FIRE VICTIM CALLS HOLLINGSWORTH A LIAR

Kathleen Huneke had no idea what was happening at home. Huneke, a Lakeside resident, was in Las Vegas selling her father’s property when the Cedar fire destroyed her house in 2003. Her husband called to tell her that they had lost everything. “I wanted to race back, go home, but he told me, ‘You have no home,’ and I just about died,” Huneke said. “That’s when it hit me. We didn’t have a home. And we still don’t.” [Click here for More...]

HEALTHCARE FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS

Seven million working people in California have no health insurance. Many children and elderly people are also doing without medical care because of the high cost of doctor and hospital visits. Prescription drug prices have skyrocketed. Even people with cancer are being denied life-saving medical treatment. That’s wrong. No one should be denied medical care because they can’t afford it.[Click here for More...]

MARK HANSON’S PLAN TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES SUCCEED IN CALIFORNIA

As a successful business leader, I understand the needs of small businesses. As CEO and founder of Heartland Foundation, I’ve provided seed money and programs to help small businesses start up and grow. After the Cedars wildfire, my foundation raised funds to help small business owners rebuild. I have a solid financial background as a securities broker and also head up Leadership Management International in San Diego, where I now teach business leadership skills to others. [Click here for More...]

East County Californian, October 11-17, 2006

FIRE VICTIM CALLS HOLLINGSWORTH A LIAR

By Joseph Pena
The East County Californian

Kathleen Huneke had no idea what was happening at home.
Huneke, a Lakeside resident, was in Las Vegas selling her father’s property when the Cedar fire destroyed her house in 2003.
Her husband called to tell her that they had lost everything.
“I wanted to race back, go home, but he told me, ‘You have no home,’ and I just about died,” Huneke said. “That’s when it hit me. We didn’t have a home. And we still don’t.”
Huneke is one of many East County residents who have yet to rebuild their homes after the fires swept through San Diego County.
She’s run the gamut of emotions since her 4,000 square-foot home on five and one-quarter acres of property in Lakeside burned – but lately, she is angry. And her anger is directed at Dennis Hollingsworth, state senator for the 36th District, which represents a large number of East County residents.
Huneke said Hollingsworth lied in a story published in The San Diego Union-Tribune last week. Mark Hanson, a challenger to incumbent Hollingsworth, said the state senator sided with insurance companies, not victims, after the fires.
In the article, Hollingsworth denied the accusations.
But the insurance industry is Hollingsworth’s top campaign contributor, champing the Republican senator for $29,300 so far.
And Hollingsworth voted no on Senate Bill 2, designed to help survivors of catastrophes recover by easing documentation requirements and expanding coverage so reconstruction can be accelerated.
The bill would have allowed alternative living expenses (ALE) for up to 24 months after the loss of a home. Typically, insurance companies offer 12-18 months of ALE.
Very few of the people who lost homes in the fires completed their reconstruction in one year and more than 50 percent still haven’t completed rebuilding.
The extended ALE would have eased the burden of both the victims and government agencies and contractors who were overwhelmed with demands to rebuild, Huneke said.
The bill also would have required insurance companies to pay 85 percent of policy limits for personal property losses without requiring an inventory from the homeowner, in the state of emergencies and when total loss is declared.
Huneke, who tried to inventory all of her belongings, still hasn’t finished a list of the things she owned.
The process of creating an inventory of her things has been devastating, at times too much for her to handle.
She reviewed home videos to try and document the family’s posessions, but it brough back terrible memories.
“It’s just horrible, you can’t imagine how horrible it is,” she said.
Hanson maintained his position that Hollingsworth sided with insurance companies, not victims.
“It’s not debatable,” Hanson said. “It’s right there in black and white, in the voting records and in The San Diego Union [Tribune] story. It’s not something we should be at all confused about.”

MARK HANSON'S PLAN TO CREATE GOOD JOBS & BETTER FUTURES FOR WORKING MEN & WOMEN

I believe that people who work hard deserve good jobs with fair wages and health benefits.

The economy in our community has been stagnant for too long. Good manufacturing jobs were lost when General Dynamics shut down and have not been replaced. The majority of new jobs have been in low-paying service industries. We've also seen small businesses fold up or leave California. The cost of living has gone up sharply and so have oil prices. Workers and their families are feeling the pinch from rising medical costs and many can't afford health insurance at all. We can do better. It's time to provide the people of our district with real help - through a comprehensive plan to create good-paying jobs that provide real benefits and stimulates our economy.

I have experience in this area. As Director of Development for the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, I have successfully created job training programs and brought new employers to our region. I've written grants to bring 80,000 jobs in clean, renewable energy manufacturing to our area. For example, Sterling Energy plans to build a solar cell manufacturing plant that will hire 1,000 workers starting next year. I've also set up training and apprenticeship programs to provide students and employees with skills needed in today's workplace.

I support tax credits for companies that produce clean energy. These companies not only provide good-paying jobs, but also help America achieve energy independence from high-priced foreign oil.
I also support tax credits for small businesses, which provide two-thirds of new jobs in California, doing more to fuel our economy than big corporations. I would streamline regulations and bureaucracy to make it easier for small businesses to thrive.

I favor legislation to end corporate welfare. We should not subsidize oil companies and pay for their exploratory drilling. We should make large corporations such as Wal-Mart provide healthcare for their employees. Currently, Wal-Mart forces many of its employees onto Medi-Care and Medi-Cal, leaving the taxpayer to pick up the tab. According to Fortune Magazine, WalMart made over $10 billion in profit in 2005, but stuck the taxpayers with paying for its employee's medical bills. That's just plain wrong.

Preparing our young people for good careers is also an important priority. I favor reducing tuition rates at state colleges, universities and community colleges for all California students, but would raise tuition costs for foreign students to give priority to our children here at home. My plan would also provide partnerships with businesses to create internship programs for students in middle schools and high schools, as well as partnerships with unions for apprenticeship programs in skilled trades programs. I also support increased vocational training programs in schools, including vocational programs for special needs students.

Finally, I support vocational programs to train prisoners in job skills. Under my plan, each prisoner could generate $3,000 to $5,000 for the California economy each year by creating items for sale, such as furniture- instead of costing taxpayers $70,000. Prisoners who have skills to get good jobs after being released are also less likely to break the law again, resulting in a lower crime rate.
Money saved (strike "through these reforms") could be used to help fund (strike "universal") healthcare reforms, improving public education or reducing college tuition so that California's working men and women and their children can have opportunities for a brighter future.

STRENGTHENING PUBLIC EDUCATION TO HELP STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS

As a teacher and school administrator, I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact that good public schools can make in students’ lives. I taught English to high school and community college students and was twice honored as Teacher of the Year. My greatest pride, however, came in seeing students enjoy learning and go on to achieve successes in colleges, universities, and careers. For instance, I’ve had students become university professors and even win an Academy Award.

As a parent, I want all children to have opportunities to fulfill their maximum potential. But sadly, the quality of education in California’s elementary, middle and high schools has declined dramatically. Today, California ranks 48th out of the 50 states in student achievement testing. We spend less per child on education than 42 of the 50 states. Art and music are vanishing from our public schools, even though studies show a strong correlation between students with strong skills in art and music and those who excel in English and math.

College opportunities for our children are disappearing. The percentage of California high school graduates who go on directly to college now ranks 39th in the nation. More and more students here cannot afford higher education. Since 2000, the cost to attend the University of California has skyrocketed 79%. State college costs are up 76%, and community college fees have gone up a staggering 136%.

California has slashed financial aid and scholarships at the very time when students need help most. In addition, the number of high school counselors has been cut back sharply, so many students are not even receiving the basic information they need about meeting college admission requirements. Schools also lack adequate vocational training programs to help those students who don’t go to college be prepared for good-paying careers after they graduate.

Shockingly, some school districts have increased administrative salaries as much as 300% - while teachers are told to spend their own money on classroom supplies. This is a waste of taxpayer money and an inappropriate allocation of resources needed to help students.

This must change.

My opponent, State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth, has done nothing to improve public education. He offers no plan to make college more affordable, no plan to provide vocational training for students who are not college bound, no plan to improve school counseling, no plans to restore art and music to the classrooms, and no plan to make preschool education accessible for more children.

I will work to strengthen public education at all levels, so that California will once again lead the nation in providing the best possible education for our children.

.
I support:

Training to create new teaching jobs and fill the critical shortage of qualified, full-time teachers in our schools
Expanded pre-school education to help youngsters develop important learning skills
Art, music, and hands-on learning skills in schools
An increase in counselors, especially in high schools
Reduction of fees and tuition at community colleges, state colleges and universities
Assistance for California veterans to afford college after military servic
Restoration of scholarships and an increase in financial aid for college-bound students
Partnerships with unions to restore vocational programs and building trades apprenticeship programs in high schools
Vocational programs for special needs students
Partnerships with businesses to create internships and apprenticeship programs to provide vocational training and prepare students for successful careers
English language programs including portfolio assessment and cross-disciplinary writing programs in middle schools and high schools
Real-world projects and community service programs that allow high school seniors to present projects and receive evaluations from community members
Assuring safety for all students in our public schools

To fund these programs, I would limit administrative salaries, cut overhead costs and put more money into classrooms. I would increase tuition fees for overseas students and give higher priority to helping California students, while also assuring opportunities for women and minority students. In addition, I would create vocational and apprenticeship programs for students through partnerships with businesses, providing students with training in job skills for the 21st Century.

An investment in public education is a sound investment in our children’s future. Please vote for me in November, so that I can utilize my experience as an educator to create a brighter future for all children in California.

HEALTHCARE FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS

The time has come to fix our broken healthcare system. That’s why I support SB 840, a bill that would provide universal healthcare to every man, woman and child in California—including medical, dental, vision, hospitalization and prescription drug coverage. This bill is supported by over 400 groups including doctors, nurses, churches, seniors’ groups, consumer organizations, the League of Women Voters, local government boards, parents’ groups, women’s organizations, labor and small businesses.

The measure was opposed by insurance companies, which have been pocketing record profits over the last four years. The insurance industry is the biggest single contributor to my opponent’s campaign. Not surprisingly, he sided with insurance companies and voted against the universal healthcare bill.

Fortunately, our Legislature has passed this important bill. If signed by Governor Schwarzenegger, it will give consumers more choices and guarantee you the right to go to any doctor or hospital that you choose. SB 840 would also help small businesses as well as employees by creating a public trust fund to replace all premiums, deductibles and co-pays now paid by businesses and individuals to insurance companies. In addition, the State of California would be able to negotiate bulk discounts on prescription drugs and medical equipment such as wheelchairs, saving taxpayers $2 billion.

By controlling the soaring cost of healthcare, we will save money for consumers and businesses, also assuring a healthy workforce, since everyone will have access to preventative care as well as emergency treatment.

MARK HANSON’S PLAN TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES SUCCEED IN CALIFORNIA

Small businesses are the lifeblood of a community. They provide two-thirds of all new jobs in California, fueling the California economy. But increasingly, small businesses are facing financial pressures from rising fuel costs, soaring health insurance premiums, and a maze of complex business regulations and bureaucratic obstacles.

Our current government leaders have given huge tax breaks to big corporations, while doing little or nothing to ease the burden on small businesses. Big oil companies are reaping windfall profits and HMO profits have tripled over the past four years. While many small businesses and families are struggling or leaving the state, our leaders are supporting corporate welfare for the world’s biggest companies.

This must change. I support:

· tax incentives for small businesses – the best investment to create jobs, a healthy economy, and a higher standard of living for business owners and their employees;

· closing corporate loopholes and stopping big corporations from setting up off-shore offices to dodge paying taxes in California;

· offering tax incentives for businesses that build alternative energy manufacturing facilities to help us attain energy independence from high-priced gas and oil, which has been hurting our economy and forcing small businesses to feel the pinch;

· streamlining regulatory and bureaucratic procedures

My plan will make it easier for small businesses to start up, compete and thrive throughout California.

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