Jim Cooper's Orange County; 58th, 64th, 67th, and 69th District State Assembly Races

The walk. Welcome to election for a series of special election forms presented by the ATV to introduce the candidates and issues to the voters in the first half hour of this program will present the candidates for the California assemblies 58 and 60 4th district in Orange County and the second half hour I'll welcome the candidates in the 67 and 69 districts. About half of the 58 assembly district is located in Orange County with the other half in Los Angeles County in Los Angeles County the district occupies the eastern portion of Longreach as well as Signal Hill Catalina Island and San Clemente Island in Orange County. It includes portions of Los Alamitos Rossmore

Surfside Sunset Beach Seal Beach and most of Huntington Beach the 5th the 8th assembly district has a total of a hundred and seventy three thousand voters with 80000 or 46 percent in Orange County and 93000 or 54 percent in Los Angeles County. Overall there are 75000 Democrats and seventy nine thousand Republicans in the district giving the Republicans a narrow 4000 vote lead to 60 fourth Assembly District occupies the north central portions of Orange County an important area of the county that includes the cities of La Habra area FULLERTON And Placentia. Portions of Anaheim are also within its boundaries. The sixty fourth assembly district has 157 thousand registered voters of these 80000 are Republicans and 61000 are Democrats. Given the Republican Party a large edge of 19000 voters then women outnumber men by 8000 as registered voters in this district. We have with us today the Republican incumbents from both the 5th the 8th and the 64 the assembly districts as well as their challengers. And now let's meet them.

Assemblyman Dennis Brown Republican representing the fifty eighth district is completing his third term in the assembly and serves as a member of the assembly committees on revenue taxation to help elections reapportionment and constitutional amendments. He's the former stockbroker with Dean Witter and company. Mark Wilder Democrat is a long beach city councilman representing the downtown area. He was formerly the vice mayor of Long Beach a former naval officer. He is self-employed in his own business management firm Mr. Wilder's on the board of directors of St. Mary's Medical Center Pacific hospital the Southern California Association of governments and the regional research institute of Southern California and Sally and Michelle as the peace and freedom candidate in the fifty eighth district race. She teaches English as a second language. She serves on the peace and freedom party's state central committee. And as the newsletter editor and women alternate delegate from Long Beach she's active with the Alliance for survival Green Peace jobs with Peace Campaign National Organization for Women. And she's on the editorial board of the long week to this news. Assemblyman Ross Johnson Republican represent the

$61000 district is now completing his third term in the Assembly. He's a member of the Ways and Means judiciary and Human Services Committees. And prior to his election Mr. Johnson was an attorney with offices in Fullerton. He is the author of two propositions. Numbers 40 and 41 and the upcoming November election. Mary Brown's captives all Democrats served as the executive director of the Southwest Fullerton Community Center until last year. She was a political science instructor at five local colleges and worked for the California Teachers Association as a consultant. She's active with the National Organization for Women and the Orange County Human Relations Council the volunteer action center and many other groups she lives in Fullerton and elected member of the California Assembly now receives twenty eight thousand one hundred ten dollars per year plus $62 per diem for each day that the legislature is in session. The term of office is two years. Each candidate will now make a one minute statement on his or her candidacy after which I'll ask questions on the issues. And now let's start with Assemblyman Brown.

Thank you Jim. I first ran for the office that I now hold back in 1978 because I was really concerned about the direction the government was taking in California as our area chairman for Proposition 13 back in 70. I felt very strongly that we were spending too much money in this state on public functions instead of leaving enough money in the in the private hands of the working men and women of this state to do what they wanted to do with it instead of government always deciding what it wanted to do with it. That is something I've tried to change and I feel I've had an impact on it up in Sacramento the criminal justice system we have here in California as well. It's one that really concerns me an awful lot. I'm a strong supporter of the death penalty and consistently supported all legislation to toughen criminal penalties on criminals I should say in this state. So I hope you'll consider voting for me on November 6th. Thank you very much. Thank you. Mr. Wilder thank you Jim. California is a incredibly diverse rich and wonderful state. We got that way because many elected officials in the past have had the foresight to invest in good transportation good

education systems highways and economic development within our cities to provide roads and good police and fire departments unconcerned about the direction of the that the elected official the assemblyman of this district has chosen to go in the last six years he's chosen to vote no on nearly every single social issue for our cities for our senior citizens for transportation such as highways and even our education system has been has been given the short end of the stick by our president assemblyman. I feel that our criminal justice system and our taxation system is a fair system today. It's our education system and our transportation system. All the things that have made this the state rich and culturally diverse and wonderful that we must maintain. Thank you. Sally and Michelle please. Thank you. I have a feeling that both of my opponents

are looking at the whole thing as this system is OK. And I think that we have to look at all the things we're doing where we're spending our money. I think we're collecting enough taxes but we're using the money the wrong way and we're. I feel we should use it for human services for senior citizens for people who are ill poor people who are poor we need to have jobs that are meaningful for people. We have to think of not doing certain jobs but this thing of getting everybody employed. Is not solving the problem what kind of work is the best kind of work for people to do on this earth. How are we going to. Act towards fear. And I basically want a peaceful way of living on this earth. Thank you right.

Thank you. Let's come back now to Assemblyman Ross Johnson please. Help. I'm here asking the voters of the sixty fourth assembly district to re-elect me to renew my contract to you if you will. I feel I've done a good job of representing the views of the people of the sixty fourth assembly district. I grew up and lived all my life in that area. I think I'm an accurate reflection of the views of this of the citizens of that area. I stand for a responsible limited government conducted in a business like way strong law enforcement. I think that I've been helpful in that area. I'm proud of the direction of this state. When you consider where we were a few years ago under Jerry Brown and how far we've come today under George Mason I'm very proud to have played a part in that. And I look forward to another two years in office.

All right. Mayor Brown is captive Oakley. Thank you. I've lived in the 64 assembly district for almost 20 years. And I was asked to run in this district by a group of people including professional educators business people many women because they feel that the reference that they were not being properly represented in the assembly right now. My opponent has the second lowest absenteeism abstention record in the assembly out of control. And he seems to be so unable to effect legislation through the regular process. He has had to resort to the initiative process. I think the thing is he has sponsored this year as well as the ones that he is supporting Proposition 36 40 and 41 will be very detrimental to the future of our state. And I feel they will hurt not only the direct victims and the providers but also local and county government which will have to pick up the pieces after November 6. I am proud to be a legislator who will be able to work in concert with the other people in the assembly and be able to affect things. Well thank you.

All right thank you. Let's start with each of you because many time in a forum like this you hear questions as to what the audience thinks is important or what the moderator thinks is important. But I'd like to turn the tables on here and ask you to say what you think are the most important issues that are to be decided in this election in your district that I have with you Mr. Wilder. I think that education is probably the most important issue that needs to be addressed by the states. The future of our economic and social welfare in the state is depend. It starts at the educational level and without continued progress in education without better teacher training and student testing programs. Our economy in the future is going to suffer would you. Are you. Are you saying that the incumbent has not done as much for education since you say education is the most important one as much as the one that we face. Well I think we're just beginning with this vote on SB 13 which was a comprehensive education reform bill to his votes against

school construction school improvement programs. It's been consistent against public education in general let alone the specifics of education reform. I think it's consistent with other programs like that like transportation in the state. I look at the direct question to you and give you a chance to respond to that. The question is What do you feel is the most important issue that voters will be thinking about when they decide who they're going to vote for in this next election. Well Tim I really do feel that education is certainly one of the top two or three issues that we have here in California right now. I have opposed some of the legislation up in Sacramento dealing with education because I think it's taken us in the wrong direction. We have just many more people working the bureaucracy in education today than we had some 10 years ago and yet we have a half million less students than we had 10 years ago. We're putting the money basically in the wrong areas. It's been eaten up in the bureaucracy and it's not going to the students and that's where the money really needs to go into the classroom. More teachers more equipment more books those types of things.

And so just to pass the money without looking for where it's going is I think totally and with your support where you in general support of SB 13 in general I was that that was the bill I did vote against because you have to vote yes or no and there were provisions that would raise taxes for example and raised property taxes on the working men and women of the state and I was not prepared to vote for that. All right. Let's hear from what you feel. Sally and. You can ask the question what do you feel is the most important I know you mentioned piece in your opening statement but you will say I a that you're saying that both of the other opponents you have are wrong. What in what is the issue you think is important to them and I think Greece is the issue and getting the priorities for having peace and that entails looking re-evaluating what our schools are teaching how they're teaching it how they're reaching people. I'm a teacher and I find the schools are very undemocratic. Everything comes from the

top. I have been saying I would think more as a member of the state assembly. How would you do more as well as a member though whether you will do to promote peace for example. Well I think we I would argue that jobs with peace programs try to see how we could have conversion some of the industry that we have in Southern California to peaceful type of products like instead of building bombers we could build railroads. Because And then by that same token when children go to school to learn something they're not going to be learning how to do make weapons of destruction that will affect how they learn and. How they want to apply their learning. Does the peace you have that peace and freedom party and Freedom Party has any policies for example of what we're going to do about the water needs of this state about the transportation needs of this state about them.

Well they're basically on that conversion deal we got huge large landowners large farmers are taking most of the water and the public is paying for it. We pay for large amounts of water to come down to a certain area and the big farmer is using it and basically every little taxpayers paying for one person or one company. All right. And that is not right. All right. Thank you Mary. Funds have to go. You want to tell us what do you feel is the most important issue in this race. Just the one most important issue which every time I think education I agree with Mark I think education is critically important. And as a former educator and a mother of three children who've gone through the California public school system. I resent the fact that quite often the legislature plays politics with education Holdfast the budget until after we're one month into the new fiscal year didn't happen this year it happened last year. And forcing people good people volunteers educators administrators to have to spend needless time lobbying the legislature to get what should be the highest priority in my opinion. In state

government. So I think that education is by far the most important issue and I think our California school system needs to be restored to the. Top quality education system that it was before Ronald Reagan became governor which was just about the time that I moved to this state. I think that daycare is also critically important I'm very concerned for example about the latch key legislation that's on the governor's desk right now. And I think my opponent voted against that and I'm afraid that would legislation to me now is a latch key I just say oh I can never make that more than I with that time if I pass through this assembly in the Senate it's on the governor's desk. I know that a lot of people are very concerned about that path. I feel that very very important especially since we have so much surplus school space and what we need now and I'm finding it hard to be able to take care of the needs of working families so that they can keep and continue work. What is your biggest quarrel on political ground with the incumbent Mr. JOHNSON. Right. I feel that he is out of touch with his district just to see if out of touch with even the

leadership from his own party and particularly with the leadership from the majority party in the state assembly. And I feel that he is not able to affect a co-operative working on the latest relationship legislative. And I think he is you know press the first thing and it's one of the cave men. And what about what you want to fixate on. And what that refers to is a very reactionary negative ultra right wing political framework and this is not just Republican I'm not really a person like myself simply because he is Republican but because I feel that with politics out of touch with the 64 assembly district or did I understand the caveman that that that's the phrase that they have you know. All right we work too. I'm sure he can tell you lot about it or not or John can't make a response. But first the question is what do you think is the most important thing. I've given you a chance to make mine. I think the most important the most important and underlying issue of this campaign is what kind of a legislature is the people of California going to have a

legislature that's responsive to the needs of individual citizens and the desires of individual citizens. Our legislature that sets its own agendas a legislature that runs amok and sets entirely different priorities than the people of California would set. And I respectfully disagree with my opponent. I think I am an accurate reflection of the views of the overwhelming majority of the people of the 64 assembly district. All right. I'd like to go into one of the questions having to do with one of the propositions that will not occur here. We all know about the 17 that will occur here. One that will not appear as prop 35 having to do which would have had to do with the matter of giving the chance to the people to vote on the balanced budget. As you know the Supreme Court eliminated that from a ruling and you made a very harsh statement. You issued a very harsh statement about the Supreme Court for preventing the people from voting on a balanced budget amendment and you said these decisions amount to a concerted effort by the court to destroy the

process of direct democracy in California. Fortunately in two years California will be able to vote on Roseboro. And the judge is responsible for those outrageous decisions. You want to enlarge in that a little bit. Well I think that's a pretty harsh statement to make about what the Supreme Court did. Well I think it is outrageous that here hundreds of thousands of people signed an initiative to put that matter on the ballot. And yet the Supreme Court took it off the ballot. They did not want to give the people the chance to vote on it because they they basically knew how it was going to come down on Election Day. And I think Roseborough and her cronies on the court on the court have done a disastrous job in the last two or three years they've taken two ballot measures off the ballot that the people of the Sebastiani of the other want right because they just simply did not feel that it was the right of the people to have that option of voting on it. And let me say I strongly echo what Dennis Brown has just said. I think it's outrageous. And the court has repeatedly put itself in a position of going against the wishes and

desires of the people of California. Surveys indicated that that initiative would have passed with an excess of 70 percent of the vote. And yet the Supreme Court has denied the people of California even the opportunity to vote on the issue. Anyone else have any comments about that. But the Supreme Court. It's almost as if the Supreme Court has been injected by some of the candidates including Mr. Brown. Mr. Johnson has asked the Supreme Court itself where a major flaw in the whole political structure the firmament of California and I think that the few legislators such as Mr. Bradley was the dosen have substituted themselves for the court and are making decisions across the board about how things should be run in deciding that the initiative process is better than the legislative process which they've obviously failed to impact. Mr. Brown has gotten very very few pieces of legislation through the assembly as a whole. No major legislation through. It hasn't even introduced any major legislation that has made it to the Assembly floor with any significance.

I think that the process that they've chosen is the initiative process. The legislation has been flawed significantly and constitutionally it has been struck down constitutionally by the body that we do to power by the state constitution two to evaluate and interpret in their questioning the interpretation of the body that has the responsibility for that. I think that they should question their own drafting of the measures. I like that. Anyone else want to report on that coming and that's where I have another question. Just again it's it's just one more example in my opinion as I reiterate in prison and support everything you said. And I think it's one more example of kind of playing to the crowd and instead of doing one work in the legislature trying to come up with this public relations or any kind of a campaign like the balanced budget initiative Proposition 49 proposition 40 seems to be begging the issue and going around but once working in the legislature something I would like to ask each of you to answer this question is how you would tell a voter what you would put as

a high priority for your actions when the legislature goes back in December. And by the way I should get the record when they do go back in December their pay will go from 28000 a year to 33000 a year when they go back in December to be sworn in. Tell me what would you would like to work on if you were a sitting member of the assembly what would you put as your top priority your goals and objectives the very top if you were in there. Let's start with you. Well I think if you try to achieve for your district I've been a legislator in the city council for seven years and that's where I feel my expertise is I feel I can do most to impact the lives of the people of this district by by supporting those cities by getting good legislation on the debt that benefit the cities that makes it that helps cities to grow economically and socially and culturally. And that means for the police fire libraries and toxic waste protection et cetera across the board.

All right. What would you put your priority if you were up there a sitting member of the assembly. Well I'd have to really try to find out what I have to work with a lot of the agendas are set when you get there I'd have to find out what they are. But I really think it's important that we start examining the whole state of California. I wouldn't just think of. My district. I try to think how our district could work with other districts to make a better government for the state of California. Larry mentioned education day care and I think the next question that usually comes is how did you pay it. You can't get money and nobody wants to raise taxes. So I think that my agenda would be and I know I wouldn't accomplish it in the first two years would be to take a hard look at tax reform. I think that our tax system in California has grown sort of like think and there are a lot of loopholes. There are a lot of corporations for example which are not subject

to income tax. And if you didn't have a sales tax and I think that what happens then is that we lose millions of dollars each year I think the governor's. Idea about reforming or getting rid of the unitary tax system is a very dangerous one fiscally irresponsible at this point in time when we are closing down programs that are cutting education. So you mentioned education and latchkey education and they can help with the long range water needs of the state. I think that's very important. All right what would you what would be your agenda your top priority for your energy to be directed in December when you go back. Well I think education has been mentioned. Local government financing and so on. And strangely enough I agree with at least part of what the gentleman said I think we need to shift already for much of government to the local level to provide local education with the adequate predictable funding source to allow them to design an educational program to meet the needs of the children of that community. I think we need to do the

same for our local government generally the priorities that have been set in Sacramento are very different than the people of California would set for themselves. Let's return a responsibility to the local level. And those decisions will be much better. What would you say is your top priority if you're going to go be going back in December's dark for the next session. Well Jim I think I think the biggest overhaul we need in California now is is our criminal justice system I think Governor Manchin has done a great job of bringing us back to fiscal fiscally sound situation after the disastrous eight years of the Jerry Brown administration in California. But our criminal justice system is still one is dominated by giving more rights to criminals and not looking out for the law abiding people of California. So I think we need tougher laws and we need tougher judges. But thankfully we have a governor now that's going to put good law and order judges on the bench. So I think if we can get a stronger law and order type of society where the people who are law abiding will be afraid to walk the streets I think that's the best thing that we as a legislature could do for our citizens.

Let's go around the table very quickly to proposition that like to have you express yourselves on and then we've got about four minutes or so left. Let's see if we can go get these two in the first one is number 40 I get I bring it up with number one because of an important issue but also Mr. Johnson as the as the author of a number 40 is the campaign contribution limitations initiative. How are you going to vote yes or no longer. And why. Very quickly let's start with you Mr. Brown. Jim I intend to vote no for the simple reason that I believe that we do have a campaign financing system here in California that is abusive. And need some changes there's no doubt about it. But I really believe that prop 40 has a few too many restrictions on it. They would it would take a lot of the freedom that we have in our electoral process the way. And I think in a free society if you take anything away in freedom away you are part of the night and the freedom to make contributions. All right. Let us go very quickly because we're running out of time obviously very much for it whereas the fact that we're spending 50 million dollars on 100 legislative races in California is an obscenity. The fact that 90 percent of those funds come from these various special interest

groups that regularly lobby matters before the legislature is insane. It's got to be changed. All right. Mary very quickly. I'm voting against that. I bet it is. And another thing I think that that problem as with all the other propositions the ones that I've mentioned should be dealt with in the legislature. I think what would happen would be that for example the California Medical Association will continue to be able to be very influential in politics. But other groups like National Organization for Women would be very much limited. I think it's very much skewed in favor of the conservative Republicans. So you vote no. All right Sally and I would vote no. All right. I would vote though I think campaign reform is among a high priority for the needs of our system. However this is bad legislation once again. All right. Number proposition number 41 also authored by Ross Johnson would limit welfare to California to 10 percent higher than the rest of the country. In other words California would be the rest of the average of the country plus 10 percent. How are you going to vote

on it. I'm going to vote no. I think that different senior citizens far too much. It's a billion and a half dollar reduction and most of the recipients of this is going to be in the senior citizen area. It's a very mean piece of legislation. Very mean. I mean these are I mean so I think they're more nimble. No no no. Mary for us I'm voting now. I had a call from somebody from turn task of other day asking for help from me. I'm trying to pass Proposition 21 because of the fact that it's going to have children. Also it affects many many children and I think it's I agree with Sally it's a piece of legislation. We don't have to guess how you're going to vote. Mr. Johnson but let's hear what she has to say about well what all three of these individuals are ignoring either intentionally or through ignorance is the fact that California has 10 percent of the nation's population. Yet we spend more than 20 percent of the nation's welfare costs. We're spending $2.6 billion dollars above

the national norm that is adjusted for population on welfare in California which might be acceptable if we were doing a better job. But monumentally we are not. We have just 30 seconds. Well I intend to be a very strong supporter and vote yes for pro-life. The main reason is that because as Ralph said we have the most generous welfare system in the nation. We have a system that is encouraging people to stay there and unfortunately my opponent apparently doesn't know that that exempt senior citizens the blind and evil wrong that went that way and taking that boy not out with a wrong does not exempt. All right. On that note we're going to be advised that everybody ought to make it their business to look and decide what exactly what that does before they going to vote on our time is almost up. Now in the first half of our of our program and I want to thank all the candidates and the 58 and the 64 assembly districts for being with us. Our second half hour will be with a 67 and 69 Assembly this week. Welcome to the second half of today's election for our program and this program will interview

candidates for the 67 and 69 assembly district in Orange County the 67 Assembly District occupies the northeast corner of the county and includes much of the undeveloped foothill areas near the Cleveland National Forest that includes the cities of orange touchtone Yorba Linda Anaheim Hills and Villa Park. Portions of Santa Ana and the incorporated part of North zenana are also included in this district. The 67 assembly district has 157 thousand registered voters of these 89000 Republicans and 52000 a Democrat giving the Republican Party a large edge of 37000 voters. Women voters outnumber men by 9000 in this district. The 69 Assembly District occupies the West central Orange County and compromises most of the areas bordering the San Diego freeway. It includes the cities of Irvine and valley and about half of Costa Mesa and portions of Westminster's Santa Ana and El Toro the 69 assembly district has

160 9000 registered voters. There are eighty six thousand Republican and 62000 Democrats in the district giving the Republican Party a large a large edge of 24000 voters. Women again outnumber men by 8000 in this district. Today we had whether the incumbent assemblyman from both 67 and the 69 district and their challengers and now let's meet them. Assemblyman John Lewis Republican is competing a second legislative term and represents the 67 assembly district. He's a member of the public employees retirement system committee housing and community development committee and the finance and insurance committee. Prior to his election in the assembly Mr. Lewis managed his family's business. Ray Anderson Democrat is the founder of the communications concepts a private business providing workshops on interpersonal communications. He's taught at the University of Wisconsin and was a newspaper reporter in Michigan and North Carolina. He was a senior technical editor on two Alaskan pipeline project and a military correspondent in Vietnam and he lives in Orange. The peace and freedom candidate in

this race Kathryn Abercrombie declined to appear on the program. She is a resident of the city of Orange. Assemblyman Nolan freezable Republican represents the 69 district he was elected in 1980 and is now completing his second term. His committee assignments include health transportation utilities and commerce and public employees in retirement. Prior to his election to Frizzell practice Optometry in Newport Beach Howard Gensler Democrat is an attorney and a professor of law and tax at Northeastern University. He holds five bachelor degrees from UC Irvine and has a law degree in public policy graduate degree from UC Berkeley. He's active on committees at UC Irvine and has taught and coached at local schools and he's rather than the Costa Mesa. I'll now ask each candidate to make a one minute statement about his candidacy and then I will direct questions to each other and I let's start with Mr. Lewis. Thank you Jim. I'm concluding my second term or fourth year in the state assembly and it's been a real honor representing the people of northeast Orange County and those four years I've

attempted to be a voice for fiscal responsibility and a strong supporter of law and order legislation. And I'm also very supportive of what the governor is attempting to do and I hope that that has earned me the trust and hopefully the re-election of the people to 67. Thank you Mr. Anderson. I believe that John has done some very good things in his. Candidacy but I believe that what we need here in this district is a candidate who represents a moderate trend instead of a very conservative one. My belief that we have to continue to build upon the the partnership of government community business and labor to see whether we can produce the sort of system we want here that will work to everybody's business interests. And my personal experience which has been very broad I've found that people worked and lived together with had a very simple objective that they all wanted something better for the family. My objective in this is to see whether we can achieve a kind of a harmonious relationship that reduces the adversarial problems that we've had in the past and provide for a family

and community development that will provide the most for all of us. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Assemblywoman Frenzel Jeremih been honored to represent the 16:9 assembly district for four years and I've served on some very significant committees for the well-being of this district. Transportation health committee utilities and Commerce Committee we have some tremendous infrastructure problems and some tremendously complicated problems that face the state and face her district. One of the key major problems we have in this area is the long range supply of water. It's tremendously important that we address that transportation system. I am also very concerned about the education system and the reforms that are necessary to make it address those kinds of problems that are not uniform throughout the state but reflect what each district really seems to require. I do believe more than anything else that our particular district is the

heartland of Orange County. It needs a certain amount of protection but it certainly needs to have addressed some of those potential emergencies that we have built in. What could you name it before we go and what kind of emergency would you say. I believe that your map originally did not display the south half of Huntington Beach as being part of the district Jim but we do have that in Costa Mesa where at the bottom end of fan floodplain and I believe the potential for emergency flooding in this area is absolutely one of the greatest potential disasters of any part of the county I think I did a show on it and be a part of that because certainly you're right about the flood plain that you would say that's one of the issue you meant by emergency. That's right. And I think also more than anything else we need to realize that each district has its own particular unique problems and to represent the district adequately working the solutions into those particular legislative proposals is a very complicated

process. All right we have one minute going to your opponent here but I just want to say I didn't understand what you meant by emergency. All right sir. Mr. Greenberg thank you. I've worked professionally as an attorney and economist and analyst and administrator and I believe I can aggressively defend the interests of Orange County in Sacramento. The legislature is dominated by Democrats and I believe Orange County is a traditional Republican area has not gotten its fair share. Recent example was actually called the building at UC Irvine which does not fit in with the general architecture of the university. I believe we have gotten the poor sister share of state funding. Another area that discriminates against Orange County is developers fees for developing freeways. I think freeways are a state and federal concern and make private owners and landowners develop these freeways I think is unfairly discriminatory against growth areas like Orange County. Water is a major concern. Mr. Frizzell point out we have a face of life for about 20 more years but then we're going to have some trouble and we're going to have to develop something now. We want to make it as

hard to fly a plane goes I did work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers economics department water resources section and the sand in a flood zone is probably the number one project on the corps list right now and that is being attended to. But it is a serious problem. Thank you. I'd like to come back and start with you with a question to you. You must know that you have a tough job ahead of you have 24000 plurality of Republicans in your district over Democrat. What attack do you intend to use. What strategy would you use to advance your race to trying to teach your opponent. I don't believe there is more dichotomous race in this state. Mr. Frenzel this I believe proud of his record he's never shied away from it and I believe I have many differences. He consistently votes against consumer civil liberty age education health environment women minority and labor concerns and although I wouldn't blindly vote for any one group all the time. I His consistency is remarkable. A few examples. He's voted

against Medi-Cal funding education funding. He authored a bill I believe to impose fees on student activities for extra activities. I believe that finance is a key problem and the key problem in the state but these little Band-Aid fees are not the way to solve our financial problems. Another example would be although he voted not to extend corporate liability for sales tax deficiencies to corporate officers he did vote for increased penalties when homeowners are late in their property taxes. And I think it's the sort of anti-consumer attitude more pro-corporate on his record on oil company voting is very consistent separates the two of us very clearly. So if you had to if you had to try and define what makes you different from your opponent and the choice that the board will have when he goes into the polling place you would say that those would be the votes that shopping list you just gave I would say my positions are completely dichotomous with

his that I am for some consumer protection civil liberties aged concerns. Another example in the environmental area he there was a bill to allow the state to accept donations of conservation easement were property and would want to donate land to form a green belt. He did. He voted to not accept that. Another one is where cities were allowed to enforce or cease and desist orders for the violation. And he voted not to extend that to cities and the cities of course have a vital interest in that area and beach. Our district does have a coastal area. Let's hear a rebuttal from that for the metaphysical part of the city to the way that you differ from him in that you have been anti-consumer. If I understand correctly you want to respond to these. I'm sure we differ in a lot more ways than what he's mentioned. It's important to realize that the job base has to be protected in California and the costs very frequently to a lot of the

programs that are promoted in legislation in Sacramento. Inhibition to the private sector actually accomplishing any kind of growth or expansion. Our tax dollars at the local county and state levels are all derived from a vigorous kind of economy and job base anything that inhibits that growth in that economy. I believe it reflects in every single budgetary item across the board. Well you've mentioned education as being a matter of great concern to you as one of the things health water transportation education. Have you voted money for all those things that you say or did for education package. Yes I did. But I did not vote for it immediately. I didn't vote for it until we had the reforms in education that are necessary to point out in this particular area in Orange County especially we have a very effective educational system. But the more effective we become the more dollars are withdrawn from Orange County and put in other areas of

the state. And it costs us money to be effective in order to make our way in Orange County. We have to be particularly diligent that we protect our particular funding. So you're you would be willing to spend tax dollars for example for crime programs textiles for transportation tax dollars for water. If you are convinced that those are infrastructure circumstances and yes I am. What about the the allegation that you're less than sensitive to seniors or handicapped. I think I think I'd probably have more support from seniors than almost any other legislator. I have more than anyone else in Orange County. I believe counseled with seniors worked with seniors consistently and voted almost entirely in behalf of their best business interest. Let's start with Mr. Anderson I'll ask the same question I asked them again or you have a very strong Republican plurality in the race that you're in. How do you intend to go

about that by showing how you differ from the incumbent. Well how do you exactly how do you differ from him. Well I think we differ in some very fundamental ways. And one of the things that I find very fascinating about my participation in the campaign is that. I think John prides himself in his conservative stand and I think he's got a constituency there that values that. However there is some. Problem in my mind as to how much of that consistency or that constituency really believes what he does. My feeling is very strongly that John represents a small portion of that district very very well. But my strong feeling is that I think I can do a bit better now to give you an example I exactly what would you do that he's not doing it the other way what is he doing that's wrong in your judgment. What I'd like to do is right now in Orange County we have one of the highest incomes in the nation and I believe that we ought to start working toward one of the biggest problems we have here is the very very high rate of divorce. Now that high rate of

divorce has created one of the most significant childcare problems in the nation. And I believe personally that that's the biggest problem we have in Orange County the need for child care the need for childcare is incredible. We we need right now we have approximately a hundred ninety five thousand children out there under the age of 14 who don't have adequate childcare and the ages before school. We've got 55000 people. Young kids don't have adequate childcare and this is not a situation it's isolated to people who are poor or on welfare or Medicaid we're talking about middle class families who cannot find adequate care because of the breakdown of the family structure here. Is there anything else that you think that the incumbent is doing wrong that you want to get on the record right now and then we can ask him about it. I would like to say that I think one of the biggest problems that I've seen with John is that his limited stance on the Chamber of Commerce issues which has been very good in that regard he gets high ratings. But I think he's kind of left a lot of the human issues aside and I think that he ought to do things and live to the old the aged and the needy people on welfare people who have housing difficulties.

Would you want to respond to that. Well if the worst criticism that can be said about me is that I might be too conservative I'll plead guilty in the district that I represent. I would have to tell you I believe to be the most conservative philosophically inclined district in the state of California. And for that reason I think I do a very good job of reflecting that attitude of the people in my district. I continue to be concerned about high taxes they continue to be concerned about government bureaucracy state spending law and order issues. And I think I do a good job of reflecting their concerns. Did you vote yes or no on SB 8:13 the one that would create benefits for education. 8:13 was a difficult vote for me. I had a number of serious misgivings but I eventually voted yes on it. You did. All right if you want to make any other response to your opponent who said that you are unmindful of those who have social needs and so forth because of your conservative stance. Well I think you'd have to look at specific years and. Go blind

and people like that. I don't think so at all. You know my voting record is one that once again reflects the district as a whole. Last time I was re-elected by a 70 percent vote margin and the senior citizens and young people that are in my district share a lot of those same conservative values I like that ask you to respond in a couple of things that a lot of people are going to be thinking about in this election because it seems to be they seem to be issues that have to do with how you view the human condition. And certainly one of these is the one that we've just talked about with Mr. Ross Johnson which was number number 41 which is welfare. How would you vote on that. And very quickly why. Because we had to get the two or three of them. How would you vote on 41. The proposition that would limit welfare to 10 percent above the national average. I find it amazing that under the Reagan administration the top 40 percent of the nation is more rich

in the bottom 40 percent is poor. And in California we're not satisfied with that we're going after basically poor sector poverty is increasingly becoming a women's issue. Women had more heads of households under the poverty line than the men do to cut three million out of explaining our program. I find unconscionable. And I will vote against this you know. How would you vote. I didn't vote for a number of reasons particularly but I think the budget in the state obviously needs some work. And I think that I would be supportive of the legislation even that Governor Deukmejian support and has enacted partially down in San Diego a worker program because I think it's important. I talked to a constituent yesterday who is going on this campus on welfare and wanted to go to school and could not get in the school because she was on welfare. I take it you don't vote no then I'm probably already one. Let's go to proposition 41 by Robert Johnson in Lima. A very strong supporter of proposition 41 I think Ross Johnson is a very eloquently made the point that

in California we have 10 percent of the population yet 20 percent of the welfare payments. We are so generous in California that we have an extreme problem with welfare migration to our state which only exacerbates exacerbates the problem. So you don't vote no. What are you rather are you going to vote. Yeah right. Right. You've both already know. And how about you. How would you go on Top 40. I'm very proudly voting in favor of this measure. I believe that took a lot of courage on Rose Johnson's part to put it forth that these only expense. I agree with John very much that the welfare issue is sopping up the kind of dollars that are inhibiting growth in this state and we pay the average welfare family a $150 higher than the next highest state in the whole country. And I believe it does act as a gigantic vacuum attracting people to California and the welfare rolls. Proposition 39 seeks to put reapportionment in the hands of an object of commission and take it out of the hands of the legislature. How are you going to vote. I'm 39 now.

Jim I'm glad you bring that question up because I continue to think that reapportionment in this state is the single most important issue before the people. Because until we have an opportunity to bring fairness back to California politics we're going to be suffering in these districts which lock in incumbents and lock in. So you essentially a one party system that I was very strongly supporting the governor's plan prop 39. I'm very strongly going to support the plan as well. I've heard it said by opponents of the proposition that this is the governor's program. This is a Republican or the governor put it on the ballot. But the fact is the commission established by the governor will have more than equal representation from the Democrat Party. There's veto power in the hands of the legislature to the result of whatever the commission comes up with. And I believe every protection that the public no matter whether Republican or Democrat requires is in the bill. All right. How are you gentlemen. Prop 39. They will not have more than equal representation of Democrats. The applicant pool for that permission is more

heavily weighted by Republicans and by white males and elderly white males over 74. I'm going to vote against it although I'm not happy with the reporting of gains and if you remember back in 1970 with Ronald Reagan they weren't able to solve this and they had to go to that sort of commission. Yes. If we went to a commission or they went in the courts and that time. Right. It went to the courts. Right. If they would like to do that for 19 90 and be done with it once but every time you change it it's de-stabilizing as we candidates make our contacts and run our campaigns and the district the the chain and communication is affected. How how would you vote for them. You going to vote no on private 2039 you think it's a bad. No I think when you do something about the report you win games but you don't do it now and don't do it that way. Why would you vote on Thursday night. I don't know. And for some of the same reasons I think there's a there's a need to have a better reapportionment program out there. But I think the fact that we've got one now that's equally unfair is in

1982 on that the Democrats propose is no answer to the question. Furthermore I think it's from the judiciary because now we're going to governors appointing people to the judiciary which will in fact have some reapportionment capability. I don't believe that's an answer. I think that's just a further exacerbation of a problem that we've already encountered. So you know I would rather have the common sense approach and do something else. No absolutely. Orange County has tremendous two horrendous problems one of them is this station tremendous long leads and transportation the second one is a tremendous long read long range needs for water. How would you as an assembly person address those to crying out problem. That was one of the great things about Proposition 8 which my opponent opposed the federal government isn't building freeways anymore. You need matching funds you need a local source of funding for 10 cents of profit fund. We could have got a dollar of state and federal funds. We could have pushed our tax burden out of the area. That's the key to government to finding ways to shift the tax burden and take advantage of existing programs and get the most benefits for your

district. Prop 8 was one way to do that. We need to have a local source of funding or otherwise we're going to be paying into a pool that's going to be building transportation projects and we won't be getting any money back out we'll be spending tax dollars and not getting them back. We need a local source of funding for my water and that water again. A key issue for two reasons. One the shortage wrong way in the water the long range water they're going to have to come up with in a reasonably environmentally sound method of doing this. The Arizona area will be taking more water to bring about the river for new water down you know the peripheral canal was defeated. So what do we do. Now the governor at that point was put on the back burner. It's that what happened top Southern California project for the year 2000. We have to plan for it now. What's the point that putting simply another water issue is that by over irrigating the Central Valley the fault which is the soil in the Central Valley is being burned out. So while we have not enough water in southern California over irrigating that Central Valley which is a key problem we're burning that out. We're losing a lot of farmland already today. And our thanks to the destruction of that very fertile valley.

Let's get this question because I do want to hear from everybody on this one. What about the two crying out problems the the cry out I should say for a solution in Orange County our long range water need and our long range transportation needs. I agree both a need to be worked on. Look at the transportation improvement program for the next five years it doesn't have enough for Orange County. And there's a lot of new highways being built but they're not being built here. And I what would you do as a member of the state assembly to try and address that. I would have the funds brought down here. I think that we have to really be very vocal in the legislature and try to get the funds here in Orange County because we do have a large constituency and we do have a large team. Secondly on the water that's imperative. This is a desert and 20 years in six months that we didn't have water everybody would be dead. And I think as a consequence you look at my priority to the present legislature has not done enough. I don't think we have. Obviously there's a lot of complicated issues. The no North-South issue. We've got a problem in which Northern California Fuel desperately the problem with water that you hear from the two gentlemen to crying crying

problems of Orange County long range water and long range transportation. What can you do and what are you doing as a legislator to address those too. Sure Jim. First of all I've been a strong supporter of the governor's water program this year. Unfortunately that was bottled up once again it was it was the one of those measures his water plan which ran into stiff opposition from the environmental A coalition of environmental activists and the Liberal Democrat majority in both houses of the legislature. I supported his water plan of widening the Delta channels and trying to bring more water down our capacity down. It is a you know long term just a very very critical problem for Orange County. With regard to transportation. True enough. Orange County it's one of the severe issues that faces Orange County and we need to do a tremendous amount more to I think he told us that you voted no on Prop 8 is that right. Yes I did. But I'd I'd like one minute what do we do about the transportation. What we're doing about transportation right now is that Noland frizzel and myself and a number of other legislators we have been lobbying the governor excessively to help out Orange County more. Give us a bigger share of

that. That's a lot of transportation dollars because under the Jerry Brown Adrianna's and Turkel years our county was woefully short changed. We were a provider County not a not a receiver. You since George Deukmejian has taken office we've already seen an improvement of 100 million dollars added to Orange County projects in five years state transportation improvement projects. Do you want to add something to that in that proposal or I'd like to say that water is very responsive to our particular plight and transportation on transportation. Most of the things are on the step now that we're not on this tip and the state will pay for a large portion of those things that were theoretically going to be paid for by Proposition 8. How do you vote on Prop 8. You've voted against it. I voted against it because of a dampening effect on business again. Tell me what will you ask with then what Mr. Lewis said the governor you work in lobbying the governor to be more responsive to our need. Absolutely. Plus the fact that I happened to be on the transportation committee now for four years and I have been played a role in getting Highway

55 and I call them our freeway under way again and I believe by that kind of lobbying it does help. What about water very quickly water needs to get more voices in the in the in the debate. I am very anxious that we get some consultation by those people who actually sell the water to the public. We are creating that kind of a board right now to discuss more of the kinds of threats we can bring about the Northern California holdout. I'm going to try something we have just a minute left. I want go around and see if we can get one more in. Proposition 37 seek to put in a lottery to solve the education problems. You vote yes or no on very quickly and maybe a couple of sentences on why. Yes but I'd like to look at why we have to spend 175 million dollars every year just administer that program. All right. How you vote on the seat lottery 537. The lottery is a voluntary way to raise money. I don't think it's a very good way to raise money because you're raising money from the working and lower classes. But it's not a bad way. I think the major thing in reporting property tax and income tax. You vote yes.

I'm not real strong for it but I might vote yes I might vote no. All right. Prop 37 lottery right or wrong. I think it's wrong. I think it sucks again. Too much money out of the economy. People should be buying shoes and food and things like that. But those dollars and I believe that it acts just like a tax increase and dampening the economy will probably pass. But I think it acts like a tax increase. Prop 37 the lottery. Right or wrong. I'm also going to vote no I think that it's once again what we're saying is that out of a $31 billion state budget in the state of California is not bringing in enough money and I think that's hogwash. I don't think there's a need for any kind of additional tax voluntary or otherwise. All right. That we've covered that very very quickly now and then of course the best advice for all of the voters is to make up their own mind. Our time is almost up. Be with us please. Next Friday night at 8:30 when we present candidates for the 70th and seventy first assembly districts followed by candidates of the 77

74 assembly district I'm Jim Cooper. Thanks for being with. Me. D d. D. D d