Palos
Verdes
Peninsula News
Kuykendall, Karnette
Lock Horns
Senator touts her involvement with education reform; former congressman blasts state Legislature’s performance.
By Chris Boyd
Peninsula News
October 21, 2004
RHE – Foul weather didn’t stop more than 50 people from attending a political contest Tuesday in Rolling Hills Estates. State Sen. Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach) faced off against hometown favorite Steve Kuykendall in a debate at the Peninsula Center Library sponsored by the League of Women Voters.
Both hopefuls are fighting to replace
termed-out Alan Lowenthal (
Libertarian candidate John Howard Sterne was scheduled to debate, but he missed the proceedings due to illness.
Karnette, a teacher for 31 years, led off the debate. She said the state economy, job creation and health care are crucial issues facing legislators.
“I was in the middle of every major school reform during my terms in the Senate and the Assembly,” Karnette said. “We have a lot of unfinished business.”
Last year, Kuykendall said, voters made a statement by throwing out former Gov. Gray Davis. “Quite frankly, I think if they had their druthers, they’d have thrown out the Legislature,” he said, adding that officials need to work with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rather than playing partisan politics. “[As a legislator], I worked hard to prevent our taxes from going up.”
“I, too, have worked with the governor. I’ve had quite a few bills signed by this governor,” Karnette replied. “The Democrats worked very well with the governor.”
Taking
Perhaps the biggest question of the night was, Do the
candidates support Proposition 1A, a ballot measure that calls on cities and
counties to help reduce
Kuykendall said he favors both Prop. 1A and Prop 65, which he called the “father” of 1A. He criticized state legislators for taking money from cities to compensate for their overspending.
“I want people to be held accountable for how they spend your tax dollars,” Kuykendall said.
Though Karnette said she supports Prop. 1A, she added, “This is an issue that can’t be solved by just saying, ‘The state can’t take our money.’ We made plenty of tax cuts when we were flush.”
Karnette’s response elicited groans from some in the audience. “Where are we going to get [the money]?” she asked. “That’s why the whole tax structure needs to be looked at. We’ve got to look at reality.”
Kuykendall persisted, his voice rising as he slammed legislators for raiding city funds even though they had a five-year budget surplus. “Local government balances its budget every year,” he said. “There’s no reason the state Legislature can’t do the same thing. They’ve got to learn that lesson.”
However, Karnette said, the federal government constantly mandates that state officials fund many programs. “There are certain things you have to do. You have to fund schools, for example,” she said. “We have to look at how much things cost and do whatever it takes… Cutting class sizes (a mandate under Gov. Pete Wilson’s administration) costs money.”
One audience member asked how the candidates would reduce
“This budget is not going to fall magically into place,” Kuykendall said. “We can do a substantial amount to improve the business climate in this state. We need to take a look at technology to see how we can expand services” without spending more money.
Kuykendall also proposed cutting the many levels of
bureaucracy in
Karnette said the state must have a strong education system to train students for future jobs. “We need to look at creating more jobs,” she said. “We have to get our students ready for those jobs.”
The senator also called on federal officials to help balance
Health-care Costs
Another onlooker questioned how the candidates would fix the
skyrocketing healthcare insurance costs in
According to Karnette, officials should use the governments purchasing power to lower prescription drug costs. With no price controls on drugs and a ban on imported medications, she said, there’s no end in sight to the high prices.
“Doctors and patients really have to have the final say on health dicisions, and health care has to be affordable,” Karnette said. “I’ve helped enact prescription discounts for seniors and to lower the costs of Medicare.”
Kuykendall recommended using tort reform, not only on the
state level but also nationally, to remove incentive for legal professionals to
pursue frivolous lawsuits that may drive up health-care costs. “Right now,
health care in
Both candidates also were asked where they stood on raising the state’s minimum wage.
“I don’t think we should raise our minimum wage in
Karnette said those who work two to three jobs need assistance to make ends meet. “I voted to increase the minimum wage,” she said. “It really would not increase the costs for most of businesses.”
In closing, Kuykendall said that when he entered the Assembly race last year, the Legislature and governor were dysfunctional. “We changed the governor … We’ve had a lot of silly bills [under this Legislature], but not much substance,” he said. “This government has got to start working again. It’s got to start working and carrying the load.”
“My presence [in
“I’m not a crazy left-winger,” she added. “I’m not a nut. I’m a moderate.”