Candidates & Issues

State Sen. Ed Davis, 71, a Valencia Republican, was first elected in 1980. The ex-Los Angeles police chief and veteran of 50 years in public life unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1986. Davis, who has a moderately conservative voting record, is vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He married Bobbie Trueblood in 1984 and has three children and two grandchildren from a previous marriage.

Andrew E. Martin, 64, a Newhall Democrat, is running against Davis for the second time. An insurance agent, he won 26% of the vote in 1984. A veteran of World War II, he graduated from Dalton High School in South Carolina and dropped out of the University of Arizona. He and his wife Ruth have five children and four grandchildren.

Aaron Starr, a Simi Valley Libertarian, is also in the race.

SUMMARY: Davis is emphasizing his accomplishments on criminal justice and education. Martin is focusing on Davis’ opposition to job discrimination against homosexuals and financial support by special interests.

THEIR VIEWS

Questionnaires were distributed to candidates in September and were returned in October. Answers have been edited to fit the available space. Starr did not respond.

Q. Do you favor additional limits on campaign contributions to make officeholders less beholden to special-interest groups?

Davis: Contribution limits in Proposition 73, approved by voters in the spring, should be given a chance before enacting new laws. Supported Proposition 73.

Martin: Yes.

Q. Would you support a ban on speaking fees for legislators from special-interest groups?

Davis: Agrees that speaking fees can be misused and therefore donates any to charity.

Martin: Yes.

Q. Briefly what, if anything, should the state do to ease traffic congestion?

Davis: Build new freeways in rapidly growing areas and expand existing freeways; build light-rail and commuter rail lines where population is dense enough to provide ridership; improve location of residential and commercial development to limit commuting.

Martin: Develop rapid transit and slow development.

Q. Do you favor an increase in the gasoline tax to pay for road improvements and construction?

Davis: Would support if it is recommended by the Senate Office of Research as part of a financing plan in a possible 1990 ballot proposition for relieving traffic congestion.

Martin: No.

Q. Should the state offer tax incentives to encourage private industry to institute staggered hours, car-pooling and other measures to reduce traffic?

Davis: No.

Martin: Yes.

Q. Do you believe that the state should try to contain the cost of automobile insurance? If so, how?

Davis: Yes. Supports “no-fault” insurance initiative.

Martin: No answer.

Q. Do you support a “no-fault” automobile insurance system, under which a driver would be compensated for damages by his or her own insurance company regardless of who caused an accident?

Davis: Yes.

Martin: No answer.

Q. Do you favor a mandatory reduction of insurance rates for all drivers and homeowners unless an insurance company can show that this would threaten its solvency?

Davis: No.

Martin: No answer.

Q. Do you support imposing a limit on the percentage of an insurance settlement that a lawyer may accept as a fee?

Davis: Yes, in automobile cases, which is contained in no-fault proposition. Opposes more drastic limits in Proposition 106, which applies to all tort cases.

Martin: No answer.

Q. Should the state raise the spending limits imposed by the Gann Initiative on state and local governments to make more money available for health, education, transportation and other programs?

Davis: No, “with the possible exception of transportation funds.”

Martin: No.

Q. Do you believe that the Legislature should take urgent action to improve the performance of public schools? If so, what? (Money for lower class size? Higher pay for teachers? Testing to insure teachers’ competency? More demanding graduation requirements?)

Davis: Supports the following reforms: emphasize basics, eliminate grade inflation and automatic promotion, test teacher competency and institute merit pay for teachers.

Martin: Yes. Test teacher competency and adopt more demanding graduation requirements.

Q. If it can be done legally, should the state help parents pay to send their children to private schools?

Davis: No.

Martin: Yes.

Q. Do you support significantly greater state funding for AIDS research, counseling, testing and treatment?

Davis: Yes, “if limited testing and tracing are combined with research and prohibition measures.”

Martin: No.

Q. Should public health officials trace the sexual contacts of anyone with AIDS or the AIDS virus?

Davis: Supports Proposition 96, which requires testing of criminals and prisoners who have exposed crime victims or peace officers to sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS.

Martin: Yes.

Q. Do you support more state funding to aid the homeless?

Davis: Yes. Also, spend more to identify the root cause of homelessness.

Martin: Yes.

Q. Do you support the death penalty for any crimes? If so, which?

Davis: Yes. The most serious crimes as covered by current law.

Martin: Yes. “White-collar criminals who steal from poor people. Murderers and maniacs.”

Q. With the state’s prisons at capacity, should the state build more prisons, shorten sentences or punish nonviolent criminals in other ways?

Davis: Build more prisons.

Martin: “Build more prisons and punish nonviolent criminals in other ways. If criminals have the money, make them pay for their housing. Make all of them work.”

Q. Do you think that a woman should have the unrestricted right to an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy?

Davis: Personally opposes abortion, but opposes a constitutional amendment to ban all abortions.

Martin: No.

Q. Do you believe that the state should impose additional restrictions on the right to own a handgun? If so, what?

Davis: No.

Martin: No.

Q. Should motorcyclists be required to wear helmets?

Davis: No. Favors better training and possible limits on younger, less experienced riders.

Martin: No.

Q. Should the state reestablish CAL/OSHA, the state’s worker safety agency that Gov. George Deukmejian eliminated?

Davis: No.

Martin: Yes.

Q. Would you support a bill to automatically extend developers’ building permits for six months when cities pass slow-growth measures?

Davis: No.

Martin: No.