The Top Jobs

Where the Major Gubernatorial Canidates Stand and Who They Are. A look at Key Hopefuls for the State’s U.S. Senate Seat.

Governor

On the Issues

Budget and Taxes

Al Checchi: Tax credits for first-time home buyers, child and senior care. Spend expected budget surplus on schools--textbooks, computers, wired classrooms--public works projects, crime prevention, youth programs and economic development.

GRAY DAVIS: Spend surplus on schools and use it to provide a tax cut. Increase minimum wage. Increase tax credit for research and development, job-creating businesses.

JANE HARMAN: Invest $1 billion of expected surplus in building schools, training teachers, providing textbooks and $1 billion for quake retrofits, other infrastructure. Offer estimated $1.8 billion in tax relief via reduced vehicle licensing fee and reinstating renter’s credit. Add $1 tobacco tax.

DAN LUNGREN: Eliminate vehicle licensing fee and replace lost revenue to local government with other state tax sources. Cut state capital gains tax. Reduce government intervention in business. Invest in infrastructure.

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Crime and Guns

AL CHECCHI: Ban Saturday night specials, assault weapons, large capacity magazines. Require child safety locks and tracking of guns used in crimes. Sentence drug users to treatment as well as prison. Boost after-school programs; prosecute gangs as criminal conspiracies.

GRAY DAVIS: Ban Saturday night specials and assault weapons. Require safety locks on all guns. Longer prison terms for selling drugs to juveniles. Early intervention for juvenile drug abusers.

JANE HARMAN: Ban Saturday night specials and assault weapons and require child safety locks. Supports injunctions against street gangs and juvenile crime prevention programs.

DAN LUNGREN: Limit ammunition clip size. Waiting periods and extensive background checks for gun buyers. Supports “10-20-Life,” which mandates longer sentences for using a gun during a crime.

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Education

AL CHECCHI: Require competency tests for teachers, increase teacher pay, forgive college loans for those who stay in teaching for five years. Supports charter schools, opposes vouchers.

GRAY DAVIS: Require more teacher training and evaluation. Merit pay; bonuses for teachers who work more than five years. Give state-mandated tests to students in grades 2-11. Against vouchers.

JANE HARMAN: Supports class size reduction program. Merit pay raises and 5,000 scholarships to recruit and train new teachers. Forgive loans for college grads who teach children in low-income neighborhoods. Supports charter schools, opposes voucher programs.

DAN LUNGREN: Provide tax-funded voucher system that would pay for private and religious schools. Increase local control of schools. Supports Gov. Wilson’s reduced class size program. Supports merit pay and charter schools. Require competency tests for teachers.

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Bilingual Education

AL CHECCHI: Against Prop. 227. Would immerse non-English speaking students in two years of preschool in an attempt to make them fluent. Allow maximum of two years bilingual study for those who still need assistance.

GRAY DAVIS: Against Prop. 227. Limit bilingual education to three years, with bonuses to schools for each student who reaches English proficiency in less time. Parents should determine whether a child is placed in English immersion or bilingual classes.

JANE HARMAN: Against Prop. 227. Give schools flexibility on establishing bilingual programs. Allow maximum three years of bilingual study.

DAN LUNGREN: Against Prop. 227. Believes state’s bilingual programs have failed, but credits initiative sponsor Ron Unz for sparking debate on the issue. In favor local control of bilingual programs.

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Health Care

AL CHECCHI: Give patient’s right to choose health care providers, wide access to quality care and right to sue managed care plans for malpractice and keep medical information strictly private. Use state and federal money to cover all uninsured children.

GRAY DAVIS: Allow injured patients to sue HMOs for malpractice. Provide tax credits to businesses to extend benefits; encourage small businesses to pool resources.

JANE HARMAN: Expand Healthy Families program for children of uninsured working poor. Allow patients to sue for malpractice. Against gag rules on doctors. Create independent agency to regulate HMOs. Offer tax deductions for self-employed and working families who buy their own insurance.

DAN LUNGREN: Expand existing Healthy Families program. Stress importance of doctors in HMO decision-making, but prevent excessive government mandates on private employers.

Sources: Times’ files; candidate campaigns

Researched by NONA YATES / Los Angeles Times