Project Vote Smart - Senator Dean R. Florez - Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Senator Dean R. Florez (CA)
Current Office: State Senate Current District: 16 Party: Democratic				Biographical Voting Record Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)Interest Group Ratings Campaign Finances



Senator Dean R. Florez REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY RESPONSES TO CITIZENS ON ISSUES THROUGH THE 2006 NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY Key national leaders of both major parties including: John McCain, Republican Senator Geraldine Ferraro, Former Democratic Congresswoman Michael Dukakis, Former Democratic Governor Bill Frenzel, Former Republican Congressman Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart President Over 100 news organizations throughout the nation also urged their candidates to supply their issue positions through the National Political Awareness Test. What is the Political Courage Test? This candidate has responded to a different Political Courage Test. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here. California State Legislative Election 2002 National Political Awareness Test Please Note The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item. Project Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches. Abortion Issues Budgetary, Spending and Tax Issues Campaign Finance and Governmental Reform Issues Crime Issues Educational Issues Employment and Affirmative Action Issues: Environmental and Energy Issues Gun Issues Health Issues Welfare and Poverty Issues Legislative Priorities

Abortion Issues
(Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion.
	a) Abortions should always be illegal.
X	b) Abortions should always be legally available.
	c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
	d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
	e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
	f) Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
X	g) Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as partial birth abortion.
	h) Support amending the California Civil Code to state that human life begins at conception.
	i) Other or expanded principles

Budgetary, Spending and Tax Issues
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State Budget: Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories.
Maintain Funding Status	a) Education (Higher)
Greatly Increase Funding	b) Education (K-12)
Maintain Funding Status	c) Environment
Greatly Increase Funding	d) Health care
Greatly Increase Funding	e) Law enforcement
Greatly Increase Funding	f) Transportation and Highway infrastructure
Greatly Decrease Funding	g) Welfare
	h) Other or expanded categories
State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support.
Maintain Status	a) Alcohol taxes
Eliminate	b) Capital gains taxes
Maintain Status	c) Cigarette taxes
Greatly Decrease	d) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status	e) Gasoline taxes
Greatly Decrease	F) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
Greatly Decrease	g) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
Eliminate	h) Inheritance taxes
Maintain Status	i) Property taxes
Maintain Status	j) Sales taxes
Slightly Decrease	k) Vehicle taxes
	l) Other or expanded categories
Undecided	m) Should Internet sales be taxed?
Yes	n) Would you support placing any operating surplus into a "rainy day" fund?
Undecided	o) Should California legalize gambling in specific cities in order to generate tax revenue?
	p) Other or expanded principles

Campaign Finance and Governmental Reform Issues
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Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and governmental reform.
Yes	a) Do you support the current two term, eight year limit for California governors?
Yes	b) Do you support the current two term, eight year limit for California state senators?
Yes	c) Do you support the current three term, six year limit for California assembly members?
No	d) Do you support amending the term limit law to allow voters to place a current legislator on the ballot who would otherwise be ineligible to run for re-election?
e) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?
Yes	1) Individual
Yes	2) PAC
Yes	3) Corporate
Yes	4) Political Parties
Yes	f) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
Yes	g) Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
No	h) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
Undecided	i) Do you support voting on-line?
Yes	j) Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying and ensuring accuracy of votes?
Yes	k) Do you support prohibiting media exit polling of voters until all polling locations in California are closed?
Yes	l) Do you support allowing voter registration on Election day?
No	m) Should California recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
Yes	n) Should California restrict marriage to a relationship only between a man and a woman?
	o) Other or expanded principles

Crime Issues
(Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings

Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime.
X	a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
X	b) Increase state funds for the construction, renovation, and expansion of local jails and juvenile detention centers.
	c) Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
X	d) Support the use of the death penalty in California.
	e) Support placing a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in California.
	f) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
	g) End parole for repeat violent offenders.
	h) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
X	i) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
X	j) Support .08 blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
X	k) Prosecute as adults, youths accused of a felony.
	l) Support funding for alternative sentencing programs for juvenile offenders.
	m) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
	n) Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
X	o) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
	p) Increase state funding for additional security of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.
	q) Amend the "three-strikes" law so that it is applied only when the third offense is a serious or violent felony.
	r) Other or expanded principles

Educational Issues
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Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
	a) Support national standards and testing of public school students.
	b) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
X	c) Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
X	d) Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
	e) Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
	f) Support posting the Ten Commandments in public schools.
	g) Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
	h) Support public schools administering high school exit exams.
X	i) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
X	j) Increase state funding for Head Start programs.
X	k) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
	l) Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods.
	m) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
X	n) Increase the length of the public school year to provide additional hours of classroom instruction.
	o) Other or expanded principles

Employment and Affirmative Action Issues:
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Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning employment.
X	a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
	b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector to encourage investment and economic expansion.
X	c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
X	d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
X	e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
	f) Include sexual orientation in California's anti-discrimination laws.
	g) Create a state "living wage" standard.
	h) Other or expanded principles
Affirmative Action: Should the following state agencies take race and sex into account when making employment decisions?
	a) College and university admissions
	b) Public employment
	c) State contracting
d) Other or expanded principles
No Answer

Environmental and Energy Issues
(Back to top)

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
	a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
	b) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
	c) Support a bond for clean air, parks, and water conservation programs.
	d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
No	e) Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
No	f) Should California purchase the utility lines of power companies?
No	g) Should California sell state bonds to create an emergency fund for the purchase of energy?
	h) Other or expanded principles

Gun Issues
(Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.
	a) Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
	b) Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
	c) Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
X	d) Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
	e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
X	f) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
X	g) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
	h) Require a license for gun possession.
	i) Other or expanded principles

Health Issues
(Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health issues.
X	a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
	b) Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
	c) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
X	d) Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
X	e) Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
	f) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
	g) Legalize physician-assisted suicide in California.
	h) Increase state funding for training health workers to recognize and respond to the release of biological agents.
	i) Require labeling of foods that contain genetically engineered products.
	j) Eliminate the requirement that health care facilities must provide non-emergency medical assistance to illegal immigrants.
	k) Other or expanded principles

Welfare and Poverty Issues
(Back to top) Related: Key Votes Ratings

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.
X	a) Support current time limits on welfare benefits.
	b) Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
	c) Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
X	d) Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
	e) Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
	f) Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
	g) Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
	h) Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
	i) Support tax credits to developers for the construction of low income housing.
	j) Other or expanded principles

Legislative Priorities
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On an attached page, in a total of seventy-five (75) words or less, please explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
No Answer

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