Issue Position: Fiscal Responsibility

Issue Position

Californians cannot afford a government that won't balance its books and live within its means. And Sacramento cannot continue to look to taxpayers to bail it out from bad decision-making.

As an eleven-year Councilmember and three-term Mayor of Orinda, I have worked with all parties in my community to produce balanced budgets and prudent reserves. As a California State University Trustee, I voted repeatedly against excessive executive pay. And, I am proud to have been a key advisor to Governor Jerry Brown as he has brought California back to fiscal sanity. In just three years, we went from a $28 billion state budget deficit with massive unpaid state operating debt to a balanced budget with future projected surpluses.

But there is more -- much more -- to be done to safeguard California's long-term fiscal health. Here's what I believe:

* California must live within its means. When voters approved a temporary income and sales taxes in 2012, they wanted Sacramento to protect our schools and make the tough decisions to balance its books. There are still more hard choices to be made. Those taxes were meant to be temporary and I will work to see we live within our means and avoid new state tax burdens.
* Strong action is needed to reduce the long-term liability of public pension costs. Our state pension obligation for public employees is billions of dollars out of balance. We need to own up to the extent of this problem and take steps now to eliminate this unfunded liability.
* Fiscal security requires greater focus on creating jobs and growing the economy. The best way for California to pay its bills and keep its promise to future generations is to build a strong economy. I support minimizing regulatory burdens that don't diminish health and safety but would stifle our prosperity and send jobs to other states.

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