Voter Guide: Assembly candidates spar on deficit, agree on education Voter Guide: Assembly candidates spar on deficit, agree on education (October 23, 2002)

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

The achievement gap in public education and the state budget deficit are key issues being debated in the race for the 21st District seat in the state Assembly.

The candidates are: incumbent Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), a former school board president, Palo Alto mayor, and Santa Clara County supervisor who is now completing his first two-year term in the Assembly; Jim Russell, a Los Gatos Republican who has taken a leave of absence from a 25-year career in public education; and Raymond Bell, a Libertarian and staff engineer from Redwood City.

Mr. Simitian and Mr. Russell presented their views at recent forums sponsored by the League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County, one of which was held October 10 in the Menlo Park City Council chambers.

Mr. Bell did not attend the forum. "I'm not really running an active campaign," he said in response to an Almanac request for position statements.
Better education

Poor academic performance among many students from low-income school districts is a high priority for Mr. Simitian and Mr. Russell, and at the forum, both candidates agreed on three approaches to the problem: School districts should have more local control with consequent reductions in state and federal bureaucratic influence; school district governing boards should be more accountable for student performance; and parents should continue to have alternatives to traditional schools, such as charter and magnet schools.

In a 13-point position statement, Mr. Russell said he also supports a stronger focus on basic skills during students' formative years, a streamlining of the process of firing ineffective teachers, and a "significant" reduction in the number of standardized tests California students now face.

Mr. Simitian, who chairs the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, did not provide explicit position statements on education, but has drafted several education-related bills that became law, including measures that increase the level of funding for poor school districts and that streamline the process of new construction on campuses.

He also wrote two bills that received nearly unanimous support in the state Legislature, but were subsequently vetoed by Governor Gray Davis. One bill would have continued funding of summer school for elementary school students at risk of being held back for failure to pass standardized tests; the other attempted to establish a charter school funding partnership between the state and wealthy school districts.
Budget priorities

While Mr. Simitian and Mr. Russell largely agree on education issues, they disagree on financial matters such as the bond measures on the November ballot and on how to address the state's $24 billion budget deficit.

Mr. Simitian supports, and Mr. Russell opposes, the state propositions in this election that would authorize the sale of general obligation bonds. Proposition 46 would raise $2.1 billion to support 21 types of housing programs, including homeless shelters and housing for farm workers. Proposition 47 would raise $13 billion to upgrade K-16 school facilities throughout the state.

"Right at the moment, we should be enacting no bonds for anything," Mr. Russell said at the candidate's forum. Mr. Simitian said he supports both propositions and is a co-author of the legislation behind Proposition 46.

In his approach to the deficit, Mr. Simitian said he would cut programs and raise taxes, modeling his actions on those of former Republican Governor Pete Wilson, who in response to a $14 billion deficit, split the difference and instituted $7 billion in cuts and $7 billion in new taxes, Mr. Simitian said.

Mr. Russell said he is opposed to any tax increase and would trim state expenses using a method called zero-based budgeting.

Traditionally, budgets are based on the previous year's allocations plus a percentage for inflation. Under a zero-based budgeting regime, every state department or agency begins the fiscal year with no authorized funds and must construct a budget from scratch by re-justifying the spending for each program.

Raymond M. Bell Jr.

Profession: Engineer

Experience: Information not provided.

Education: Information not provided.

Age: 46
S. Joseph Simitian

Profession: Assembly member, 21st District.

Experience: Attorney and city planner; chair of Assembly Subcommittee on Education Finance; Santa Clara County supervisor; mayor of Palo Alto; past president of Palo Alto School Board, Santa Clara County School Boards' Association and the League of California Cities, Peninsula Division; past chair of the Santa Clara County Intergovernmental Council.

Education: J.D., University of California, Berkeley; Master of city planning, U.C. Berkeley; M.A. in international policy studies, Stanford University; B.A., The Colorado College.

Age: 49
James Russell

Profession: High school principal.

Experience: 25-year career in the Campbell Union High School District as a history teacher, dean of students, vice principal and principal. Leigh High School in Los Gatos was named a California Distinguished High School in 1999 while Mr. Russell was principal.

Education: M.A. in public administration, San Jose State University; B.A. in political science, SJSU.

Age: 51