Fiona Ma for California State Assembly, AD 12
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
Campaign Name: Fiona Ma for Assembly
Address: 1500 Franklin St, Ste. 300, San Francisco, CA 94109
Campaign Phone: 415-922-9522
Campaign Fax: 415-922-9667
Campaign E-mail: fiona@fionama.com
Campaign Website: www.fionama.com
POLITICAL BACKGROUND
San Francisco Supervisor, Elected, 2002 - present
If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
N/A
YOUTH ISSUES
1. Good schools from pre-K to graduate school require adequate funding and
innovative leadership. How would you use your elected office to improve public
education and/or make higher education affordable and accessible for young people
in our community?
As a product of public schools, I understand first hand the importance of having quality public education accessible to everyone. Since elected, I have served on the joint board of supervisors/school board select committee overseeing issues affecting both the schools and the city. As a member of the Budget Committee in 2003, I supported and voted for Proposition H, the Public Education Enrichment Fund, which will allocate $60M from the General Fund for arts, music, sports, library programs, general education programs and preschool programs. I’ve also been publicly supporting universal preschool (Rob Reiner’s Proposal) and glad to report that 900 free preschool spaces were made available at 22 child care centers in 4 low income neighborhoods this year. I campaigned for the successful passage of the past two Community College Bond measures and have worked closely with Dr. Day and community college board members on keeping fees affordable and expanding classes in citizenship, various apprenticeship, and mid-life career programs. During my 7+ years working for Senator Burton, I spearheaded the CAL Grant outreach programs to students and immigrant families. As a member of the Assembly, I will focus on additional funding for Pre K-12trh grade levels and look to expand current grant, scholarship and loan programs for undergraduate and graduate schools.
2. How will you use your office to combat enduring racial segregation and inequality in
our education system?
The Neighborhood School issue came to a climax during my first couple of months in office. During that time, I worked set up meeting with Superintendent Ackerman, members of the school board, facilitated community meetings, arranged for free bus service to Galileo, changed school district policy to (re)assign K-8 students to a school within 2 miles from his/her home. I pushed the school district to address the Diversity Index in a proactive manner based on changing demographics. I supported Superintendent Ackerman’s Dream School initiative as a way to improve schools in lower performing (and lower income) areas in SF. There is inequality across the state in terms of funding under Proposition 98 (Minimum School Funding) and I will fight to address inequities in per pupil spending and teacher salaries.
3. There will be one or more constitutional amendments on the ballot in 2006 that will restrict marriage rights in California and attempt to undo existing domestic partnerships laws. How will you use your race and position to defend the human rights of GLBT families and make the defeat of these amendments a state wide priority?
I have been on record publicly and have appeared at various press conferences and community meetings and in front of conservative Asian church groups in support of gay marriage. On the Board, I have voted consistently for GLBT families and issues and will continue to defend the rights of GLBTQ.
4. Young people face special challenges to obtaining health insurance and many go without. How would you use your office to work towards making health insurance available to all?
Universal health insurance is a priority for me. My mother has a pre-existing condition and my family has faced very expensive health insurance rates and very few choices in terms of health insurance carriers. In 2004, I wholly endorsed extending the city’s healthy kids program to young people between the age of 19-24. I will take a leadership role at the state level on this issue.
5. The war in Iraq has claimed the lives of too many young people from our community. Money spent on the war is needed for healthcare and education programs that young people in our community sorely lack. Nobody wants to cut and run from Iraq. But our
country and community needs an exit strategy. How would you use your office to bring our troops home?
The war in Iraq should be a wake up call for all Americans that we, as a country, need to make it a priority to develop and aggressively pursue alternative energy sources to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. I have been a leading advocate for the use of hybrid vehicles in our city’s fleet of cars, for converting our truck fleet to hydrogen or other alternative use, converting our MUNI buses to biodiesel, encouraging the use of electric bicycles, and use of solar, wind, and wave technologies. Our congressional delegation is fighting to develop an exit strategy and demand accountability for our actions and resources in Iraq and I will continue to support the efforts of our congressional delegation.
6. Women’s right to choose is under attack in our country. Young women suffer especially from curtailed access to reproductive health services. How would you use your office to protect a woman’s right to choose and/or expand access to reproductive health services?
I am thankful that Prop 73 was defeated this past November. I come from a family who did not want to address relationships and/or safe sex and thus it was important that sex education classes were offered in my high school. In college, organizations such as Planned Parenthood were an important service provider to many young people on campus. On the Board, I have supported expanding access to reproductive health services through our wellness centers currently in seven high schools. I have also been pushing to expand wellness centers to all high schools and middle schools as well. As a member of the assembly, I will look to fund more reproductive health services and will vehemently protect a woman’s right to choose.
7. Young people entering the workforce need good jobs with fair pay and benefits. Employers like Wal-Mart don’t offer a bright future to young people in search of work. How will you use your office to create good jobs and support young people who want improve their working conditions by forming unions?
Last summer, Mayor Newsom and I launched a youth jobs initiative creating 500 new youth summer jobs. Every summer and during the school year, I offer first priority to youth who want to get working experience in the public sector. Recently, during the Home Depot issue, as a “swing