Kamala Harris knows that California and the nation are stronger today because of the generations of Americans who came to this country in search of a better life. She’s the daughter of immigrants and knows that embracing our diversity makes the fabric of our society stronger, our economy more innovative, and our community more inclusive.

Kamala believes that everyone should have access to public education, public health, and public safety regardless of their immigration status. As San Francisco District Attorney and now California’s Attorney General, she has fought for justice on behalf of immigrants who are targeted by criminals based on their immigration status. As Attorney General, she warned immigrants seeking drivers’ licenses against scammers, and she demanded thousands of hours of pro bono legal aid worth millions of dollars from the state’s largest and most powerful law firms for immigrant children and families caught in legal limbo.

In the U.S. Senate, Kamala Harris will fight for comprehensive immigration reform that creates a fair pathway to citizenship. She’ll work on behalf of DREAMers who know no other home than America, and she compassionately and responsibly welcomes those fleeing violence.

• Finally Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Congress has repeatedly refused to pass comprehensive immigration reform that protects our borders and provides a fair and just pathway to citizenship. This failure has hurt our economy, made it harder for our businesses to compete in the global marketplace, and hamstrung local and state governments’ ability to meet the needs of their communities. Worse yet, Washington’s failure has forced more than 11 million undocumented immigrants to live, work, and raise a family in the shadows of our society. That’s unconscionable. Bringing these workers out of the shadows will strengthen the economy, grow the GDP, and reduce federal deficits and debt. Comprehensive immigration reform will increase productivity and wages. With comprehensive reform, all workers will benefit from protections in the workplace, and reform will spur innovation, entrepreneurship, and encourage job growth. Kamala will fight hard to pass immigration reform in Washington, and she will take on those who stand in the way.
• Protect President Obama’s Immigration Executive Actions: The only way to truly fix our immigration system is to pass comprehensive immigration reform, but the President’s recent executive actions offer some relief to millions of families living in our country. Kamala has fought to protect these actions as Attorney General, and in Washington, she will block attempts in Congress to dismantle them without action on comprehensive reform.
• DREAMing Of A Better Tomorrow: Over the last several decades, millions of undocumented children were brought to America by their parents and don’t know any country other than the United States as home. These young people want to fully participate in the American dream. Thanks to the President’s actions, many of them now have a temporary reprieve from the fear of deportation, but a more permanent solution is needed. Here in California, Kamala supported the California DREAM Act, which allows undocumented students to access financial aid at public universities and community colleges. In the Senate, Kamala will support a federal DREAM Act, which would create a fair pathway to citizenship for DREAMers who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces or graduated from high school and pursue higher education.
• Build Trust Between Immigrant Communities & Law Enforcement: Some criminals prey on immigrants, relying on them not to report crimes to law enforcement officers because of their immigration status – a prospect made all the more real by the failure to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. When criminals can get away with victimizing entire segments of the population, it makes all of us unsafe and weakens our society. Throughout her career as a prosecutor, Kamala has fought to bring these criminals to justice and to ensure that immigrants feel safe in their communities so they can report crimes. As Attorney General, she challenged federal policy that attempted to turn local law enforcement into de facto Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and supported law enforcement to build relationships of trust with the communities they serve in order to improve public safety. In the Senate, Kamala will encourage law enforcement agencies both to strengthen protections for immigrants who report crimes without fear of deportation and to seek justice against criminals who target immigrants.
• Fighting Scams & Fraud That Target Immigrant Families: As Attorney General, Kamala has prosecuted scam artists and criminals who target immigrant families. She’s provided guidance to and warned consumers against unauthorized immigration consultants. In the Senate, she’ll continue fighting to protect immigrant communities and make sure immigrants, regardless of status, know they have access to our justice system.
• A Place Of Hope & Opportunity For Those Fleeing Oppression: Kamala believes that we have a moral obligation to responsibly resettle refugees who flee violence and oppression in their own countries. That’s why, as Attorney General, she brought together California’s top law firms and secured millions of dollars and thousands of hours worth of pro bono legal aid to help the unaccompanied minors fleeing violence in Central America in search of peace and stability in the United States. And now we should not turn our backs on those who are most harmed by ISIS. Kamala believes that we should responsibly resettle refugees who flee violence and oppression in their own country. We don’t have to sacrifice our compassion for our national security, and we shouldn’t let the violent images from Paris blind us to the images of the child who washed ashore on a Mediterranean beach. Refugees should rightly submit to the most rigorous background checks and screenings possible, and we should prioritize the most vulnerable refugees for admission – survivors of torture and violence, those with severe medical conditions, and women and children.
• Stop Wage Theft & Protect Immigrant Workers: Kamala believes strongly in the protection of workers’ rights for all Californians, regardless of immigration status. All individuals are eligible for minimum wage, workers’ compensation, and other workplace protections. As Attorney General, Kamala established and expanded the Underground Economy Unit within her Civil Rights Enforcement Section in order to increase enforcement of state worker protection laws. She filed suit and obtained more than $1 million from eight Northern and Southern California car washes that underpaid workers, denied rest and meal breaks, and created false records of time worked. She also has aggressively pursued litigation against a Southern California trucking company for misclassifying its employees as independent contractors so the company could avoid paying a minimum wage, workers compensation, and business expense reimbursements. Kamala’s prosecution of the case resulted in a landmark 2014 California Supreme Court decision that allows the state to hold accountable trucking companies for violations of state worker protection laws. As Senator, she will work hard to ensure that important workplace protections are strengthened and enforced, keeping our economy strong and the playing field level for all businesses.

Kamala Harris was raised by a family steeped in the Civil Rights Movement and has fought her entire career for justice for everyone – especially for those whose voices aren’t often heard by the people in power. From her first days as a prosecutor in Alameda County, to her work as San Francisco District Attorney, to her current service as Attorney General, Kamala has had one client – the People of California – and has time and again made a difference for California families.

Kamala has spent her entire career fighting for the voiceless and vulnerable in our society and against those who prey on them, and she’ll continue those fights in the Senate. She will stand up for a woman’s right to choose and equal pay for equal work, lead the charge against LGBT discrimination, work to pass comprehensive immigration reform, expand access to voting, and focus on fixing a broken criminal justice system.

From income inequality to education to criminal justice and beyond, far too often the color of our skin still determines our life chances. All of our sons and daughters, our sisters and brothers, deserve to be safe and sound – safe in their homes and safe if they’re walking down the street to buy a bag of Skittles. And we should guarantee a sound foundation of equal education and economic opportunity upon which young people will build their futures.

• Protect A Woman’s Right To Choose: Kamala Harris has been a champion for a woman’s right to choose and access to comprehensive reproductive health care throughout her entire career. When the U.S. Supreme Court took up important cases on women’s health, Kamala fought to require for-profit companies like Hobby Lobby to provide their employees with health insurance that covers contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act and to protect patients’ rights to access reproductive health clinics. Most recently, she sponsored legislation to ensure that crisis pregnancy centers provide women in California accurate information about the full range of reproductive services available to them elsewhere, including abortion. In the Senate, Kamala will lead the charge for women’s reproductive rights, defend Roe v. Wade, and fight against any attempt to defund reproductive health providers.
• Equal Pay For Equal Work: Every person regardless of gender deserves equal access to the American Dream. However, women still earn, on average, less than men for the same jobs. Nationally, women earn about 21 percent less than men, and the disparities are even more alarming for black women and Latinas. The majority of minimum wage workers are women, and reducing and eliminating this gap will help lift up millions of women and their entire families. In California, Kamala supported the Fair Pay Act, which prohibits employers from setting wages at rates lower than those of the opposite sex for similar work. In the Senate, she’ll make it a priority to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and will be a leading voice for fairness in the workplace. Get more details on Kamala’s plans for creating economic opportunity for all.
• Stop Campus Sexual Assaults: Every student has the right to pursue an education in a safe environment. College campuses should be safe spaces, but unfortunately, about 1 in 5 women – as well as many men – report being the victims of sexual assault while in college. As Attorney General, Kamala brought together colleges and local law enforcement to create protocols for investigating and prosecuting sexual assaults, and has helped schools and law enforcement implement changes to California law to better protect survivors of sexual assault. She championed new technology to allow California to process rape kits faster and clear a longstanding backlog of rape kits in state crime labs. Throughout her career, she’s worked to ensure that survivors have the support they need and that their attackers face swift accountability and consequence for their crimes. Kamala will continue the fight against campus sexual assault in the Senate and push for improved support services for victims and a renewed focus on sexual assault prevention on college and secondary school campuses.
• End The Trafficking Of Women & Girls: Kamala has been a national leader in the fight against commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking networks, which victimize and enslave poor and vulnerable women, girls, and boys. The United States has a moral and public safety obligation to end human trafficking at home and abroad. Kamala led a group of state attorneys general to Mexico to strengthen cooperation between the two countries to fight the money laundering that enables human trafficking, and she signed a bilateral accord with Mexico to improve coordination of law enforcement resources to target human traffickers. And in the U.S. Senate, she’ll continue that work to disrupt and dismantle human trafficking syndicates and be a voice for their victims. Learn more about Kamala’s approach to foreign policy.
• Combat Cyber Exploitation: Kamala has been a national leader in fighting cyber exploitation – too often mislabeled “revenge porn.” A 21st century form of violence against women that involves posting intimate images online without consent, cyber exploitation often results in significant harm to a victim’s personal and professional life and physical safety. As Attorney General, Kamala brought together major technology companies in a unique public-private partnership which resulted in the transformation of industry-wide standards to combat and prevent cyber exploitation. These transformative new standards empowered victims by giving them better tools to remove the images from the Internet. She also developed tools and training for law enforcement to investigate these crimes and help support victims. Kamala also prosecuted the first cyber exploitation website operator in the nation, resulting in a prison sentence for the defendant. In the Senate, Kamala will continue to be a leader in fighting cyber exploitation. Get more details about how she’ll use a “smart on crime” approach to criminal justice reform.

• End Discrimination Against The LGBT Community Nationwide: America has come a long way in recognizing marriage rights for same-sex couples. But in many places across the country, it’s still legal for businesses and institutions to discriminate against members of the LGBT community. In fact, in 31 states, a person can be fired or evicted simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Kamala was proud to lead the team that helped bring down California’s Proposition 8 at the U.S. Supreme Court and to fight for marriage equality nationwide, and she knows that there is much more work to do to achieve full equality for the LGBT community. In the Senate, Kamala will fight to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in the Civil Rights Act.
• Ban the “Gay/Trans Panic” Defense Nationally: As San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala was a national leader in fighting the “gay or trans panic” defense, a legal argument that it was OK for a person to commit murder or other violent crimes against an LGBT person because they “panicked” after discovering the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Kamala sponsored the bill making California the first state to outlaw this defense, and in the Senate, she’ll fight to expand this work nationally.
• Ensure LGBT, Homeless, & Runaway Youth Have Access To Social Services: LGBT youth are far more likely to get kicked out of their homes and subsequently find themselves homeless without access to social services. LGBT youth are also particularly vulnerable to discrimination and bullying, which severely harms their health and well-being. These children often fall through the cracks of our social service system and don’t know that resources are available to help them. Even worse, some non-profit service providers block these children from accessing services underwritten by the federal government. Kamala will fight to stop this kind of discrimination and increase support for LGBT youth.

• Eliminate Obstacles To Voting: Voting is fundamental to our democratic society, but participation too often has been abysmal. Kamala believes that we must make it easier for everyone to vote, stop voter suppression, and zealously protect access to the ballot box for all Americans. She’ll work to strengthen protections against discriminatory laws, modernize voter registration systems, and expand early voting so everyone has ample opportunity to vote.
• Strengthen The Voting Rights Act: In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key section of the Voting Rights Act. In the Senate, Kamala will work to update and reinvigorate the vital protections of the Voting Rights Act and ensure that our fundamental rights are protected throughout the entire country.
• Reform The Broken Criminal Justice System: Kamala Harris has been a national leader in reforming the criminal justice system, challenging the false choice that we must either be “soft” or “tough” on crime, and instead focusing on how we can be smart on crime.
• Make Public Education More Equitable: Providing our children with a world-class education is the first rung of the ladder of opportunity and the first step to success in life. Unfortunately, too many schools lack the resources needed to meet the needs of each student, and too many children are left behind as a result. Success in school shouldn’t be decided by where students live, the color of their skin, their immigration status, or their parents’ income. Kamala is focused on eliminating disparities in our public education system, which will lead to greater community stability, economic growth and opportunity, and will put all of our children on a solid path to succeed.

• Finally Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Congress has repeatedly refused to pass comprehensive immigration reform that protects our borders and provides a fair and just pathway to citizenship. That failure has hurt our economy, made it harder for our businesses to compete in the global marketplace, and hamstrung local and state governments’ ability to meet the needs of their communities. Worse yet, Washington’s failure has forced more than 11 million undocumented immigrants to live, work, and raise a family in the shadows of our society. That’s unconscionable. Bringing these workers out of the shadows will strengthen the economy, grow the GDP, and reduce federal deficits and debt. Comprehensive immigration reform will increase productivity and wages will rise, putting an additional $250 in the pockets of the median American household. With comprehensive reform, all workers will benefit from protections in the workplace, and reform will spur innovation, entrepreneurship, and encourage job growth. Kamala will fight hard to pass immigration reform in Washington, and she’ll take on those who stand in the way.
• Stand Up For Immigrants Regardless Of Status: As Attorney General, Kamala has made fighting for immigrant communities across our state one of her top priorities. She has taken on scammers who prey on immigrants and has worked to strengthen trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement. California has led the nation in expanding rights and opportunities for everyone, regardless of their immigration status, in health access, student loans, and more. She will continue to fight for the rights of California immigrants and their families, including workplace protections.

For far too many California families, the ladder of opportunity is broken. Incomes aren’t keeping up with increases in the cost of living, and the gap between the wealthy and the middle class is larger than at any time since the Great Depression.

Kamala believes income inequality is the defining economic challenge of our time. The minimum wage must be a living wage, and families should have tools they need to compete in the workforce – from affordable childcare and early childhood education to paid family leave and truly equal pay. Kamala will fight special interests that try to game the system or take advantage of working families, just as she’s taken on the big banks engaged in predatory lending practices, for-profit diploma mills, and big polluters as Attorney General. While some in Washington have voted to balance the budget on the backs of seniors, Kamala will oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and believes we need to strengthen these safety nets.

But addressing income inequality is just one part of the solution. We also need to cultivate economic growth that creates real opportunity for California families and businesses. To that end, we must invest more in education – from early childhood through college and technical school – to ensure we spur entrepreneurship, fuel small businesses, and develop a workforce that meets the demands of employers in the 21st century.

California is the world’s eighth largest economy – a place that fosters so much innovation and growth. Washington needs to finally approve critical investments to our transportation infrastructure and support policies – like clean energy investments and passing comprehensive immigration reform – that allow entrepreneurs, creators, and small businesses to innovate, expand, and thrive.

• Paid Family & Sick Leave: America is the only industrialized country that doesn’t have a national paid family leave policy. That lack of flexibility leaves families to choose between taking care of themselves or a loved one, or putting food on the table. Kamala will fight for national paid family and sick leave that provides a safety net for working families.
• Raising The Minimum Wage: The federal minimum wage is far too low and makes it impossible to support a family. Kamala believes we need to make the minimum wage a living wage and tie it to inflation so Washington can’t keep playing politics with our economic security.
• Ending The Student Debt Crisis: The average student takes on tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. That’s not right. Kamala believes we must create pathways for college students to graduate on time and without a mountain of debt. She supports the President’s plan for making community colleges free, and she supports lowering the cost of college and allowing current borrowers to refinance at lower rates. Get more details about how Kamala will work to make higher education affordable for everyone.
• Strengthening Social Security & Medicare: Social Security and Medicare are the bedrock of our social contract. Together, these safety net programs keep millions of seniors and people living with disabilities out of poverty. While some in Washington have voted to balance the budget on the backs of seniors, Kamala would oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and believes we need to strengthen these safety nets.
• Expand Pro-Work Tax Credits: Together the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) help keep millions of families from falling into poverty and enable many parents to afford childcare, which allows them to work and provide for their families. Kamala supports expanding these credits and the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which helps pay for college.
• Pass Paycheck Fairness: Every person, regardless of gender, deserves equal access to the American dream. However, women still earn, on average, less than men for the same jobs. Nationally, women earn about 21 percent less than men, and the disparities are even more alarming for black women and Latinas. The majority of minimum wage workers are women, and reducing and eliminating this gap will help lift up millions of women and their entire families. In California, Kamala supported the Fair Pay Act, which prohibits employers from setting wages at rates lower than those of the opposite sex for similar work. In the Senate, she’ll make it a priority to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and will be a leading voice for economic equality. Get more details on how she’ll fight for equality.
• Stop Wage Theft & Protect Immigrant Workers: Kamala believes strongly in the protection of workers’ rights for all Californians, regardless of immigration status. All individuals are eligible for minimum wage, workers compensation, and other workplace protections. As Attorney General, Kamala established and expanded the Underground Economy Unit within her Civil Rights Enforcement Section in order to increase enforcement of state worker protection laws. She filed suit and obtained more than $1 million from eight Northern and Southern California car washes that underpaid workers, denied rest and meal breaks, and created false records of time worked. She also has aggressively pursued litigation against a Southern California trucking company for misclassifying its employees as independent contractors so the company could avoid paying a minimum wage, workers compensation, and business expense reimbursements. Kamala’s prosecution of the case resulted in a landmark 2014 California Supreme Court decision that allows the state to hold accountable trucking companies for violations of state worker protection laws. As Senator, she will work hard to ensure that important workplace protections are strengthened and enforced, keeping our economy strong and the playing field level for all businesses.
• Provide Our Veterans With What They Earned: With more than two million Veterans, California has more Veterans than any other state, and we owe them the support and care they earned while wearing our nation’s military uniform. Over the years, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been plagued by scandal and budget crises, resulting in disgraceful levels of service and irresponsible delays in providing medical care and disability benefits. As Attorney General, Kamala formed a working group to fight scams and other predatory conduct uniquely targeting service members, and secured enhanced protections for active-duty and Veteran homeowners during the foreclosure crisis. In the Senate, Kamala will champion a robust VA for our Veterans. She will fight to ensure that when Veterans leave military service, they have the support they need to readjust to civilian life, including proper physical and mental health care. It’s unconscionable that 22 Veterans take their own lives each day. Kamala will bring together federal, state, and local government leaders plus Veteran Service Organizations and non-profits to ensure that every Veteran knows what benefits they earned and how to access those benefits. Additional outreach should be directed to our rural, minority, women, and LGBT Veterans who often access VA care and benefits at lower rates than others, especially since the issues facing women and LGBT Veterans are changing with their inclusion in combat roles and the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Kamala will bring her prosecutorial drive to the Senate to help clean up the VA’s scandals and make sure no Veteran waits unnecessarily for VA benefits. Kamala will continue her fight against the for-profit colleges that prey on Veterans, sapping their GI benefits and robbing taxpayers. Kamala opposes privatizing Veterans Affairs, and she will join President Obama’s fight to reduce and end Veteran homelessness.

• Universal Pre-K & Educating A 21st Century Work Force: The only way we will be able to compete in a global economy is to create a workforce that can meet its challenges. But too many children in our country are denied a quality education through circumstances beyond their control. Kamala believes we need to ensure every child has access to a quality public education – from universal pre-kindergarten to affordable higher education – in order to build the workforce of the future.
• Community Colleges Can Help Prepare The Workforce Of The Future: Increasingly it seems that a four-year college education is required to get ahead. Community colleges should play a greater role in preparing students for the jobs of the 21st century, so that when students complete their second year, they’re ready for good-paying, sustainable jobs in high technology, clean energy, and other emerging fields. In the Senate, Kamala will bring the educational community together with the private sector and labor organizations and lead the fight to incentivize the development and implementation of curricula that will ensure community college students are prepared for high quality jobs upon graduation.
• Investing in Infrastructure: In California, we know infrastructure like roads, bridges, tunnels, and ports form the arteries of our economy. But too much of our infrastructure was built in the early 20th century to meet the needs of a much smaller state, and improvements haven’t kept pace with the state’s growth. Upgrading our infrastructure in a strategic way – not just building roads and highways – will create good-paying jobs, improve our economy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, helping us fight climate change. Senator Barbara Boxer has been a national leader on expanding our transportation infrastructure, and in Washington, Kamala will follow her in footsteps. Kamala supports proposals to create an infrastructure bank to repair and expand our transportation, water, and technology infrastructure.
• Research & Development: In 2014, Congress let the Research and Development Tax Credits expire, a key tool that helps spur innovation in the private sector. But despite bipartisan support, for months Washington failed to extend it. Kamala supports expanding the research and development tax credit and rewarding businesses that invest in science and technology research.
• Helping Small Businesses, Start-Ups & Job Creators: Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and job creation. Kamala is committed to both making sure small business owners have access to capital and to cutting excessive red tape. As Attorney General, she supported efforts to stop abusive lawsuits against small businesses and business owners, and in Washington she will fight for our California small businesses and job creators.
• Create Clean Energy Jobs To Sustain Economic Growth: Congress has missed many opportunities to spur creation of clean energy jobs, which will strengthen and sustain our economy, power our businesses, and protect our natural heritage at the same time. Kamala will fight to establish a national cap-and-trade market for carbon pollution that will spur investments in clean energy jobs and technology, giving California companies a leg up in a new greener economy and making them more competitive in the global economy over the long term. Get more details about her plans for protecting the environment and building a clean economy.
• Combating Climate Change Is Good For Our Economy: Without long-term planning, climate change impacts, like rising sea levels, will create massive economic disruptions since coastal communities are home to 40 percent of America’s population. Kamala believes in fighting climate change by investing in clean energy, improved energy efficiency of our homes and buildings, smart grid upgrades, and public transportation – all investments that will sustainably lower energy costs, create jobs, and help clean our air.
• Comprehensive Immigration Reform Will Boost Our Economy:Congress has repeatedly refused to pass comprehensive immigration reform that protects our borders and provides a fair and just pathway to citizenship. That failure has hurt our economy, made it harder for our businesses to compete in the global marketplace, and hamstrung local and state governments’ ability to meet the needs of their communities. Worse yet, Washington’s failure has forced more than 11 million undocumented immigrants to live, work, and raise a family in the shadows of our society. That’s unconscionable. Bringing these workers out of the shadows will strengthen the economy, grow the GDP, and reduce federal deficits and debt. Comprehensive immigration reform will increase productivity and wages. With comprehensive reform, all workers will benefit from protections in the workplace, and reform will spur innovation, entrepreneurship, and encourage job growth. Kamala would fight hard to pass immigration reform in Washington, and she’ll take on those who stand in the way.

Putting the American Worker First

In America, it used to be that it was not about where you came from, but where you were headed.  And whether you were 20, 30 or 50, you could achieve the dream you had for you and your family.  

For too many Americans, that is no longer the case.  In California alone, 49% of us live close to or below the poverty line. 

Americans feel the system is rigged.  Wall Street banks who made bad loans are bailed out while a single mother who takes out a loan to get an education can’t get such relief.  Multinationals sometimes pay next to nothing in taxes while many small businesses pay 35%.  Poor border enforcement and trade agreements that encourage the exportation of jobs contribute to more people competing for fewer jobs.  

There are four things we can do to dramatically improve the economic lives of the working men and women of this country.

Water.  The best way to improve the lives of working people is to identify those issues which, if addressed, would have a positive impact throughout the economy.  In California, the number one issue is water.  People cannot build homes or grow crops because of a lack of water.  With water we could build more homes in lower density areas which would create high paying construction jobs.  More water also would enable us to grow more crops, which would create jobs in our most depressed areas.  The benefits would not only be on the jobs side - a greater supply of homes would bring housing prices down and more food would lower its cost.

Consequently, I would stop all federal High Speed Rail dollars and use those funds to help solve our water crisis.

Resurrect Small Business.  It is disgusting the fastest growing path to the middle class today is a government job.  We can change that.  The number one creator of private sector jobs is small business.  We have a three point plan to make American small business the envy of the world and the engine of job growth:   

* Resurrect the community bank system to provide small business with access to capital.

* Get rid of the tax breaks and gimmicks that have nothing to do with improving the economy - and everything to do with taking care of the well-connected.  Then lower the marginal tax rates for individuals and businesses. 

The value of the reduction in the marginal tax rates to individuals is obvious.

In terms of businesses, it will enable small businesses that are not able to take advantage of such gimmicks to compete on a more equal footing.  It also will enable the trillions of dollars that are being parked overseas to come home to develop our economy instead of the economies of other nations.

* Dramatically reduce government regulations and put limitations on the scope of discretion bureaucrats have.

Control Our Borders.   I strongly support legal immigration.  However, to protect our workers we need to take control of our borders to prevent people from entering the country illegally.  There is a role for 5th Century B.C. technology (a wall) to help us achieve this goal.  However, we should have a triad approach:  

* A wall where cost effective

* Sensors, drones, big data in less populated areas

* Border officials with the manpower and tools they need to do the job.

Better Trade Deals.  Historically trade deals have focused on opening up markets to American goods and reducing the cost of goods imported into our country.  However, the American worker has not been well represented in this process.  Our trade deals need to do a much better job of taking the needs of the American worker into effect.  When I am in the U.S. Senate, I will ensure this is the case.

The bottom line:  When I cast my vote on economic issues, I will be focused on one issue:  “How does this law impact the American worker?”  If it either helps raise their pay or lower their costs, I will support it.  If it does not, I will oppose it.

How to Keep America Safe

The number one priority of our federal government is to keep America safe.  That requires bold, balanced, and smart leadership. With geopolitical threats from Russia, North Korea, and Iran and terrorist threats from radical Islam, it is essential our nation has both a strong defense and maintain a robust offensive capacity.  

As a U.S. Senator, I will work to empower the four core pillars of an effective national security policy: 1) Accurate Intelligence, 2) Thoughtful Diplomacy, 3) Innovative Technology , and 4) a Strong Military.

Intelligence is one of the most important national security components.  If we don’t know where our enemies lie and what their plans are, it is impossible to prevent, deter, and combat them.  Accurate intelligence can prevent wars and if you are in a war, accurate intelligence is the difference between winning and losing.

Current law makes intelligence gathering cumbersome and despite efforts to better coordinate intelligence across agencies, there is much more to be done.  We need to empower our intelligence agencies, not politicize them.  We need to better coordinate our intelligence with our allies across the world, especially in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. And we must aggressively prosecute anyone who undermines our intelligence gathering and networks.

Diplomacy is essential to an effective foreign policy.  From the Truman Doctrine to the fall of the Soviet Union, leaders such as George Marshall and George Shultz helped the United States build long-lasting relationships abroad that played an invaluable role in keeping us safe.  

We need to stop thinking of the State Department as a separate foreign policy entity from our intelligence agencies and our military and better integrate its diplomatic efforts into a grand national security agenda. 

In Europe, NATO should be transformed to also focus on the threat ISIS poses to its members. In the Middle East, we ought to be building a coalition to combat a nuclear Iran and ISIS. In Asia, we should work with the Japanese, and the South Koreans and pressure the Chinese to prevent North Korea from attempting anything reckless.

Moreover, we ought to be using the economic might of the United States as a diplomatic carrot and the military as the stick.  As Theodore Roosevelt was apt to say, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

Technology can be the difference between success or failure in national security.  From muskets to sailing ships to computers, the entity that has mastered the latest technology usually has been the masters of their fate.  As the home of Silicon Valley, America should have a huge technological advantage, yet state actors like the Chinese and North Koreans have consistently hacked our government and terrorist organizations like ISIS have mastered the use of social media to recruit and propagandize.  

First, we need leaders who understand technology.  Second, we need to streamline the ability of our national security network to utilize the most innovative technology.  And third, technology must be thought of as a defensive and offensive priority.  As much as we should try to plug every hole in our technology network, we will never be able to do so.  People who try to undermine our network need to understand the price they will pay if they try.

Our military is the envy of the world thanks to the courageous men and women who serve in uniform. It is our most valuable national security treasure. But it is only effective in both preventing conflict and winning conflicts when it is undeniably the strongest military in the world.   

First, we must make investment in modernizing our military a key priority.  Second, we should prepare for the wars that haven’t been fought, not the ones we have.  Third, we should incorporate our military into our diplomatic missions.  These men and women are on the front lines and can be our most visible and effective diplomats. Fourth, we should leverage our military with strong alliances worldwide so that America isn’t alone fighting other people’s wars.  Fifth, we should never take military action off the table; it may not be the first option, but it must remain one.  Sixth, when we decide to engage our military, we must be prepared to do what it takes to win.  Leaving a combat zone with the mission unfulfilled creates new and more dangerous problems. And finally, we must work to ensure our veterans are cared for.  The current situation is shameful.

Protecting the American people is not only the most important priority; it also is one of the most difficult.  It takes persistence and clarity of vision.  In the Senate, I will have no higher responsibility than to do everything I can to keep the American people safe.

Imagining a New Age of Reason

We are on the cusp of the Second Age of Reason, one of the most exciting times in the history of man.

Before the first Age of Reason: the word was flat, and Kings and Queens ruled the world.  Then came the First Age of Reason, ushered in by the Gutenberg Bible.  We learned the world was round.  There was an explosion of philosophical thought.  And the American Revolution taught us that we did not need the Kings and Queens, that we could govern ourselves.

We are now on the cusp of the Second Age of Reason.  Technology has totally transformed what we know.  It has also transformed our ability to communicate what we now know with our 7 billion fellow human beings.  It has had a profound impact on the way we live, work, learn and play.  

It has had almost no impact on government.  

In fact, as the world is moving faster and faster, it is more and more difficult for government to keep up.  This is one of the main frustrations people feel not only at the national level, but at the local level, where it can often take longer to get a building permit than it took us to beat the Germans!

Because of (1) the dispersement of knowledge, (2) our ability to communicate quickly and (3) our ability to track performance and hence keep others accountable, there is no longer the need to centralize nearly as much power in Washington as before.

Hence, my goal is to make Washington as relevant in the everyday life of the American people as Prince Charles is to the people of England. 

As former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates pointed out, the American Revolution was one of the few successful revolutions in the history of civilization.  Hence, since revolutions seldom succeed, I support an orderly transition to a decentralized system as opposed to a revolution.  However, as is evidenced by the mood of the people and the inflammatory rhetoric of some candidates, this transformation must begin immediately.  We should encourage the states to take on more responsibility and using big data, learn from those experiments what works and what does not and make the necessary and continuous adjustments.

The second major concept in this area follows the first:  since there is so much knowledge and communication among up to 7 billion data points, it is no longer possible for one individual or group to have more knowledge than the people as a whole.  Hence, to truly represent the people of California, we are looking at ways to “crowd source” our campaign.  I will also attempt to do so as a member of the U.S. Senate.  And wherever feasible I will look to find ways to transfer power from elected officials and bureaucrats to the people through crowd sourcing and concepts yet to be developed.

Tom believes that the last 40 years of growing tax burdens, regulatory burdens and government debt (at the hands of both parties), has slowed our economy and made it hard for people to find and keep good paying jobs.  In order to get the robust economic growth we need to produce good jobs and rising wages, Tom supports the following: 

1. A Flat Tax for the Country and California. Tom is the only U.S. Senate candidate in the country with his own flat tax plan. It is supported by Steve Forbes, Larry Kudlow, Art Laffer and Steve Moore. Tom’s tax proposal will reduce the 77,00 page tax code to just a few pages, grow the economy for all and reduce the power of the IRS. Please read Tom’s Flat Tax proposal below.

2. Regulatory Reform. The number of regulations in America are at an all time high and cost the economy nearly $2 trillion per year.  We need to be sensible about our level of regulations.  Tom proposes that all existing and new regulations undergo a cost benefit analysis and that any new regulations that cost consumers over $200 million be approved by Congress.  Any existing or new regulations that fail this cost benefit analysis should be scrapped.

3. Trade.  America should be the world leader in trade.  Too much of our trade deficit is due to the fact that our employers are subject to high taxes and regulations that make American businesses uncompetitive in the world markets.  We need to reduce the costs of doing business in America (through tax reform and regulatory reform) so we can reduce our trade deficits.

See More at Tom's page Flat Tax & Pro-Growth Economic Policies

GREG CONLON COMMENTS ON THE FUTURE OF

CALIFORNIA’S HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM    

(Palo Alto, CA) - California is taking away an outstanding educational opportunity from some of its best and brightest high school graduates by limiting their access to the University of California system. US News and World Report ranks UC Berkeley and UCLA  20th and 23rd in the nation, yet 30% of their students come from out of state.  That amounts to approximately 8,500 students each out of a total of 27,000 to 30,000 students, respectively. While out-of-state tuition costs $36,000 per year, or $23,000 more than in-state tuition, this additional revenue supports only about 6% of UC System’s expenses.                                   

Is this really what we want to do — give away about 17,000 spots a year in these two schools to out-of-state and out-of-nation students and deprive our own top students of this educational opportunity and future high-paying jobs?.  My answer is no.  The State of California has decreased its funding of the UC System in total from 18% of the State's general fund in the late ‘70's to 11 to 12% today.  These decreases compare with increases in health and human services, corrections and rehabilitations, and K-12 education from 60% to 80% of the State's General Fund expenditures.  These statistics are available from a Study of Public Education in California by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. 

Meanwhile other universities that are ranked equal or higher than our two top public universities are charging about $10,000 more per year (average $48,000 per year) in student fees.  So not only are we giving away these top spots to non-state students, we are doing it at a discount compared to similar top 20 universities in the nation (see US News and World Report Rankings).  

As a candidate for the U. S. Senate, I believe a federal policy regarding issuance of student visas to out-of-nation students can positively address the inequity of educational opportunity for California’s equally qualified best and brightest students.  I propose that out-of-nation students (who are primarily from China and India) be subjected to requirements similar to those currently imposed for issuance of "Green Cards" for foreign persons to obtain work visas.  My recommendation is that each University would have to demonstrate that there are no equally qualified in-state students, based on test scores and GPA, who could fill the available slot for admission. Only then would student visas be issued. While the loss of higher tuition revenue would have an impact, I believe we can find ways to make up much of the lost revenue.  First the California legislature should try to increase appropriations for the UC System and reverse the trend of the downward spiral.  Second, based on my experience in both the private sector as a businessman and CPA and my public sector experience as President of the California PUC, it is not out of the question to find some savings to recover some of the 6% in the University System expenditures.  

This is not an easy problem to solve but by addressing this issue we can increase the chances for California’s best and brightest to receive a high-quality education and gain access to future high-paying jobs right here at home.

Letter to the Editor or Opinion Letter April 9, 2016:

US Supreme Court issues a recent decision continuing the logic that has caused a negative impact on the timber and fishing industry in Northern California

U S Supreme Court in its recent decision  (Evenwel, v Abbot, Governor of Texas) continues supporting the 1964 Case of Reynolds v. Sims where the Supreme Court upheld that "The Equal Protection Clause" of the U S Constitution "requires that the seats in both houses of a bicameral state legislature must be apportioned on a population basis."   The Supreme Court  decision stated "a State may draw its legislative districts based on total population."  This decision does not require that only the use of population basis be used to apportion state legislative districts and related maps.  It uses the terminology "one-person, one-vote" to describe this rule.   Over the ensuing decades, the Court has several times elaborated on the scope of the one-person, one-vote rule.  Finally it decided in another case, Brown vs. Thomson in 1983, that the Court would allow deviation in the method of apportionment as long as the deviation, between the largest and the smallest is less than 10%.  The Court has held that the maximum deviations above 10% are presumptively impermissible.  One later decision allowed a 16% deviation in order to accommodate the State's interest in "maintaining the integrity of political subdivision lines.”  The State of Hawaii was allowed to deviate because of its geographic island separation. 

Northern California counties were severely impacted by the 1964 "Sims" decision because they had to redraw their California Senatorial Districts, (as did the entire State), using total population from the U S Census Bureau rather than using the eligible or actual registered voters or just using county lines, i.e., one Senator per county.   This had a dramatic impact from Sacramento north causing a loss of seven Northern California Senators from the State Senate.  This loss in Senators caused an extreme transfer of political power in the State Senate from Northern California counties with very low population towns and cities to large metropolitan urban centers like Los Angeles County.  Today there are only 4 Senators out of 40 representing most of Northern California (excluding the San Francisco and Sacramento area) while there were 11 Senators before the 1964 decision in Sims and the subsequent reapportionment. 

Although this loss of political power by Northern California is hard to measure I believe that State legislation in the 1970s and the Federal legislative changes over the years have had a dramatic impact on both the timber and fishing industries in these counties.  I reach this conclusion from my experience traveling through six of these Northern California counties two years ago when campaigning for State Treasurer.

The fallacy of the use of total population rather than political boundaries like counties makes no sense in a bi-cameral government where there are two bodies--a house or assembly and a senate.  The house or assembly should be elected by population as it is in the U S House of Representatives and the Senate body should represent the different government sub-bodies normally counties within a state.  This logic follows the practice in the Federal Congress where the U S Senators are based on two per state, not on some equal population formula as is the House of Representatives with about 800,000 persons in each District.  If the Federal U S Senate were apportioned by the equal population formula called for in the "Sims case" decision and the recent "Evenwel case" New England states would likely have only one or two Senators instead of the 8 or 10 they have today and California with its large population would have 12 U S Senators.

Hopefully the U S Supreme Court will recognize its use of population apportionment for both houses of a bi-cameral State government is inconsistent with the Federal apportionment of two Senators per state. Instead States should be allowed under the 10th amendment states rights to come up with their own apportionment process for the second house (usually the Senate) in a bi-cameral legislature. One of these processes would be to use the county boundaries within the State to reapportion each Senatorial District. 

Greg Conlon, Wash. D.C., Attorney

Candidate for U S Senate in California

In respect to the economy, the primary involvement by the government concerns budgetary spending, legislation enacted that affects jobs, and taxes. In all three of these areas, politicians currently in elected office have been doing a pitiful job. Now is the time to take action to save the future. It is time to require accountable and responsible financial policies from our representatives.

Karen believes that governmental action related to the spending of your tax dollars should operate in a fiscally responsible manner, by collecting and spending the least amount of your money possible. Practically speaking, this means beginning with zero-base budgeting in order to drastically cut unnecessary expenditures.

As governmental action relates to job creation Karen will diligently work to ensure that excessive legislation does not bog down the creation of jobs, especially in the private sector. She recognizes that private sector jobs are best created when the market can most freely operate, competition drives quality, supply, and demand, and unnecessary regulations are limited to prevent undue burdens and reduce costly bureaucratic measures. Additionally, it also means that both private and public sectors are responsible for the choices they make and must face the consequences for those choices. This means that the American people are never again to be called upon to bail out institutions considered “too big to fail” and who acted irresponsibly, recklessly, and without accountability.

California is need of a senator who will promote economic growth through policies that will encourage employers and investors to want to benefit from all the many incredible opportunities California has to offer, and subsequently promote employment. Opportunities that include our extensive coastline and that could be developed to meet two clear needs in our state- increasing the water supply and creating more jobs.

Regarding taxes, when spending is properly controlled and individuals are productively and gainfully employed, then there can also be an effective limiting and lowering of taxes. Through the creation of more simplified tax code, a fair percentage to be paid equally by individuals, and one for corporations, the necessary tax dollars can be collected without disproportionately burdening any group of people and driving corporations and jobs out of the country.

America’s first and primary responsibility in any foreign policy decision is to ensure the safety of American citizens, both within the United States and abroad. In recent years, this most fundamental principle has not been upheld. Poorly crafted foreign policy decisions, lack of clarity regarding the goals and objectives sought for each region, and actions based on inaccurate, completely naïve, and unrealistic conclusions reached about other country’s intentions, that have clearly stated intentions to the contrary, have resulted in a drastically unstable international arena, in desperate need for the United States to regain its leadership role.  

As America looks to restore its leadership role in the global community it is imperative that our allies know we stand with them and we honor our commitments to support them. Other nations that have tried to exploit the power void felt as a result of actions and inaction over the past several years must be strongly reminded of the full strength and power of the United States. We must invest in ensuring that our military has the best resources available, including information and strategic assets.

It is time that the military be represented by leadership in Washington that understands the way the world actually works, not by those making decisions on the way they “wished” the world looked. Idealism is to be championed in many areas of diplomacy, and such diplomatic measures can be of great value in moving the world towards greater ideals. Idealism, though, must be tempered by the reality of the situation, and decisions made must reflect reality as it is, not wishful wonderlands. Understanding the hard lessons of the past, in order to save and build a better future is what is required. The lessons of appeasement that brought the rise of Nazism, the Iranian Revolution, and now ISIS must not be forgotten, and corrective action must be taken.

It is essential that we have an accurate understanding of the situation in countries where we have Americans stationed, and our actions within a country are working towards clear and well-defined goals. Furthermore, it must be understood by all countries that the United States is a nation who will only take military action when absolutely necessary, but when military action is needed it will be taken. In those cases the action will be decisive, unwavering, and fully committed to accomplishing the necessary and clear objectives for which the action needed is being taken.

To ensure that all citizens can access adequate, affordable health care, we must increase the supply of health care, remove barriers to a free market and encourage competition.

When people purchase their own independent health plan covering the services they need and allowing for less out of pocket visits to their doctor, they are more secure and less dependent on others.

When an individual has more control over their own health care and is less dependent upon a third party, they become empowered to be assertive consumers of health care.

It is a proven fact that there is a greater interest in price information and demand for price transparency from consumers as their cost-sharing responsibilities increase. This results in more competition that keeps health care affordable and of high quality.

Therefore, I, as a Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, support the following measures to make quality, affordable health care accessible to all citizens:

• Health insurance premiums, co-payments, deductibles and all medical expenses shall be deducted directly from income without having to meet any standard deduction.
• A Medical Savings Account shall be established to be used for medical purposes in which up to 10% of income shall be deductible but without limitation on contributions.
• Barriers to price transparency shall be removed to empower consumers and to encourage efficiency of care and competitive pricing.

I, support the following measures to increase the supply of quality affordable health care by increasing the numbers of medical professionals, facilities and medical non-profit and for-profit organizations:

• Eliminate or greatly simplify all state medical regulations and licensing standards which impede the supply of health care. Replace the state monopoly on regulation and licensing with an open market for testing and review of products and services to ensure more accurate, timely and cost-effective ratings and controls on quality.
• Provide tax credits, exclusions and above-the-line deductions (without "percentage of income" limits) for medical education, educational savings accounts, charitable contributions to medical schools, facilities, service providers, medical research and construction of medical facilities.
• Streamline permit processes and zoning variances for construction of medical facilities and schools.
• Reclaim our Tenth Amendment right to control pharmaceuticals distributed within the state. Reduce the function of the Food & Drug Association to a merely advisory capacity rather than a licensing authority. Allow drugs which have been proven to be safe to be marketed even if not yet proven effective. Allow patients access to unapproved drugs upon informed consent.

Today the Federal government not only has a Cabinet level Department of Education, it is seriously considering mandatory taxpayer funded preschools for all children. States are handed federal dollars and required to spend more meeting federal standards than they receive. For every $13 in funding, a school has to spend $15 meeting federal guidelines. This alone is reason enough to end federal interference in education.

We, as a society, need to wake up to the opportunities we have to personalize the education of each and every child in the U.S. It is time to take the technology of the 21^st century and put it to use advancing the ability of every American to live, learn and earn a living using their knowledge and skills. Such learning can continue for a lifetime allowing each of us to gain new knowledge and skills as we wish and need.

Education no longer needs to be carried out in classrooms with neat rows of polite children listening to a teacher explaining what they are expected to know. The tools for completely individualized learning are there for the using. Now is the time to make the change.

I am an advocate for private, individualized educational models. This means I support private schools, Charter schools, Independent Study, Home Schooling, Computer learning or Un-Schooling, whatever works for the individual and their family or guardian. The goal is to instill a love of learning and the tools needed to learn throughout life.

To this end, I would seek to abolish the federal Dept of Education encouraging the states to advance educational opportunities according to local needs.

As a method of transition from government schools to freedom of choice in education, I support vouchers so tax money follows each child to the choice of schools during their learning years.

For every individual, there is a learning method that works for them if not others. As a society, we must give learners freedom to find and use what works for them. 

Please see my website, http://www.massiemunroe4ussenator.com

I submitted an application to the Zayed Future Energy Prize 2014 & 2015 with the premise we can grow enough marijuana everywhere to stop drought & provide all countries with the fuel they need without tearing up the Earth or cutting down more trees, the alternater to this was continued destruction through warfare, continued uses of fossil fuel & other ore. The incredibaly educated people on the panel salected IKEA, who does nothing worthwhile, electric car producers, which use contemporary ore, solar & windmill producers who waste land, use toxic batteries, provide not enough energy or any water to stop worldwide drought. We need to recreate our educational system worldwide to create a healthy world researching the growth of marijuana everywhere for all it's uses.

For years I've wondered why our government has a right to make decisions concerning the continued rise in payment of income tax to have a job, DMV & land taxes to own a vehicle while paying huge bank payments & interest & never owning our property. We pay huge fees for birthing, doctors bring babies early & c-section to make fortunes, Then for death, funerals cost upwards of $8000. Our gov. doesn't want to pay for forest fires so they let them burn & charge us regular taxes, $150 a home yearly plus  county taxes, taxes for voting priveleges then fees for ballot access [$3480 for us senate], $25 a word for ballot statement, & though we pay the same rate only the TOP TWO go to the general election,  2010 it cost a 3rd party 150 in-lieu signatures for any office & the top vote getter of each party went to the general election, for us senate it was 10,000 signatures. It's called LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD so you don't get to vate for anyone but democrats or republicans when we should have to pay nothing but have 2 ideas to save Earth & Inhabitants, no labels, just great Ideals. 2014 we spent a minimum of $526 billion  on defense, many billions more for space research, $7 million on tiny Mendocino counties judicial system, $9 million their sherif & jail, They profited $1.5 million phone & canteen, $20 million from Governor Brown's ab 109, $3.5 billion for new prisons & security pods voted against by voters with maybe 3 violent offenders monthly that woundn't be violent if they had a decent job. WHAT DO WE GET IN RETURN? Let's divert this wasted money to putting people to work restoring our Earth & Inhabitants, profit from growing marijuana everywhere, particularly land & water wasting vineyards to be used as substitute for current source of fossil fuel & lumber products, nuclear, coal, hydro energy, a source of water, clean air, food, water, an entire house with incinerator toilet, local employment not imprisonment, stop failing economy,environment, social security, healthcare, GLOBAL WARMING & THE NEED FOR WAR. Who are these people who control us & do such terrible things to us? If our constitution is valid at all, the part that says "If it doesn't work we have the right to change it" should be called into effect.

When I was a child our family traveled all over California to visit relatives.The mountains to San Francisco where mostly bare, then came the huge freeways, oil tanks, many housing tracks, the same to Los Angeles to join the wastland of southern Californias vast oil fields of dinosaur appearing machinery. There were many water filled rivers on the way to Los Angeles, many agricultural fields along our highways, from Sacramento to San Pablo. Even then the logging had destroyed the center valleys & many mountains, today highways, unneeded bridges, oil lines, huge cement mall areas with the same stores every two miles  many housing tracts filling agricultural areas, telephone & electric lines mar the valleys, mountains, oceans, satellites mar space & at great expense we're paying ATT billions of dollars adding unneeded broadband, [two foot trences eight hundred miles or more at the cost of $100 million dollars per mile. California still looks good sometimes from the road, but like Oregon, Washington, most states it looks bare from the tops of mountains. Governor Brown appropriated $3.5 billion for new prisons & maximum security pods for jails against voter's wishes that mar not only the land but huge amounts of people's lives Most the state is covered with land & water wasting vineyards that are huge tax write-offs for huge corporations that grant the people no addition to our taxbase, water all day long despite the drought. The politicians I know say the marijuana growers cause more damage then all of theses. we're the only ones who grow foliage to provide oxygen, good nutrients to heal Earth.  I submitted an entry to the Zayed future energy prize twice one time they picked IKEA & an electric car manufactured from ore dug up from the ground instead of everything that can be created with marijuana, all IKEA's furniture, buildings, everything, all entire vehicles with non-toxic fuel. Check out the educations of the people who pass those prize awards out. OBVIOUSLY their education is inferior if they don't know we need foliage to create water, STOP GLOBAL WARMING & THE NEED FOR WAR! Imagine the worldwide delight of having a GREEN environmental, PEACENIK in the US Senate. A politician that doe more then explain &complain, offers concise solutions to worldwide problems of poverty, unemployment, high food costs, imprisonment, worldly uglification.