NOOZHAWK: What experiences from your professional or personal life make you uniquely qualified to be an Assembly member?
DANIEL GOLDBERG: I am uniquely qualified to be an Assembly member because I am the only candidate with small business experience. I have worked for the family business for a while now and know about the effort needed to keep our doors open every day. I also have experienced the state’s ambitious anti-business policies. Taking all of this into account, I would head to Sacramento with a pro-small business mentality. The way we get California back to work is by making California more business-friendly. In turn, we can attract out-of-state businesses as well as improving the health of those already here.
I would like to finish the question by saying I’m most likely the hardest-working candidate in the race. My business of growing, selling and picking flowers is very labor-intensive. It is safe to say that I’m the only candidate who has ever worked in the fields picking. It is a very hard job that builds character and has shaped me into the individual I am today.
NOOZHAWK: With all of California’s fiscal challenges, why are you running now?
DG: I am running because I don’t like the direction California is headed in. Last year, when everyone was getting riled up at the town hall meetings, I thought about how I could get involved. In the end, I decided the best way to get something to happen was to run for office. If there was ever a time for some “change,” this is the year and it starts with the June 8 primary.
NOOZHAWK: What is California’s most pressing issue?
DG: California’s single most pressing issue is unemployment. We are above the 10 percent mark and the jobs market is slowly coming back. To really get out of this recession we need to get California back to work quicker. When we get everyone back to work, then revenues for the state budget will be up and we won’t need to raise taxes. Putting California back to work will be one of my top priorities.
NOOZHAWK: Is the partisan divide in Sacramento insurmountable? How would you overcome it?
DG: As of this moment, the partisan divide is insurmountable. I believe it can be changed, though, with time. The first step would be to build relationships across the aisle. For California to regain its prominence, its elected officials need to work together. As much as they don’t want to, they need to, for the sake of California.
If elected, I promise to go to Sacramento with a can-do attitude and a teamwork mentality. I will work with Republicans and Democrats alike to thaw out the partisan divide.
To surmise, the partisan divide is surmountable, it will just take time (years) and willingness.
NOOZHAWK: Many financial experts call California’s state government employee pension levels unsustainable. Do you agree? How would you resolve the situation?
DG: I would agree with the financial experts. From what I have read on the pension plans, certain retirees become entitled to outrageously good retirement packages after only a few years in their position. This might have been all right when the state was riding high but that time has passed. Reform must happen in the state government pension fund department.
Many recommend that the state move toward a 401(k)-style retirement plan like most people have. This sounds reasonable and is worth looking into. From here on out, everyone must plan for their own future. California is all out of free rides and the whole state is at risk.
NOOZHAWK: What three things should Sacramento do to get California’s economy moving? If you’re elected, how will you help implement them?
DG: To get California’s economy moving, Sacramento should:
» Create more business-friendly policy.
» Lower personal income and corporate taxes.
» Repeal AB 32.
NOOZHAWK: Do you support offshore oil drilling in California? Why or why not?
DG: I stand against oil drilling off the coast. The recent spill in the Gulf of Mexico shows us the dangers that come with drilling. If a similar incident happened here, the coast would be ruined from Santa Monica to San Luis Obispo. There is not nearly enough oil off the coast that would alter our addiction to foreign oil. Therefore we need to get off of oil completely. California has always been a leader in technology and I believe we can lead the way again in regards to creating new vehicles that do not run on oil.
NOOZHAWK: Do you support the legalization of marijuana? Why or why not?
DG: I would support the legalization of marijuana. A few weeks ago, I was at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market on a Tuesday, campaigning. As I sat there with my sign in my hand I smelled marijuana smoke in the air. I looked over to my left, and saw a group passing a joint around. Now remember, this is in the middle of State Street, on a busy Tuesday afternoon, during the farmers market. No one said anything — whether they didn’t notice or didn’t care.
That story is an example of what has become of California and the marijuana industry. Marijuana is so prevalent that our last three presidents have all partaken in it.
What we do have to watch out for, though, is the expansion of dispensaries if marijuana becomes legalized. Los Angeles is currently dealing with a large problem of too many dispensaries. They popped up like McDonalds and Starbucks. I would not want to see marijuana dispensaries like we see liquor stores. The state must regulate dispensaries better than it currently is. I would hate to see organized crime come in and become legitimate businesses because of the other dealings they might be involved in and the potential for abuse.
NOOZHAWK: Which California historical figure do you admire most, and why?
DG: As for historical figures I admire, I would go with Clint Eastwood. He is a California native who has worked his whole life to get to the stature he is at right now. Plus, he comes up with great lines like, “You got to ask yourself a question. Do I feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?”
NOOZHAWK: Should a Noozhawk replace the California valley quail as our state bird?
DG: I do not believe a Noozhawk should replace the California valley quail as our state bird. Instead, I would work to make the seagull California’s state bird. They’re everywhere!
Additional Resources
Click here for Daniel Goldberg’s campaign Web site
Click here for Republican Assembly candidate Mike Stoker’s answers.
Here are the previously published answers from the two candidates seeking the Democratic Party’s 35th Assembly District nomination: