Q and A: Republican candidates for the 10th Assembly District

What should the state government do to improve education?

A study by Stanford's Institute for Research on Education Policy and Practice concluded that California couldn't spend its way out of the growing educational crisis — that better, more sensible management is more critical than additional dollars. Based on these findings and my own experiences, I have developed a 5-point plan for schools:

1. Shift power to local districts and school principals. There is too much state control — hundreds of categorical programs and state spending directives create a cumbersome system that doesn't allow schools to tackle individual needs — and let principals manage their schools.

2. Reduce categorical programs — use block grants instead. Dollar distribution is irrational — a bizarre formula that sends far more money to San Francisco schools than our schools here in the Central Valley is unfair and indefensible.

3. Focus on basics. We need to give kids the tools to move to the next level.

4. Refocus community colleges on job-training, technical and remedial college education — prepare students to get a job or go to a 4-year school.

5. Expand support for homeschooling and charter schools.

Why is health care so expensive and can the state do something to bring down the cost to make insurance and medical aid more affordable?

Health care is expensive due to litigation costs and treatment developments that raise our quality of care, the burden of illegal immigration on our emergency rooms and because of too much litigation.

Medical costs are the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy in California — costs need to be contained.

The worst possible outcome would be a single-payer system that would move almost 15 percent of the state economy into a government bureaucracy — and lower of our standards of care.

A free market approach is the only solution that will work to make health care better and more accessible. Almost 30 million people have insurance — those people do not need a costly new system, they need cost containment.

There are creative options available if government can just get out of the way — Health saving accounts (HSAs), for example, give individuals real control over their own health care, and remove the common misperception that health care is somehow "free." HSAs provide great options with little downside since they even include coverage for catastrophic events — a great market responsive solution to a large problem.

What must change to balance California's budget? Can efficiencies solve the problem or are Californians going to have to face higher taxes and fewer services?

We cannot afford any new taxes — California has one of the highest business and individual tax burdens in the nation. What must change is the legislature's addiction to spending. In the last four years, revenues are up 40 percent but spending is up a whopping 44 percent during the same four years. We have a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and so new taxes are not the answer.

First, we must focus on priorities: public safety, infrastructure and education. Then we need to look to see what services are better provided by the private sector.

Second, we must start focusing on measurable results. We should only consider additional state spending if we can measure the impact or return on the taxpayer investment and if it makes sense to do so.

Third, we need to acknowledge that government has gotten too big and too intrusive. I'd like to see a law that said that every time we created a new program we got rid of an old one, that every time we created a new regulation, we got rid of an old one, and every time we created a new law, we repealed an old, outdated and ineffective one. Now that would be a reasonable check on the growth of government and focus us on results and our priorities.

What is the most important way the California Legislature must be changed?

We need a fair redistricting that doesn't disenfranchise communities just so that politicians can be sure of getting re-elected.

We need to reform the budget process to require a balanced budget and establish reserves to protect taxpayers.

We need to stand up to federal bureaucrats and ensure that we secure our border and deport criminal aliens.

David Sander is a member of the Rancho Cordova City Council.

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Q and A: Republican candidates for the 10th Assembly District

'Government has gotten too big and intrusive'

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