21st Century California Republican Party Platform Draft

THE 21ST CENTURY CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM (2-20-2008)

Growing the California Economy

We support growing the California economy through entrepreneurship driving innovation. California leads our country and the world as an economic driver with our agricultural industry, pioneering high-tech and biotech, and entertainment industry.

Demanding Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability

We believe in limiting the size and intrusiveness of government so people are free to work, innovate, and enjoy the blessings of liberty. Government must function more efficiently without raising taxes.

Limiting Tax Burdens for Individuals and Businesses

Workers should be free to enjoy the fruits of their labors, providing for their families and communities without onerous taxes or regulations. We support changes in the business tax structure to encourage the creation of more permanent jobs that are needed to support families at a decent middle-class standard of living.

Promoting the Family

Strong families are the cornerstone of California society and need to be nurtured and supported in every way.

Providing the Best Education

Empowering the next generation of Californians with deep and practical education is critical to our success as both an economy, and a society.

Providing Health Care to Californians

We believe in the sanctity of life and encourage the availability of health care coverage for all Californians.

Honoring Our Constitutional Right to Own Property

Under the United States Constitution, the right to own private property and be free from government interference is fundamental to our free society.

Ensuring Public Safety

An essential function of California’s government is ensuring public safety and security while maintaining strict adherence to the Constitution of the State of California and the Constitution of the United States.

Remaining Stewards of the Environment

California is world-renown for its undisputed natural beauty. California is the original steward of environmental protection, and we support the responsible use of natural resources.

Supporting California’s Agriculture Industry

Agriculture is the largest industry in California, where more food and fiber is produced than any other state. California agriculture has been beset by over regulation, urban encroachment, environmental extremism, and restricted access to water.

Achieving the “American Dream” Through Legal Immigration

Immigrants founded our nation and are vital to the success of California’s economy. In order to have a secure and safe society, we call for the strict enforcement of current immigration laws.

Promoting Tort Reform

Our economy is hampered by laws and legal rulings engineered by plaintiff’s trial lawyers to benefit lawyers in the guise of consumer protection. We support comprehensive tort reform.

Promoting Political Reform

For more than 100 years California has been at the forefront of government reform, leading to such innovations as the initiative process, the right of citizens to recall elected officials, promoting citizen legislators through term limits, and independent commissions to set the pay and benefits of state legislators. We support an independent commission to set legislative district boundaries.

Federalism

The California Republican Party believes in a federal system in which the majority of power is held by the citizens, delegated to their local and state governments.

We, the Republican Party of the State of California, believe California’s best days lie ahead, and that the best way to realize this dream is to promote a government that adheres to the following principles:

Growing the California Economy

• We believe that businesses should be free to create new jobs, products, and services with a minimum of government regulation.
• We believe that economic growth is maximized through free enterprise when government is limited.
• We support efforts to increase access to foreign markets for California goods.
• We support the building of new or expanding freeways/roads/rails to help alleviate congestion, save fuel and improve commerce.
• We must provide cheaper, more abundant, and cleaner electric generation capacity to relieve upward pressure on energy prices, and to support and grow domestic industries to keep jobs in the state.
• We must encourage building new infrastructure for water recycling and to develop new sources of water by and for end-users, and preserve existing water rights.

Demanding Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability

• We believe pension reform in the public sector must be reconciled so that our hard-working civil servants receive reasonable benefits commensurate with the private sector and support conversion to defined-contribution plans.
• We believe government must fully disclose all long-term liabilities, including pension and retiree healthcare benefit costs, at all levels of government.
• We encourage public-nonprofit partnerships and public-private partnerships, to create solutions to modern challenges.
• We recommend that infrastructure needs be properly budgeted each year to avoid crisis situations and makeshift fiscal solutions to long-term infrastructure needs.
• We demand that financial statements for public education be made available for public review.

Limiting Tax Burdens for Individuals and Businesses

• We support efforts to limit government spending and taxes.
• We support the limits on taxes imposed by Proposition 13 and the Williamson Act.
• We support curtailing the abuses allowed by Proposition 218 that allows government to raise local property taxes while circumventing Proposition 13.

Promoting the Family

• We believe that in the 21st Century, it is important to recognize and support the uniqueness of all families, which are the foundation of society.
• We believe families have the primary responsibility in the development of our youth.
• We believe that adoption of children into loving families is an opportunity to have a positive impact on their lives and that the restrictive regulations on adoption be streamlined for easier placement.
• We believe families are entitled and must be empowered to make fundamental choices for their members, including education, healthcare, and fundamental moral and ethical decisions.
• We believe that women should have the same rights and privileges as men.
• We believe in respecting our senior citizens by improving their financial security, physical well being and quality of life.

Providing the Best Education

• We believe that education is our society’s great equalizer and a path to economic independence. Education should foster developing lifelong learners who are prepared to participate creatively and productively in shaping the future.
• We believe that to give our children the best education possible, California must be a world leader in public schools, libraries and choice schools.
• We believe that education is essential for continued economic growth, to support our technology-dependent civilization, and to innovate in order to find better solutions for current and future challenges.
• We believe that all children should have access to quality education whether they matriculate to higher education or are motivated and inspired by vocational and career technical education opportunities.
• We believe that all students must learn to read, write, perform basic mathematics in English and to know and appreciate the history of the state of California and the United States.
• We believe school choice, voucher, home schooling, licensing of independent and charter schools, and the closure or takeover of failing public schools is essential to maintain the highest standards of education in California.
• We believe in local community control of schools to implement curriculum, determine budgets and select the best staff and teachers free from external interference.
• We believe in supporting our teachers with a salary commensurate with their capabilities and the means to deliver high quality instruction.
• We believe education should not undermine the role of families on specific issues relating to childhood development and sexuality.

Providing Health Care to Californians

• We believe in the sanctity of life and that access to excellent health care is vital to the functioning of the California economy.
• We support freedom of choice in health care.
• We believe parental/guardian permission must be given before any medical procedures are performed on minors.
• We support public policies, including tax credits to individuals and private employers, which encourage Californians to obtain and maintain health coverage utilizing free-market approaches.
• We believe California health care providers and insurers must adhere to fundamental principals of fairness, such as offering coverage without regard to pre-existing conditions.
• We believe that small businesses should be encouraged to provide health insurance to their employees through the judicious use of tax credits and self-insurance pools.
• We believe that all Californians should be required to have some form of catastrophic health insurance.

Honoring Our Constitutional Right to Own Property

• We believe government shall never take private property for private benefit.
• We believe any government takings of private property must be subject to a transparent public process, high legal standards, subject to appeal.
• We believe any government takings of private property for public ends must fully compensate property owners at prevailing market rates.

Ensuring Public Safety

• We oppose any repeal of “10-20-life,” “three strikes,” and Jessica’s Law.
• We support the right of the people for self-defense.
• We believe our government should protect the public from further acts of violence by career criminals through a tougher parole determination process.
• We support the appointment of qualified judges dedicated to the separation of powers.
• We oppose the practice commonly referred to as "judicial activism."
• We support effective anti-drug education programs.
• We support stiff punishment for drunk or drug-impaired drivers.
• We support stiff penalties for drug dealers and drug users.
• We endorse stiff penalties for those who abduct, exploit, and abuse children or commit domestic violence and spousal abuse.

Remaining Stewards of the Environment

• We believe in continuing to create and uphold valid environmental policies that maintain clean air and water, healthy forests and oceans, and abundant wildlife.
• We believe that a healthy economy and a healthy environment are mutually interdependent.
• We encourage the development and construction of abundant domestic energy sources that are less expensive and cleaner.
• We believe in an environmental regulatory system that preserves private property rights, recognizes and preserves traditional uses of natural resources to support local economies, encourages private sector competition and innovation for job creation, and promotes sound land use policies without driving out local business or recklessly seeking to enlarge public land holdings.
• In keeping with the traditional practice of the native populations in California, we believe people are an integral part of nature. Rather than being excluded, an active role for people is necessary for proper management of all lands in the State.

Supporting California’s Agriculture Industry

• We believe in developing more water storage, high rates of appropriate recycled water usage, desalination plants, and the dredging of our rivers for flood control, and maintaining our levee and weir-floodplain systems.
• We believe in preserving farmlands to grow domestic food supplies and to support a strong food export industry.
• We believe in the development of a temporary agricultural workers program for those legally working in America.
• We believe in increasing the inspection system for food entering the United States through California ports of entry to protect the health and welfare of California consumers.
• We must thin many of our forests using modern environmentally sound methods to reduce the extremely high fire hazard. Our overgrown forests cannot safely be allowed to burn “naturally”, since they are in an unstable and unnatural condition.
• We support thinning forests to restore lost grazing lands for ruminants, and to provide additional watershed. Active ongoing thinning will preserve forest health, promote carbon sequestration, cogeneration, and support local economic activity.

Achieving the “American Dream” Through Legal Immigration

• We support immigration policies that allow legal immigration of separated families to promote family unity and stability.
• We support increasing the quotas on the number of individuals who may legally immigrate to America.
• We believe the incentives that encourage illegal immigration should be eliminated.
• We believe existing employment laws that will discourage illegal immigration should be enforced.
• We encourage local law enforcement departments to become “ICE” trained and active to support immigration laws.
• We encourage deportation of criminals who are non-U.S. residents.
• We believe the border fence should be promptly completed.
• We support enforcement of sanctions on employers knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

Promoting Tort Reform

• We believe that California should implement limits on plaintiffs’ contingency fees, runaway punitive damages awards.
• We believe perverse incentives that punish voluntary remedial measures by companies by subjecting them to liability from tort lawyers should be eliminated.
• We also believe that “Private attorney general” laws or rulings that encourage frivolous litigation, particularly in the areas of medical environmental liability, should be strictly limited.

Promoting Political Reform

• We recommend in a part-time legislature of citizens, not professional politicians.
• We recommend the California Legislature not be compensated for the period of time the state budget is late.
• We support reforming the process of drawing state legislative and congressional districts with an independent redistricting commission.
• We support campaign finance rules requiring full and open transparency in campaign contributions and expenditures.
• We support the repeal of the unworkable provisions of federal, state and local campaign regulations that needlessly limit Americans’ free speech rights.
• We support prohibiting the use of mandatory union dues and fees to support or oppose candidates for public office pr ballot initiatives.
• We support each Californian’s freedom to work without being compelled to pay dues or fees to a labor union.
• We support measures aimed at protecting the rights of Californians to organize political parties, and for those parties to nominate and support the candidates of their choice.
• We oppose efforts by government to interfere with the operation of political parties, including the ability of parties to communicate with their members without restriction.
• We support limits on the number of terms any elected official may serve.
• We respect the rights of our sovereign Native American nations.
• We hold our elected officials accountable to the highest ethical standards in government, regardless of the standards applied by and to other political parties.

Federalism

• We believe the federal government should have a limited role in areas such as education, healthcare, and economic regulation.
• We believe the federal government should respect the rights of California residents to determine these issues for themselves.
• We believe Californians should hold their local and state elected officials directly accountable.
• We believe that attempts by agencies of the federal government to overrule state laws and/or usurp the right of California to govern its own internal affairs, should be struck down by the federal courts.

Conclusion

The California Republican Party believes in the truth that government of the people and by the people exists to serve the people. The awesome responsibility of enacting public policy must transcend time and provide a firm foundation for generations. Thus, we hold our government accountable to do the business of the people by adhering to core Republican principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government, individual freedom, and personal responsibility.