Joe Gardner's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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.
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Joe Gardner has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
California State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| No | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles: | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.2) State Taxes:Using the key, indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing California's budget.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Greatly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into California's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | |||
| Yes | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | |||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| We must spend our tax dollars wisely. We must assure funding is used as taxpayers intended. Reforming wasteful government programs must at the forefront of considering spending increases. There should be sunset clauses on all from of welfare. Welfare should include drug testing and mandatory participation in case management and assessment. | |||
| California taxpayers pay some of the highest taxes, nationwide. High taxes hinder small business and the economy overall, especially gasoline taxes. Buidling our economy will require cutting corporate and capital gains taxes to stimulate growth. | |||
| Many of these are not simple yes or no answers. Generally, each state agency must pass means testing to assure efficiency. State pensions represent an unfunded mandate in the billions. They must be reformed. I would not break promises to retirees or those vested but new employees should move to a 401K style pension. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| No | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring labels on foods that have been genetically engineered or contain genetically modified ingredients? | ||
| We must stop recidivism. Those incarcerated must be mandated to participate in programs that would deter a return to prison that includes rehabilitation for addictions, treatment for mental health issues or education and certification for job placement. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| No | g) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| I believe in free-market principles. I could only support broad-based incentives that are equally distributed for all businesses. I am against corporate welfare or carve-outs for special corporate interests. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| Yes | d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| No | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from California high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Local control and parental choice are what I support. Parents should be allowed to send their children to the best schools. Low performng schools will be revealed quickly in a competitive education system. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to California's energy infrastructure? | ||
| d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | |||
| No | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| The free market should dictate funding for energy programs, not government. Government should not be picking winners or losers for energy programs and should get out of the way of sound and responsible energy developement. I have concerns about government space preservation efforts that includes land confiscation and exclusion of use and access. | |||
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I believe in the Second Amendment. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| No | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| I support a competitive private-sector market for health care. People should be able to determine for themselve what coverage that need, not one size fits all coverage. | |||
| No | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| No | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| It is vital to rebuild our stagnant economy. People want careers that will support families for a lifetime. They also seek secure futures. If we are to repair our crumbling infrastructure such as water storage systems or highways, we will need revenue that only a vibrant economy can provide. Manufacturing and industrial jobs are key so it will be important to have a skilled workforce to fill those jobs. Vocational and technical training will be essential. We must make California competitive in a global market |
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