Assembly: 39th District

Questionnaires were distributed to candidates this month. Answers have been edited to fit the available space.

Family Sick Leave

Q. Gov. Deukmejian recently vetoed legislation that would have granted workers as much as four months of unpaid leave every two years to care for sick children, spouses and other family members without fear of losing their jobs. Do you favor this type of legislation?

Katz: Yes, with adequate protection for small businesses.

Ceravolo: No.

Teacher Salaries

Q. The Legislature approved a 4.7% cost-of-living raise for school employees, and Gov. Deukmejian reduced it to 3%, placing the difference in an account for special education programs. Should this money be used for salaries?

Katz: Yes. Proposition 98 was a clear mandate by the voters to fund education. The money is being used for both salaries and educational programs.

Ceravolo: Yes. There was supposed to be enough money to buy every student a Rolls Royce with the lottery? What happened to that money?

Big Green

Q. Proposition 128, the so-called “Big Green” initiative on the November ballot, seeks to eliminate ozone-depleting chemicals by the year 2000, phase out pesticides known to cause cancer and require that trees be planted in all new developments. Do you support this initiative? Katz: Yes.

Ceravolo: Yes. I think we should clean up the Earth so that it will be here for our grandchildren and we can honor God by not destroying his work.

Tree-Cutting

Q. Proposition 130 on the November ballot would restrict clear-cutting of forests, allow the sale of $710 million in bonds to preserve ancient redwood forests and provide $32 million to retrain unemployed loggers. Do you support this initiative? Katz: Yes.

Ceravolo: I don’t think we need to spend money on trees as old as the redwoods are. We do need to retrain loggers though.

Limited Terms

Q. Proposition 131 on the November ballot, authored by Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp and Common Cause, would limit most statewide elected officials to eight consecutive years in office, and senators and Assembly members to 12 years. Proposition 140, sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum, is more stringent, limiting lifetime service to eight years in the Senate and six in the Assembly. Do you support limiting the number of terms state legislators can serve? If yes, how long should the limits be? Katz: No. I believe the voters should decide how long elected officials should serve.

Ceravolo: No. I think it takes a while to learn the ropes and then also to do what a legislator is called to do by God. I would not limit any term.

Sales Tax

Q. Proposition 133 on the November ballot would raise state sales and use taxes by 0.5% for four years to raise $7.5 billion for drug enforcement and treatment, anti-drug education, and prison and jail construction and operation. Do you support this initiative?

Katz: Undecided.

Ceravolo: No. I think it is stupid to think that $7.5 billion can keep us out of this mess.

Liquor Tax

Q. Proposition 134 on the November ballot would substantially raise taxes on beer, wine and liquor, and dedicate the revenue from the tax hike to programs for the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse. Do you support this initiative? Katz: No, because it locks in automatic spending increases.

Ceravolo: Yes. I think if people want to destroy the body God gave them, then it should be very expensive.

Inmate Laborers

Q. Proposition 139 on the November ballot would allow private companies to hire state prison and county jail inmates as laborers. Do you support this initiative? Katz: Yes.

Ceravolo: Yes and yes only if these companies make a commitment to inmates about jobs upon release.

Death Penalty

Q. Do you support capital punishment? If so, do you think it should be imposed on those convicted of importing or selling drugs? Katz: Yes.

Ceravolo: Yes.

Handgun Controls

Q. Do you support additional limits on handgun purchase or possession in California? Katz: I support measures that protect the public while still protecting the constitutional right to bear arms. I have supported common sense legislation, including waiting periods for the purchase of all firearms and mandatory mental health checks by the Department of Justice.

Ceravolo: No. Guns don’t kill, people do. We have not been able to control guns so far and I don’t think we ever will.

Abortion Rights

Q. Do you support a woman’s right to unrestricted abortions within the first three months of pregnancy? Katz: Yes.

Ceravolo: No. I believe as the Bible says that life begins at conception and anything to stop that life is “Murder One” and should be treated as such.

Abortion Funding

Q. Do you support government funding of abortions for women who cannot afford them? Katz: Yes.

Ceravolo: No.

Day-Care Services

Q. Do you believe the state should require private employers to subsidize day-care services for employees who request them? Katz: The state and federal government should offer incentives to the private sector to provide child care.

Ceravolo: No. There should be classes in college taught to child-care providers. They should be strictly licensed and monitored. If this were done, I’d support it.

War on Drugs

Q. Do you believe our present strategy of criminal prosecution, interdiction of supplies and imprisonment of users and dealers will ever significantly reduce the level of drug use in the United States? If no, what should be done? Katz: No. We must end the good-time/work-time system that allows dangerous felons back on the street after serving a small part of their prison sentence. We must also break the cycle of kids to drugs and gangs. In Los Angeles, we’re using $1 million of seized drug-dealer assets, under legislation I wrote, for a youth alternative program aimed at keeping elementary and junior high school kids off drugs and out of gangs.

Ceravolo: I hope so. I think we should use the funds and articles gotten to supplement police force salaries so that more policemen can be hired.

Drug Decriminalization

Q. Would you consider supporting the decriminalization of drug use? Katz: No.

Ceravolo: No.

Oil Exploration

Q. Do you think the present Mideast crisis justifies opening up additional parts of the California coastline to oil exploration? Katz: No, we must pursue conservation and alternative energy with the same zeal that oil companies pursue off-shore drilling. Ceravolo: I would if the Middle East crisis drags on. We should get things squared away over there and fuel flowing to the United States again. If no, then drill along the coast.

Parkland Exchange

Q. Should the National Park Service exchange 50 acres in Cheeseboro Canyon in southeastern Ventura County for about 1,100 acres of the neighboring Jordan Ranch owned by entertainer Bob Hope, permitting park agencies to buy another 4,600 acres of Hope’s land in the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains for $10 million? Katz: Yes.

Ceravolo: I am embarrassed about Hope’s attitude. Look at what Americans have given him over the years. How much more does he need?

Mandatory Ride-Sharing

Q. Do you favor mandatory ride-sharing in an effort to meet government air pollution standards? Katz: Government should set the example by providing incentives for compliance. Ride-sharing is one solution; others include nonpolluting magnetic levitation trains and clean, fuel-burning buses.

Ceravolo: Yes--and also four 10-hour work days. If we closed everything down on Friday, then that would help. I also believe we should stagger hours of work.

Political Funding

Q. Do you support full or partial public funding of political campaigns? Katz: I’d support partial public finance only if it included limits on the amount spent, more disclosure of contributions and strict conflict-of-interest laws.

Ceravolo: Yes. I believe that all campaigns should be supported by public funding. It would limit the amount of air and television time and poster garbage in America.

Income Disclosure

Q. Are you willing to publicly release your income tax returns and those of your spouse prior to the November election? Katz: Under certain circumstances.

Ceravolo: Yes. Anyone running for public office should do this.

Porter Ranch

Q. Do you support development of the massive Porter Ranch project in the hills north of Chatsworth as presently configured? Katz: Only if traffic, air quality and other environmental concerns are addressed.

Ceravolo: No. I don’t think we have enough “wide open spaces.” We have a 40% vacancy in condos and rentals now and we don’t need any more vacancies.

CONTENDERS Richard Katz, 40, a Democrat from Sylmar, was first elected in 1980. He is chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Sam Ceravolo, 58, a Republican who lives in Sun Valley, is a vocational counselor for the state of California.