June 21-23, 2006 - California State Legislature Joint Republican Caucus Briefing, Sacramento, California
Getting to know Sacramento
As the official Republican State Assembly candidate for Assembly District 21, I had the opportunity to meet with current Republican legislators from the Assembly and the Senate. We discussed the bonds and initiatives that will be on the November ballot. My view has always been about being fiscally responsible, accountable, and transparent-- in short, managing the cost of government. It is also clear that Governor Schwarzenegger wants to be prudent in how our taxpayer money is being spent and make government more efficient and effective in its spending.
I had the opportunity to meet with Senators Dick Ackerman, Tom McClintock, Chuck Poochigian, and Kevin McCarthy, and former Senate Republican Leader Jim Brulte. All of these senators are inspirational and ordinary folks like you and me. They care about our economic prosperity, educating our children, public safety, health care for Californians, and transportation and infrastructure issues. To sum it up, they want to preserve and expand the liberty, freedom and opportunity of individuals, families, and businesses in California... like me!
The Assembly members were no different. After meeting with Assembly members Greg Aghazarian, Bill Emmerson, and George Plescia, I believe that the Republican leadership in Sacramento is preserving and expanding the liberty, freedom and opportunity of individuals, families, and businesses in California. When I’m voted in on November 7 to represent the citizens who live in AD 21, Silicon Valley will have that same common sense leadership-- for a change.
The most interesting part about the briefing is that I was able to meet candidates from all over California. Whether you live in the Los Angeles area, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Diego, Orange County, the Sierras, or the Silicon Valley, everyone is concerned about fiscal responsibility and accountability, stimulating economic growth, high standards for education, health care, and infrastructure issues for a fast-growing population. As diverse as California is, these same messages and issues continue to resonate with all people. Thankfully, the moral and ideological issues on which the press seem to focus are not the chief concerns for Republicans. Our personal opinions can be different, but when it comes down to representing Californians, we as legislative leaders must set aside our personal differences, do the right thing, and vote our conscience on what’s best for all Californians.