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Ray Lutz's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Ray Lutz refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2010 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2010.

  • Raymond Lutz. 2008. Project Vote Smart: California State Legislative Political Courage Test. Abortion Issues: h) Other or expanded principles: "Although no one relishes the concept of pregnancy termination, I view this as a choice that must be made by the woman and not the hand of government. My assumption is that families are strong, and they can handle these questions far better than a one-size-fits-all law."
  • Raymond Lutz. 2008. Project Vote Smart: California State Legislative Political Courage Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "b) Abortions should always be legal."
  • Raymond Lutz. Issue Position: "Strong Family" Supporter. "Ray believes in strong families and he wants the government to get out of important and difficult family decisions. End of life decisions should not be dictated by government. Pregnancy termination is the choice of the woman." (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Raymond Lutz. 2008. Project Vote Smart: California State Legislative Political Courage Test. Education Issues: k) Other or expanded principles: "Although I support education standards and some testing, I do not support exhaustive testing of every child, every year. Sampling is sufficient. The issue this year is whether we will re-establish funding of our schools, regardless of trying to improve their performance."
  • Raymond Lutz. 2008. Project Vote Smart: California State Legislative Political Courage Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "g) Limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming;" "h) Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law."
  • Raymond Lutz. 2008. Project Vote Smart: California State Legislative Political Courage Test. Gun Issues: f) Other or expanded principles: "a) That is already the law, from what I've been told. b) After sufficient training and background checks. e) It is a mixed bag. Some restrictions are not sufficient, however."
  • Raymond Lutz. 2008. Project Vote Smart: California State Legislative Political Courage Test. Selected YES for: "a) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?;" "b) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?;" "c) Should a license be required for gun possession?;" "e) Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?"
  • National Rifle Association. 2008. Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings. 21 July 2010. "Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all candidates in 2008, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund assigned Lutz a grade of D (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F)." (votesmart.org)
  • Raymond Lutz. Issue Position: Safe Gun Ownership Supporter. "Ray believes that you have a right to own a firearm, although he also believes the second amendment states that such ownership must be "well regulated." The goal of this regulation is obviously safety, and to keep guns out of the hands of ex-cons, mental cases and children. We must carefully balance the rights of the individual and the rights to a free and peaceful society. Automatic assault-style weapons have no place in a civil society." (votesmart.org)
  • Raftery, Miriam. 2010. East County Magazine: Challengers Vie for Hunter's Seat in Congress. 3 June 2010. "He [Lutz] clarified that he does not support "socialized medicine" and that healthcare through doctors and hospitals would remain private. "This is socialized INSURANCE," he emphasized. "We're still using private insurance companies with no controls on healthcare costs?What we want to do is turn this around to emphasize preventative medicine instead of the emergency disease-based care that we get today." (www.eastcountymagazine.org)
  • Raymond Lutz. Issue Position: Universal Healthcare Advocate. "Small and large businesses alike are faced with tough decisions as they attempt to fund medical coverage. We must move toward single-payer, universal healthcare coverage and turn our system from sick-care to health-care, with no one outside the system. Epidemics and disease don't care about paperwork." (votesmart.org)
  • Raymond Lutz. 2008. Project Vote Smart: California State Legislative Political Courage Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "f) Support state and local law enforcement officials enforcing federal immigration laws."
  • Raymond Lutz. 2008. Project Vote Smart: California State Legislative Political Courage Test. Crime Issues: h) Other or expanded principles: "...Immigration laws must be enforced, but we cannot make it impossible for immigrants with any documentation status to seek help."
  • Raymond Lutz. Issue Position: Immigration Reformer. "Require that all illegal immigrants register with the government. We must bring this immigrant community out of the shadows and into the lawful society. Require that all illegal immigrants pay fines and taxes, work, learn English, and go to the back of the line to earn their citizenship." (votesmart.org)
  • Raymond Lutz. Issue Position: Peace Advocate. "Similarly, the current military engagement in Afghanistan is unnecessary, but is continuing mainly because we have privatized our military and such a long-term engagement is extremely profitable." (votesmart.org)
  • Raymond Lutz. North County Times - War Rarely Mentioned in Congressional Races. 15 August 2010. "At least one local congressional candidate, Hunter's Democratic opponent, Ray Lutz, is talking about the wars. "I'm a proponent for winding down these wars as soon as possible," Lutz said. "We have had enough of warmongering, and I haven't seen a war in my lifetime that was worth fighting." (votesmart.org)
  • Raymond Lutz. 2008. Project Vote Smart: California State Legislative Political Courage Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "a) Should California continue to recognize domestic partnerships between same-sex couples?;" "b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?;" "c) Should California provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples?"
  • Raymond Lutz. Issue Position: "Strong Family" Supporter. "Ray believes in strong families and he wants the government to get out of important and difficult family decisions. Sexual orientation of partners is not a matter for governmental control." (votesmart.org)
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

a) Abortions should always be illegal.
X b) Abortions should always be legal.
c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
f) Abortions should be subject to a mandatory waiting period.
g) Require clinics to give parental notification before performing abortions on minors.
Although no one relishes the concept of pregnancy termination, I view this as a choice that must be made by the woman and not the hand of government. My assumption is that families are strong, and they can handle these questions far better than a one-size-fits-all law.

State Budget: Indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category, you can use a number more than once.State Taxes: Indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category, you can use a number more than once.

Maintain Status a) Education (Higher)
Slightly Increase b) Education (K-12)
Slightly Increase c) Emergency preparedness
Slightly Increase d) Environment
Slightly Increase e) Health care
Slightly Increase f) Law enforcement
Maintain Status g) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Maintain Status h) Welfare
Slightly Increase i) Other or expanded categories
a) Alcohol taxes
b) Cigarette taxes
c) Corporate taxes
d) Gasoline taxes
e) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
f) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
g) Property taxes
h) Sales taxes
i) Vehicle taxes
No 1) Should state sales taxes be extended to Internet sales?
Yes 2) Should accounts such as a "rainy day" fund be used to balance the state budget?
Yes 3) Should fee increases be used to balance the state budget?
Yes 4) Should California increase the tax exemption on luxury items (yachts, airplanes, and motor-homes) purchased and stored outside of the state from 90 days to 1 year?
No mention of energy and infrastructure spending which are extremely important so we can turn from fossil fuels and to renewable energy sources. Also, Transportation, we must de-emphasize freeways and promote public transportation instead. We must do better in the area of WildFire preparedness.
Our fiscal situation is largely awry because of the volatile and unstable revenue streams when compared with fairly constant spending requirements. Our budget can be balanced if we use my "Fair Share Tax Plan" which moves us to more stable sources and away from sales tax, Income Tax, and valuation-based property taxes. The Vehicle taxes that were reduced on a temporary basis should be returned but eliminated for people who own vehicles that get more than 30 mpg. The simplistic questions in this category do not allow more sophisticated solutions. For example, under Property Taxes, my plan_turns_to non-valuation-based methods.
Internet sales of physical items are already taxes. The implication is that it would be possible or desirable to tax items, like downloads, that can be accessed anywhere. What would happen is that people would access those products from other states and we would lose all Internet business, so it is not a viable alternative. Again, we need to turn to non-volatile funding sources, which is not a option in your questions.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?

Yes a) Do you support the current limit of terms for California governors?
No b) Do you support the current limit of terms for California state senators and assemblymembers?
Yes 1) Individual
Yes 2) PAC
Yes 3) Corporate
Yes 4) Political Parties
Yes d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
Yes e) Do you support imposing spending limits on state-level political campaigns?
Yes f) Should California participate in the federal REAL ID program?
Yes g) Do you support giving the redistricting authority of the state legislature to a California citizen council?
No h) Do you support the California state government using eminent domain to seize private property for the purpose of private development?
Campaign contributions, although limited, do not remove the fact that these remain as a means to gain influence with the representative. Fully publicly financed elections, like they have in Arizona, was not a question that was asked. Although I support disclosure of campaign finances, the system in place is very onerous for candidates but would be largely unnecessary if we use pubicly financed elections.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and hiring of additional prison staff.
b) Support the death penalty in California.
X c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X d) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
e) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
X f) Support state and local law enforcement officials enforcing federal immigration laws.
X g) Support hate crime legislation.
I've been told that 95% of women incarcerated today are there due to drug-related crimes. We must rethink our drug policies and take the profit out of the drug trade, and refer addicts to rehab clinics instead of jailing them. We must provide sentencing options to provide judges with discretion. Immigration laws must be enforced, but we cannot make it impossible for immigrants with any documentation status to seek help.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

X a) Support state funding of universal pre-K programs.
b) Support federal education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students (No Child Left Behind).
X c) Support state education standards and testing requirements for K-12 students.
X d) Support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams.
e) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any public school.
f) Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
g) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
h) Support using a merit pay system for teachers.
X i) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
j) Support allowing illegal immigrant high school graduates of California to pay in-state tuition at public universities.
Although I support education standards and some testing, I do not support exhaustive testing of every child, every year. Sampling is sufficient. The issue this year is whether we will re-establish funding of our schools, regardless of trying to improve their performance. I would prefer to have a peer-review system for teachers so we can weed out dead-wood while rewarding top performers. However, merit pay is probably inappropriate for this sort of occupation, according to studies of various incentives.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.

X a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today’s job market.
X b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector.
X c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
X d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families.
X e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
X f) Increase the state minimum wage.
g) Support laws that prevent employers from dismissing employees at will.
X h) Support financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
X i) Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients.
X j) Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
a) Currently the ROP program is being cut, and it is very important as we go through this recession. b) Although in some cases, we need to tighten up regulation too. This question is far too broad. c) Investment banks have all but ignored new enterprises. d) would need more information. e) Must commit to annual funding for the children at a time, not monthly or weekly. f) Should be indexed to inflation rate. g) Esp. small businesses must be able to hire and fire according to performance. h) I would also like jail time for those employers.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

X a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
b) Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc).
X c) Support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops.
d) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
X e) Support funding for improvements to California's power generating and transmission facilities.
X f) Support funding for open space preservation.
X g) Limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
X h) Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law.
c) we must promote algae and other types of farms on land, using salt water, for example, so we are not competing with edible crops. d) Such clean up sites should be dealt with by industry fees directly collected from the industry in question. e) Emphasize roof-top PV solar and local generation rather than mega projects with transmission lines. h) We must esp. go back to fuel efficiency standards which are at a 21-year low.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

Yes a) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
Yes b) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
Yes c) Should a license be required for gun possession?
Yes d) Do you support current levels of enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
Yes e) Do you support current state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
a) That is already the law, from what I've been told. b) After sufficient training and background checks. d) I support "Safe Gun Ownership" and that means that we must have background checks and owners must certify that they can safely operate a gun. e) It is a mixed bag. Some restrictions are not sufficient, however.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.

a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
b) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
X c) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
X d) Allow patients to sue their HMOs.
X e) Require hospitals and labs to release reports on infections that are a risk to public health, while not compromising patient confidentiality.
X f) Legalize physician assisted suicide in California.
X g) Support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
a) I support universal health care, and I would rather see it handled at the federal level as disease knows no state boundaries. We must move to health-preservation rather than disease combat.

['Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.', 'Legislative Priorities']

Yes a) Should California continue to recognize domestic partnerships between same-sex couples?
Yes b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?
Yes c) Should California provide state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples?
Yes d) Do you support a moment of silence in public schools?
e) Do you support voluntary prayer in public schools?
Yes f) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods?
No g) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs?
No h) Should the state government consider race and gender in state government contracting and hiring decisions?
No i) Do you support affirmative action in public college admissions?
No j) Should California continue affirmative action programs?
Yes k) Do you support state funding of stem cell research?
Yes l) Do you support state funding of embryonic stem cell research?
No m) Do you support allowing pharmacists who conscientiously object to emergency contraception to refuse to dispense it?
d) I'd rather not have this administered by the staff, but certainly, there can be silence at times in the classroom. e) prayer is always possible. God does not need any special school rules. f) as long as they state that abstinance-only has been found to be a failure. h,i,j) Ideally, no, but studies show that disadvantaged races and genders do not get a fair shake otherwise. There may be other ways to get the same result.
Fiscal Health - We need to turn to less volatile funding sources that do not shoot up or down with every change in the economy. My Fair Share Tax Plan turns to these sources. We can balance our budget without too much pain if we have the will to change, and to put the burden on newcomers or our children. Healthcare - We must turn to a universal heathcare system that will be much less costly in the long run. Infrastructure - We must green the economy with renewable infrastructure initiatives. (This questionnaire does not give enough words!)

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