Decision ’92 : VOTING IN THE VALLEY / AN ELECTION GUIDE : ASSEMBLY / 36th DISTRICT : Q and A

Questions were sent to candidates in September. Answers have been edited to fit the space.

State Spending

Q. What do you believe is the single most wasteful program in state government?

Knight: Unknown at this time.

Rodio: Excessive environmental regulations and agencies. Hundreds of overlapping regulations in numerous agencies create waste, duplication of requirements and actually drive much-needed businesses and their jobs out of California at an ever-increasing rate each month.

Tisbert: Prohibition. More crime is related to prohibition, but government would rather jail people and manufacture criminals.

Indispensable Program

Q. Are there any state programs you believe should never be cut? If so, what?

Knight: No.

Rodio: Public education. Education is the future of our children and grandchildren and we all must make our educational system the best possible.

Tisbert: I cannot think of any state program that cannot be review and reformed.

Rebuilding L.A.

Q. What specific steps should be taken to rebuild riot-scarred parts of Los Angeles?

Knight: Local community and business leaders getting together to fund and rebuild.

Rodio: Coordination between federal, state, city of Los Angeles, business and citizen groups similar to the Rebuild L.A. group. Federal funds, development agency funds from the city, private businesses and some state funding. If state funding is levied, it should have a sunset provision.

Tisbert: Tax write-offs for business people who are willing to open businesses in South-Central Los Angeles.

Taxes on Wealthy

Q. Do you support a November ballot initiative that would raise taxes on wealthy individuals, corporations and banks while repealing 1991 sales tax hikes?

Knight: No. Tax increases will not increase revenue, will continue to drive business out of California.

Rodio: No. We need to support businesses and their jobs, not tax them out of the state.

Tisbert: No on raising taxes. Yes on repealing the 1991 sales tax.

Gay Rights

Q. Do you support legislation to ban job discrimination against homosexuals in California?

Knight: No.

Rodio: No.

Tisbert: Yes.

Business Exodus

Q. Do you believe businesses are leaving California due to a hostile business environment? If yes, how would you make California more attractive to business?

Knight: Yes. Tax credits, reduced regulation, workers’ compensation reform.

Rodio: Yes. Overhaul workers’ compensation to eliminate waste/fraud while providing legitimate injury benefits with reasonable caps on awards. Eliminate excessive regulations. Look with an honest, nonpartisan, objective view on how revenues (tax dollars) are generated and distributed. Work with businesses, instead of against them, to promote our state for those wishing to come here and for those that want to expand existing facilities.

Tisbert: Yes. Lower taxes.

Health Insurance

Q. Do you support requiring California businesses to provide health insurance to employees or contribute to a fund to provide health care for the uninsured?

Knight: No.

Rodio: No. I support a complete review of current private insurance companies, their policies, coverage and cost. We must lower administrative costs, which take approximately 25% of each dollar now. Businesses, if required to pay, will look to other states or countries in which to locate.

Tisbert: No.

School Vouchers

Q. Do you support giving state money to parents to allow them to enroll their children in schools of their choice, public or private?

Knight: Yes.

Rodio: No. Not for private education. We need to focus on improvement of public education and this would only make a great problem worse. Public education is a right. Private education is an individual’s choice.

Tisbert: Yes.

College Tuition

Q. Should tuition at state universities and colleges be increased to help offset state budget deficits?

Knight: Yes. To defray costs of the university system.

Rodio: No. In order to solve our numerous problems, we need affordable education available to every citizen. Raising fees will only benefit those able to pay the higher costs, not those we really need to get into the mainstream of education.

Tisbert: No. Young people are the future of the country. I feel that any company or individual willing to pay a students’ tuition should receive a tax write-off.

School Bonds

Q. Do you support reducing the votes needed to pass a school construction bond issue from two-thirds to a simple majority?

Knight: Yes.

Rodio: No.

Tisbert: No.

Death Penalty

Q. Do you support capital punishment for any crimes? If so, which ones?

Knight: Yes. First-degree murder, multiple rapes.

Rodio: Yes. Those already on the books.

Tisbert: No.

Affirmative Action

Q. In general, do you think affirmative action in employment of women and members of minority groups has not gone far enough, or has gone too far, or is about right?

Knight: No position.

Rodio: About right. We don’t need more laws, but more understanding of each other’s cultures, needs and quality of life.

Tisbert: I oppose discrimination, but feel an employer has the right to choose his or her employees.

Abortion Rights

Q. Do you support a woman’s unrestricted right to an abortion within the first three months of pregnancy?

Knight: No.

Rodio: Yes. I personally do not believe in abortion, but have no right to tell any woman what to do with her body.

Tisbert: Yes.

Right-To-Die

Q. Do you support a November ballot initiative that would make it legal for doctors to “assist” terminally ill patients in dying, such as by giving them lethal injection?

Knight: No.

Rodio: No.

Tisbert: I support the right of terminally ill patients to take their own lives, but I do not support a doctor giving lethal injections.

Welfare Benefits

Q. Do you support Gov. Pete Wilson’s proposal to reduce welfare benefits for a family of three by 10% immediately, to $597 a month, and by another 15% for families with able-bodied adults who were not working?

Knight: Yes. California needs to encourage people to get off welfare.

Rodio: Yes, with some modifications. We need to address the job problem so those that are able-bodied can find work, which 10% of our population cannot. Also, those disabled must have consideration.

Tisbert: No. I support welfare reform, but not Wilson’s proposal.

California Life

Q. What single change would most improve life in Southern California?

Knight: The development of a healthy economy. Jobs, jobs, jobs.

Rodio: Creation of more jobs so the hundreds of thousands now unemployed could go to work to support their families, have self-esteem and contribute to California’s future.

Tisbert: Repeal of the hemp laws would create hundreds of thousands of jobs, clean the environment, give us alternative clean fuels, fibers, paper, medicines, small family energy farms and much more.

B-2 Bomber

Q. President Bush has urged that production of the B-2 bomber--which is assembled at a Palmdale plant--be cut from 75 to 25. Do you support this reduction?

Knight: No. The development costs have been spent, leaving only the cost of production for 15 or 50 more aircraft. Fifteen aircraft are not sufficient to provide strategic support.

Rodio: No. The B-2 “stealth bomber” is this country’s next generation of aircraft technology. Although I believe only 20 planes will be built, I support at least two squadrons (50 planes).

Tisbert: Yes. I would support a bigger reduction.