Solutions

Cutting Regulations:

With more than two hundred regulatory agencies and nearly 400,000 individual regulations, California is the most regulated state in the nation.  By far.

In fact, California has so many regulations that it would take an average person more than 29 weeks to read every regulation – if they dedicated a forty-hour week to doing so! That’s right, our state government has dedicated more than 21.2 million words to regulating our families, our businesses and our lives.

If the sheer volume of regulations was not enough, Gavin Newsom and his special interest allies have created a culture of guilty until proven innocent – putting the burden of proof on the very people, job creators and businesses that keep our economy moving. No wonder families are struggling, small businesses are closing, and large businesses are heading out of state. 

It’s time for a change.

As your Governor, I will establish a working group to review all state regulations and recommend changes and elimination of any regulation that has outlived its usefulness, is contradicted by another state regulation, or is overly restrictive to the people and businesses of this state.

Further, I’ll immediately call on legislative leaders from both parties to enact a new sunset law that requires every state regulation to be reviewed and renewed every ten years – or it is automatically eliminated.  This kind of regular review will force an open, transparent dialogue about each regulation, its intent, its purpose and its implementation.

It has been a long time since a Governor of this state stood up for you.  That is about to change.

Leading the COVID Recovery:

We’re all in this fight together.

As both blue state and red state Governors across the country have shown leadership, responsibility and results in the face of a global pandemic, California has struggled. Gavin Newsom has put politics ahead of science, special interest ahead of students, ambition ahead of safety and his campaign ahead of your personal and economic health.

Historically challenging times have brought leaders of both parties together to put aside their differences for the common good. That didn’t happen in Sacramento where fresh ideas, different perspectives and offers of assistance are ridiculed if they don’t come from the furthest fringes of the far left.  That must change. Commonsense Democrats and Republicans remain closer together than the tiny, but loud, fringe elements of either party and it is time to welcome a dialogue from all walks of life committed to a better California.

Going forward, our strategy must be smart, balanced, and consistent with the best scientific data. I will listen to the experts. I will put kids back in school and I will reopen our economy so that small businesses can thrive again. I will do everything I can to protect us from further outbreaks or from another Gavin Newsom lockdown.

For far too long politicians have ignored mental health issues but we must acknowledge that isolation has taken a terrible toll on mental health, especially for our children. That’s why it’s so important we get teachers and kids in the classroom again. The consensus is clear: Kids can go back to school. Yet because Gavin Newsom has always prioritized his special interest relationships and campaign cash above our children, he continues to keep schools closed and kids in isolation. 

Better days are ahead. We WILL get through this. And as we look ahead, we will be much better prepared for the future and much more willing to work together to solve problems.

Addressing the Affordable Housing & Homeless Crises:

California was once a place for dreams.  A place of affordable housing, good jobs, safe communities and endless opportunity. Now we face a real challenge that has been poorly managed, or worse, ignored for years.

A high cost of living, tax increases, rising unemployment, poor planning, and the lack of a commitment to veterans and those with physical and mental health challenges has created the worst homeless problem in America.

We won’t fix it overnight, but we also cannot ignore real people, with real challenges in need of our help. 

As Governor, I’ll work with local leaders to remove restrictions and revisit any regulation blocking developers, charities, and others interested in building affordable housing.  I’ll challenge our largest, most vocal employers to turn their commitments into tangible investments in their communities by helping build safe, affordable, lasting housing facilities. 

I’ll unleash the power of our faith-based organizations to do what they do best – help people.

I’ll bring together the best experts in America to develop and implement a plan to make California the world leader when it comes to caring for those who have physical or mental health challenges. 

We’ll make California a place where those who have served our nation in the military receive the respect, appreciation and assistance they need. 

A state as large as California will always have challenges, but finding a safe, affordable place to live should not be one.  In my first week in office, I will appoint a commission of housing, real estate and land-use experts along with local leaders and mortgage bankers to help create short and long-term solutions to the growing problem.  But I won’t rely upon this task force alone, my administration will aggressively work with the private sector, not-for-profit organizations and the federal government to identify development and re-development areas, opportunities for home ownership and creative ways to help people secure and keep affordable housing.

Putting a Stop to New and Higher Taxes:

California has the highest personal income tax and highest state sales tax in the country. Add in property tax, federal tax, local tax, gas tax, excise taxes and some kind of government fee on nearly everything we do. It all adds up to the government taking more and more of your hard-earned money in new and creative ways.

In Gavin Newsom’s California your return on investment dwindles while your government continues to take more.  Newsom’s Administration is built upon a flawed viewpoint that we provide an endless stream of funding for a government that rarely cuts back, almost never assesses progress and outright rejects accountability.

Your government needs to work harder and smarter.  It needs to start doing more with less.

When I’m Governor, I’ll veto any tax increase.  Period. And I’ll make it my mission to make your state government work harder for you.  We’ll cut duplicate programs, we’ll streamline spending and I’ll hold the legislature accountable when they try to take more of your money for pet projects or special interest favors.

Accountability is not a partisan issue, it’s a responsibility that every elected official in America should embrace.  For far too long that responsibility has been forgotten or ignored. I can’t wait to bring it back.

My stance on Trans Sports

One of the most common questions I get asked about is trans athletes participating in youth sports. It is a hot topic for media and, while it directly impacts just a tiny percentage of Californians, we have a responsibility to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect and that we protect the fairness and integrity of youth sports.

That is why my position has been so clear and consistent: biological boys should not be allowed to participate in girls sports. It is a question of fairness.  

To be clear, I do believe that athletes that have fully transitioned should be able to participate in sports provided they meet all other eligibility criteria as defined by their state, local, league, conference or school rules. As a society, we should always encourage as much participation as possible while maintaining the fairness and integrity of the competition.  

This is not a new issue. The International Olympic Committee had been working through this issue long before I won the gold in 1976 and have since established a series of conditions under which a male athlete transitioning to female may participate in female sports.  It is logical, science-based and designed to protect the integrity and fairness of the games and it is designed to be revisited as necessary to adjust for advancements in medicine and science.

While the specific eligibility criteria for junior high sports may not be the same as that of the Olympics, creating a series of criteria that encourages participation and guarantees fair competition is just as appropriate for youth sports as it is for the Olympic Games or Paralympic Games.