Karen Schwartz's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Karen Schwartz has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2020 Political Courage Test.
California State Legislative Election 2020 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support legalizing abortion when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| We must expand healthcare access to all Californians and not restrict to those with private or employer-based health coverage. I believe in women's reproductive rights, and women's right to choose. I also believe if all women have access to quality and affordable healthcare, including health education and reproductive healthcare, women will be empowered to make choices leading to a decreased need for abortions. | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| b) In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | |||
| No | c) Should businesses with over 500 employees be taxed for every employee they have? | ||
| b) I support Prop 15, Schools and Communities First, as it does not raise residential or agricultural property taxes, nor property taxes for small to medium size businesses, but does rectify the loophole created by Prop 13 in which large businesses, industry and corporations have not paid California's very low property tax rate (1%) on the current value of their business property, when valued at $3 million or more. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support a limit on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| I support campaign finance reform to curb the outsized influence of the ultra-wealthy and large corporations on our government. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| No | b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the use of private prisons in California? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | b) Do you support lowering state income taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of California? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support the creation of multi-housing in areas previously zoned for single family housing? | ||
| a) Due to the current pandemic - yes b) It would be unwise to do so currently, with the budget deficit. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in California? | ||
| b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in California? | |||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from California high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| b) Only for those charter schools monitored by Local Educational Agencies, with adherence to state mandated educational standards, and utilizing educators protected by collective bargaining. c) In the long-run, yes. Only not at this time due to the COVID Pandemic and need for economic recovery. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state regulations on fuel economy standards? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support allowing homeowners to buy into a shared community solar energy system? | ||
| Climate Change is the number one threat to our health, and our existence. California is ready to move into the 21st Century with green technology and rid ourselves of fossil fuel dependence. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom after passing gun safety training? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| A license and a safety class with annual recertification should always be required for gun ownership and use. There should be a ban on military-style rapid-fire weapons. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through California's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| f) Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | |||
| f) Some businesses are failing or uncertain of their future viability, such a requirement for small businesses would exacerbate the economic crisis. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by California state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| There is no place in our state for discrimination of any kind. Pay equity is crucial for a more just society and a healthy economy. | |||
| California has been experiencing the most intense fire seasons on record brought on by high temperatures and prolonged drought. California needs to limit future development in high fire risk areas. We need to prioritize programs and policy changes including but not limited to prescribed burns, tree and brush thinning, to restore healthier forest and brushland habitats that are more resilient to the impacts of climate change. California needs to continue to push forward on our climate goals of reducing greenhouse gases, divesting from the fossil fuel industry, decarbonizing our economy, and investing in mass public transit. | |||
| Our healthcare system is in crisis. The Pandemic has brought into full view the inadequacies of a fragmented for-profit healthcare system, and the need for streamlined, single-payer universal healthcare, which will bolster our state's emergency preparedness capabilities. The Pandemic has demonstrated just what can go wrong with an employer-based healthcare system during a period of massive layoffs. During a Pandemic, many Californians have lost their healthcare coverage. We pay far more with so many unemployed transitioning to Medi-Cal coverage. Universal healthcare would provide all Californians with access to quality healthcare, while saving taxpayers and our state billions. |
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