices such as hidden points or targeting people who are unable to pay the loan.

5. Domestic Partners(1999-2006): Created the domestic partner registry that now carries almost every state benefit afforded to married couplers.

6. HMO Reform(1999): Let patients seek an independent review from doctors whenever health care services have been denied by an HMO.

7. Safe Cosmetics(2005) : Requires cosmetic manufacturers to disclose ingredients & carcinogens that may cause cancer. (Sponsored by group of Marin women & girls.)

8. Gun Control (1994): Requires stores that deal in guns to pay a 3 percent tax on everything they sell.

9. Tax Loop hole (2005): Closes a tax loophole that enable corporations to use offshore shelters. It will save the state $50 million annually.

10. Foster Care (1998-2006): Provided numerous programs for foster youth such as transitional housing, increased savings accounts & adoption incentives for teens.

11. HIV (1999-2007): Numerous programs for HIV positive individuals such as organ donations, back to work, rapid testing.

12. DNA 2002&2005: Created the statewide DNA database for rapes, murders and other violent crimes.

13. Women(2002): Requires that female victims of sexual assault receive information regarding “morning after” contraception.

14. Public Power (2001): Allows cities and counties to aggregate their electric loads and provide service directly to their residents.

15. Juror Pay/Discrimination (2000) : Raised juror pay from $5 a day to $15.

16. Tenant Protections: provide tenants additional rights and protections to be present at a pre and post inspection of home to retain deposit.

17. School Funding(2005): Backfills Novato & San Francisco schools funds lost to charter schools.

18. Mentally Incompetent Minors(2005): for minors who are under juvenile court for delinquent conduct to be evaluated for mental disorders, emotional disturbances or developmental disabilities.

19. Iraq Resolution (2007): First state house in the nation to pass a resolution against the proposed surge of troops in Iraq.

20. Medical Records Confidential(2002): Expands the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act CMIA) to include pharmaceutical companies as it does doctors and health care service plans.

DISTRICT

Houseboats(2006): Saved 150 houseboats on Richardson Bay in Marin County.

MUNI (2006): Allows SF Muni/LA MTA to ticket fare evaders rather than send them to courts.

49ers (2006): Allows SF to build housing w/ football stadium project by judicial validation.

UC Bidding (2006): Allows UCSF to bid best practices.

Double Fine Zones(2006): Golden Gate Bridge Safety Awarness Zone.

SF Child Care(2005): Five-year child care subsidy pilot project in the City and County of San Francisco to address the particular child care needs and barriers of low-income families in a high cost county.

Bike Lanes/Bay Bridge(1998): Adds bicycle and pedestrian access on the retrofitted west span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to the list of "amenities" that can be funded with the $1 toll surcharge.

EDUCATION/KIDS

Vocational Ed (2005): California Career Resource Network(CalCRN) to provide career development information and training, primarily to middle and high school students.

Academic Acheivement (1998): Creates a six-year academic improvement and achievement grant program to provide funding to school districts, charter schools and county offices of education for activities at specified high schools to increase college participate rates at high schools that have low college participation rates.

Billboards (1998): Prohibits the advertising of any tobacco product on an outdoor billboard within 1,000 feet of any public or private elementary school, junior high school, high school, or public playground. ***LATER THROWN OUT IN COURT

CSU Athletes (2005): Requires the California State University to provide summer athlete scholarships to certain athletes.
ENVIRONMENT

Sudden Oak Death(2001): $3,586,000 to develop and implement measures to stop the spread of sudden oak death (SOD) syndrome. (Big issue for Sonoma County – we may do something on it again this year.)

Tire Dumping (1998): Adds abandonment of tires to the circumstances under which a person
may be convicted of illegal tire dumping.

SMOG (1998): Vehicle smog impact fee be redirected from the General Fund to instead be deposited into the High Polluter Repair or Removal Account.

Unlawful Dumping (1998): Increases fines and penalties for unlawful dumping of solid waste matter.

Clean Air Vehicles GG Bridge (2002): Golden Gate Bridge,Highway and Transportation District to provide free passage on the Golden Gate Bridge during commute hours to vehicles bearing a specified clean air decal.

HEALTH

Cigar Labeling(1999): Health warning labels for cigars.

Safe Needles (2001): DHS to maintain a Sharps Injury Control program so that nurses can use safe needles.

Acupuncturists (1999): Allows injured workers to be treated and diagnosed by an acupuncturist.

CONSUMER

Mobile Homes (2005): Lease protections for mobile home owners.

Car Keys(2006): Requires auto dealerships to set up system that a consumer can make a copy of their smart key in a timely manner independent of the dealership.

Magazines(2002): Requires Magazine mailing labels to notify the consumer when the subscription runs out.


Issue Questions:

1. What do you think the California Legislature should do about the current budget crisis?

California’s budget process is a mess. The 2/3 vote requirement in both the Assembly and the Senate ensures that our process is held hostage by a minority party that refuses to consider any alternative to service cuts. Only Rhode Island and Arkansas have the same 2/3 voting threshold on state budgets. We must change the California Constitution and bring down the threshold to 55%. Moreover we need to restore the vehicle license fee. When the Governor repealed it in 2003, he cost the state $7 billion a year in revenue.


2. Do you support SB 840? If so, how would you seek to implement it?
Yes. I am a co-author for the Single Payer Health Care plan. By taking the high administrative costs of private insurance companies out of the equation health care costs would dramatically fall and everyone would be covered.

SB 840 works by pooling our health care resources so everyone – state and federal government, income earners and employers - contributes something and we all get coverage. This allows us to consolidate the administrative functions of thousands of different insurance companies and plans into one comprehensive insurance plan, saving businesses and consumers, as well as the state, billions of dollars in the first year alone.

3. Do you support AB 583? If so, why and how would you seek to implement it?

Yes. Creates a pilot project whereby candidates for Governor, for an unspecified Senate District, and for an unspecified Assembly District will be eligible to receive public campaign funds for the 2010 election if they agree not to accept most private contributions and if they collect a enough $5 contributions.

4. How would you seek to remedy prison overcrowding?

We should not try to build our way out of prison overcrowding. I voted against the $9 billion prison expansion last year. I would early release all individuals who are currently incarcerated for non-violent drug possession offenses. More prisoners are locked away for drug violations than all violent crimes combined. We should fully fund the voter approved policies of treatment over incarceration. This is the fiscally responsible approach as each prisoner costs the state over $40,000 a year.

Secondly, California needs to amend its incarceration policies such as three strikes and current penalties on drug possession. If we confine prison system to those who commit crimes against persons we can keep our prison population in check.