Jeff Perwin, the Republican challenger to Democratic Sen. Christine Kehoe in the 39th Senatorial District, took our questions on the state budget, education spending, prison policy and more.
Many candidates challenging state legislative incumbents make it sound like Sacramento is ignoring easy answers to pressing problems – that spending can readily be controlled and budgets balanced. Few incumbents think this is true. What is your view?
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NEXT WEEK: Phil Thalheimer, San Diego 1st District City Council candidate
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We must have a balanced budget that meets the demands of the people of the state of California. We will have to make some tough choices and set some of today's “wants” aside in order to achieve tomorrow's needs. We also need to place funds aside for the unexpected events we know will happen but not when, such as fires or earthquakes.
On the budget, you're against higher taxes to cover the structural deficit of at least $500 million a month. Yet you also say more resources need to go to education, the biggest part of the budget. How do we end up with a balanced budget with this approach?
We need to lower taxes on small business and bring new business to California to stimulate growth. Historically, this model has generated a increase in tax streams across the board. We also need to end automatic increases to spending on some of the programs funded by the state.
The fastest-growing part of the budget deals with prisons, which are overcrowded because of tough-on-crime laws championed by Republicans. Is it time for the GOP to rethink its approach to crime? If so, how?
Some 25 percent of the prisoners in the state jails are illegal aliens. This is having a direct impact on both the overcrowding and budget issues. In addition, the three-strikes law needs to be applied as it was intended when the voters approved it, and not applied onto cases where it does not belong. We also need to rethink some of the sentencing guidelines in some types of crime.
Then how do you feel about Propositions 6 and 9, which would increase prison crowding?
I support both 6 and 9 as well as Prop. 5. Prop. 6 will help to protect our neighborhoods against gang members that would get out of jail and back into a life of crime. I also believe that victims should have a greater voice and rights during parole hearings.
Editor's note: Mr. Perwin did not use the 425 words he was allotted to respond to our questions. So to give you a further look at his views on the issues, here is an excerpt from his campaign Web site:
“One would be hard-pressed to find a more important issue that Jeff feels so passionate about than ending poverty and crime. This is something that can't be fixed overnight. ...
“Poverty and crime are not exclusive problems; where you find one, you most often find the other.
“However, the best solution to poverty is wealth! No other program can solve poverty like wealth can! And how can you gain wealth? By making sure that our children succeed in schools and that there are plenty of jobs available when they graduate. This is hard to do when some 50 percent to 60 percent of schoolchildren are failing and 42 percent don't even graduate!”
