Sandra Fluke's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Sandra Fluke has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
California State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| Yes | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| While I've devoted my career to public interest advocacy for numerous social justice concerns, I'm best known for my advocacy for reproductive justice. I have been an ardent defender of every woman's right to a safe and legal abortion. I embrace a reproductive justice frame in my advocacy which emphasizes not only the right to safe and legal abortion, but actual affordable access to a range of reproductive healthcare with decisionmaking free of violence, discrimination, and coercion. My advocacy emphasizes intersectionality, taking into account the varying concerns of different ethnic communities, the LGBTQ community, and others. | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.2) State Taxes:Using the key, indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing California's budget.
| a) Education (higher) | |||
| b) Education (K-12) | |||
| c) Environment | |||
| d) Health care | |||
| e) Law enforcement/corrections | |||
| f) Transportation/infrastructure | |||
| g) Welfare | |||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| Greatly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Gas/Oil taxes | |||
| e) Property taxes | |||
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| a) Tapping into California's "rainy day" fund | |||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| No | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| After several years of recession budgets filled with cuts, we finally have a surplus. Because there are so many areas of public services that are underfunded, we are faced with difficult choices of which to prioritize. We must balance our use of these new revenues to put money into the rainy day fund to prevent future budget volatility, while also restoring social services and supports to their pre-recession levels. Expansion should be done with an eye to investments that are most cost-effective in the long run: those that help our economy continue to recover by growing the middle class. | |||
| Tax policy should be finely tuned to spur economic recovery and job creation while ensuring adequate resources for public services. For example, we should reform Prop 13 to close the corporate property reassessment loophole while continuing protections for homeowners and ensuring that small business owners do not face harsh tax increases. An oil severance tax could also be both a revenue generating policy and supportive of our environmental protection by making alternative energy more cost effective relative to oil. By contrast, a gas tax at the pump is too regressive in its impact. | |||
| I grew up in a middle class household. My mother is a public school teacher and guidance counselor and my father spent many years working in union manufacturing shops. I understand first-hand the importance of labor protections, good paying jobs and benefits, as well as investing in public education so everyone can afford a quality education. This background has fueled my commitment to ensuring security and opportunity for all families, something I have done throughout my career and will continue to do in the State Senate. On the use of the rainy day fund, it obviously depends upon the context. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Government and campaign finance reform is incredibly important. I've seen first-hand how much influence special interests and mega-donors have in elections, and that isn't how representative democracy is supposed to work. There are several avenues we should pursue to reduce the influence of big money in politics, and ensure elected officials are accountable to their constituents, not special interests. These include making elections more transparent by making it easier for voters to know who is funding campaigns, and creating a small-dollar matching program to encourage candidates to seek support from everyday people, thereby giving special interests less of a voice. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | |||
| No | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring labels on foods that have been genetically engineered or contain genetically modified ingredients? | ||
| There is nothing more important than the health and safety of our communities. Currently, we need criminal justice reform and drug law modernization to ensure that our communities are safe while all community members have a chance to contribute. We must invest in mental health services, rehabilitation, addiction treatment, and reentry programs to reduce prison overcrowding and prevent recidivism. On minors who send sexually-explicit or nude photos, charges should depend on the circumstance. | |||
| a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| Growing up in a middle-class household inspires my commitment to ensuring opportunity for all. We must reinvest in working families to ensure government spending will stimulate the economy as those families spend on their immediate needs. I will advocate for additional investment to help start-ups in growing industries like high-tech and entertainment to create good-paying jobs that will last, and make linking education and the economy a top priority so people are well-trained for these opportunities. When it comes to government regulations on the private sector, there is a need for less regulation in some areas and more in others | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | |||
| No | d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from California high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Because I grew up in a community where education wasn?t valued, I know the difference investing in our schools makes. We've made initial steps toward restoring funding, but there?s more to be done to adequately equip our schools for the challenges they face, including supporting dependent charter schools that diversify learning opportunities while ensuring quality standards. Our per pupil investment is among the lowest in the country; we must do more. That investment, along with the professional development and evaluation that all professionals require, will give our teachers the tools they need while preserving the employment protections they deserve. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to California's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Global climate change is one of the most critical issues of our time. I am running to represent a district that includes the Santa Monica Mountains and much of the Santa Monica and South Bay coastline. Given the make-up of the district, and that the entire state is grappling with a serious drought, environmental issues are of paramount importance, including: addressing our water crisis by investing in local solutions like recycling, recapture and conservation, investing in public transportation, a moratorium on fracking, job growth in the green tech and clean tech sectors, and protecting the coast from over-development. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I have been a long-time anti-violence advocate, representing victims of domestic violence and other gender-related violence. Many of the victims I've represented and worked with were threatened with guns or even shot and survived. I also grew up in a community where hunting was common, so I understand how extreme some of the current claims of groups like the NRA are. All of these experiences fuel my understanding of the need for sound gun safety legislation, legislation that I am committed to supporting in the State Senate. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| No | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| I have fought for years for comprehensive health insurance reform that will ensure all Californians have affordable access to care. My work protecting access to reproductive health care is especially well known, but I have also been a strong voice for healthcare access for the trans and immigrant communities and for preventive care for all. The Affordable Care Act needs improvement, and I will work to ensure that the ACA is implemented in a manner that doesn't limit the benefits currently available to Californians through programs like FPACT (Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment). | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I have worked on LGBTQ equality issues throughout my career. I have organized in support of a trans-inclusive Employment Non Discrimination Act, fair treatment of same-sex immigrant and transnational couples, and LGBTQ-specific provisions of the Violence Against Women Act. I co-founded a coalition that passed legislation ending discrimination against gay persons accessing family court. I also worked with domestic violence shelters to revise policies to ensure that gay victims were admitted. I served on the board of OutLaw, organizing a symposium on trans legal issues and has published work regarding employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. | |||
| There are many policy changes I support and care deeply about. I have spent my career fighting for our shared values and will continue to be a champion in the State Senate. My three main priorities are: Campaign finance reform to reduce the influence of big money in politics and increase transparency. Protecting the environment, including addressing California's water crisis, investing in public transportation, a moratorium on fracking, job growth in the green tech and clean tech sectors and protecting the coast from over-development. Education, including access to early childhood education and affordable higher education. |
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