Leland Yee for California State Senate, District 8

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

Campaign Name: Yee for State Senate
Address: 6644 Mission St, Daly City, CA 94014
Campaign Phone: 650-991-8968
Campaign Fax: 650-491-3263
Campaign E-mail: info@lelandyee.com
Campaign Website: www.lelandyee.com

POLITICAL BACKGROUND

California State Assembly, Elected, 2002-Present
- Speaker pro Tempore
SF Board of Supervisors, Elected, 1996-2002
- Chair Finance Committee
SF School Board, Elected, 1988-1996
- President

If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:

SF School Board, 1986

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 PhD in child psychology, a former teacher and member of the San Francisco Board of Education, my professional career has focused on kids and schools. In Sacramento, I earned a 100% rating from the Children’s Advocacy Institute and I have been instrumental in passing key education reforms and improvements. On the Board of Education I successfully championed smaller classrooms, higher quality textbooks, and strict fiscal responsibility to ensure that all tax dollars were used appropriately.

This past year, I lead a delegation of parents, teachers, and community members from San Mateo County and San Francisco to deliver a petition in protest of the Governor's cuts to public education. Through the month of April, my office coordinated a petition drive, collecting over 5,000 signatures.

I was honored to be named the Community College Legislator of the Year by the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges for my work to improve and support California’s Community Colleges. I understand that obtaining a higher education can be devastatingly costly to many Californians, which is why I work directly with schools and students to be sure they are aware of the various state sponsored scholarships available to them, including CalGrants.

2. How will you use your office to combat enduring racial segregation and inequality in our education system?

Today, California ranks 26th in per-pupil spending, and spends $573 less per student in school districts with high percentages of students of color. I have consistently advocated and voted for increased funding for our public schools, particularly those in low-income communities. Having attended Mission High School in San Francisco I know the challenges these schools face. That is also why I have worked to provide a variety of incentives such as increased pay, training bonuses and loan forgiveness programs for teachers who will work in schools in the greatest need. In addition, at the state level, I have fought voucher systems that will allow the wealthiest to divest tax resources from the public school system. I contributed both financially and physically to the effort to defeat Proposition 76, which would have nullified the Proposition 98 funding guarantee for public schools and endowed the governor with extraordinary powers to cut the public education budget without legislative approval.

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 am proud of my work with the LGBT community to ensure equal rights for all Californians. In the State Assembly I was a coauthor of Assemblyman Mark Leno’s historic marriage equality bill, which passed the legislature but was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. Additionally, I helped strengthen domestic partnership rights by supporting legislation that enables domestic partners to transfer property without a Prop 13 tax reassessment and outlawing state contracts to corporations that don’t offer domestic partner benefits. I also worked to pass the California Insurance Equality Act, which requires group health plans and health insurance to provide equal coverage to registered domestic partners

I was rated 100% by Equality California and the Lambda Letters project for my efforts on behalf of LGBT rights in the Assembly.

I am resolute to remain a strong voice and advocate in the fight for justice and human rights. There is still a lot of work to be done and I look forward to continuing my efforts in the State Senate.

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?

I was a co-author of legislation introduced by Senator Sheila Kheul that would provide state managed universal health care for all Californians who want it. I have continued to advocate for California’s Healthy Families programs and would support expansions for needy youth as well.

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?

As citizens and leaders, we all have a responsibility to speak our conscience about the war. I strongly oppose the Bush administration’s war policy and support a withdrawal plan that will safely return our troops to their families. I find it particularly offensive that while the Bush administration sends more young troops into harm’s way, it continues to cut benefits and break its promises to our older veterans who rely on government assistance.

While as state senator I will have no direct jurisdiction over the course of the nation’s actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, I will continue to speak out against the war and the current administration’s policies. I have participated in numerous rallies and published statements supporting the development of a withdrawal plan to bring our troops home and to end a costly endeavor that continues to drain scarce resources.

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 have consistently voted in support of choice and have received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood. During the last special election, I provided resources to combat Proposition 73 which would have endangered the lives of young women in the state by compelling them to seek parental consent or permission from a judge in order to receive health services.

As a State Senator, I will continue to advocate and vote for legislation to protect choice and for funding that provides adequate health services for women in California.

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?

I supported legislation funding programs that provide students with valuable information about career paths and opportunities through the California Career Resources Network, and a bill legislating standards for vocational training programs around the state. Also, in 2003, I authored and passed legislation offering loan forgiveness for students who go into the mental health field.

In addition, I have continued to vote for and support adequate funding for public higher education as well as students loan and grant programs. Education and vocational training programs are the path to a better quality of life, and we must make both choices available to all Californians available through our community college, CSU and UC systems.

I also fought propositions last year’s Proposition 75 that would have undermined the viability of public employee unions in the state. I will continue to challenge any proposals that threaten the viability of unions or undermine worker protections.

8. How will you use your office to make housing more affordable for low and moderate income young people?

I have consistently supported a variety of legislative proposals to increase the availability of housing stock as well as, where possible, make state resources available to underwrite loan programs for first time and/or low-income homebuyers.

In 2004, I supported San Francisco’s Proposition A, the Affordable Housing Bond, which would have provided funds for new affordable housing construction and assistance for first-time homebuyers in the City. In addition, I have worked to address housing shortages across the state by supporting laws requiring cities build affordable housing developments in communities suffering major housing shortages, and legislation holding counties accountable for providing sufficient affordable housing for residents.

9. Identify two challenges to San Francisco’s young people in the context of the position you seek? What specific commitment will you make to address these issues if elected?

Continued access to affordable education and health care for all Californians, particularly young people. I will continue to vote and advocate for increased funding for public education, including our community college, CSU and UC systems. It is my goal to slow the rate of tuition and fee increases during my tenure in the legislature. In addition, I will continue to support efforts to provide state-backed health care programs for those in need.

10. What are the main challenges facing the city of San Francisco in the context of this position? How will you address those issues if elected?

Affordable housing, quality schools, public safety, and equal access to healthcare for all residents are the primary challenges that face San Francisco. As a state legislator, one of my priorities has been to guarantee that San Francisco has the resources it needs to face these challenges. Resource allocation affects the City’s ability to cope with issues such as providing a broad range of services such as health care and quality public schools. Last year, I authored Assembly Bill 451 to close a loophole in the law that is currently being exploited by United Airlines and the city of Oakland, siphoning millions of dollars in jet fuel sales tax revenue from airport communities including San Francisco and San Mateo County (SFO), Ontario and San Bernardino County (ONT), Los Angeles (LAX), Sacramento (SMF), San Diego (SAN), and San Jose (SJC), all into Oakland. At present, San Francisco is losing more than $1.5 million per year as a result of a tax shelter scheme entered into by United Airlines and the City of Oakland. My legislation has put an end to this practice and returned valuable resources to both San Francisco and to San Mateo County. As a State Senator, I will continue to fight for all available resources for our community.

Just this past year, I sponsored and passed AB 1208 which would have provided much needed funding for street and road repair, unfortunately the bill was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.

In addition, I have continued to advocate for greater public education funding both in legislation and at the grassroots level. My goal as a Senator will be to continue to increase the funding for our schools, both K-12 and higher education in order to maintain quality institutions for our community.

11. Have you collaborated with young people in your community work in the past (list specific examples)? What value did you experience in working with young activists? How are young people involved in your campaign?

ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR YOUTH

My entire professional career has been dedicated to improving the lives of young people, and as a public official I have worked closely with kids and young adults to help them better their communities.

· I have supported innovative educational initiatives like Sojourn to the Past, a program that introduces Bay Area high-schoolers to the Deep South, where they travel for ten days visiting dramatic sites and hearing from speakers who witnessed and created the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

· I worked closely with the Girl Scouts of America to pass a landmark law that makes it a crime to sell adult games to minors.

· I collaborated with “Cause We Care,