League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Diego County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Member of the State Assembly; District 76

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Fiscal Choices, Water, Education, Your Priorities Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. How would you prioritize the fiscal choices the Legislature must make to align the state’s income and spending? Answer from Thomas Krouse: Fiscal choices in California State Government should be prioritized based upon "necessity" and "effectiveness". Too often, the State of California spends taxpayers' money where it is not needed. Furthermore, when Sacramento spends money where it is needed, it does so ineffectively, with poor results and "low return on investment". When California State Government spends taxpayer money to fulfill its limited duties and to deliver on our promises to citizens (particularly to children, seniors, and veterans), it should do so with an awareness that tax revenues are limited. And, if the U.S. Federal Government imposes unfunded mandates on California, our state government, including the legislature, must defend California's taxpayers and residents via all reasonably available means. Debts racked up by Sacramento must eventually be paid for by current Californians or future generations, and they will unavoidably result in higher taxes and/or lower services. Waste, fraud, and abuse should not be tolerated, and violators should be held accountable and punished severely regardless of their position in government or society. 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? Answer from Thomas Krouse: Water infrastructure investments have been neglected for years. But, money does not grow on trees. We need to make smart investments to increase water availability, and the best way to ensure that these investments are made efficiently is to incorporate free market forces into the decision making process. Bureaucratic efforts to throw money wildly at a problem will lead to more waste and less progress. Billions of taxpayer dollars spent on "new" sources of water without any accountability will simply benefit those who have been feeding off of subsidized water in California for decades. Public-private partnerships and loans should be utilized to be sure that project owners (including municipalities and water agencies) are held accountable for the projects that they choose to fund and manage. This will ensure the greatest increase in the quantity and reliability of water for households, industry, and agriculture. Specifically, new and expanded 'grey water' treatment projects that convert waste water into water suitable for use in agriculture (which frees up drinking water that is currently used for irrigation) should receive full consideration given their apparent cost and reliability advantages. While the State of California may need to look beyond grey water projects to meet all of our incremental water needs, it is simply prudent to prioritize projects that are most efficient, can be brought online quickly, and have the least environmental impact. 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? Answer from Thomas Krouse: The California Legislature should be able to impartially gauge the effectiveness of the state's high schools in order to help parents and local voters hold school boards, administrators, and teachers accountable. Ultimately, local school boards are responsible for designing and managing the best available educational process for their students given the available funding. The California Legislature can help school boards be more effective by providing more transparency and reliability in school funding. Furthermore, the California Legislature should be held accountable for the level of funding provided to schools taking into account each district's unique distribution of student needs. The Legislature should also be held accountable when it chooses to support or restrict innovation in education whether in methods, technology, or access. 4. What other major issues do you think the Legislature must address? What are your own priorities? Answer from Thomas Krouse: In addition to the issues discussed above, the Legislature needs to address California's lagging business competitiveness which leads to lower job growth, lower wage growth, higher unemployment, and a higher tax burden on those people who pay state and local taxes. California's legislature also needs to address the corrupting influence of special interests on state government and on state and local elections. Much greater transparency is required regarding who is influencing legislation, rulemaking, and elections. Further restrictions on special interest lobbying activities and 'revolving-door' jobs for former staff and elected officials are required. California is the 8th largest economy in the world, and we have enormous resources. Yet, California "punches beneath its weight." The Legislature needs to help the state become the global leader that she is capable of being, given our advantages in size, technology, diversity, natural resources, and location. The legislature cannot fulfill its duty if it is mired in partisan bickering, the pursuit of special interest pet projects, and crony capitalism. The consequence of Sacramento's dysfunction is that every day Californians have become hostages and collateral damage in an ideological political war. The people of California deserve much better than what Sacramento has been delivering, and if elected, I intend on holding Sacramento to a much higher standard. 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. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.