Endorsement: Holly Mitchell for State Assembly
Holly Mitchell
Past the partisan bickering and campaign half-truths of the 2012 election season, it is integral that students take the initiative to educate themselves about the issues at stake on the November ballot.
The Daily Bruin editorial board, which represents the voice of the entire newspaper, has researched the measures and candidates that students will be voting on, and endorsed the ones we think do the most to support the UCLA community. We encourage students to use our endorsements as a starting point for conducting their own research, forming their own educated opinions and casting an informed vote come Election Day.
See who the board endorsed:
The people
The education propositions
The rest of the propositions
By Editorial Board
Nov. 1, 2012 12:23 a.m.
In her first term as a California state assemblywoman, Holly Mitchell sent five bills to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk and all of them were signed into law.
This productivity, along with her awareness of the issues relevant to her constituents, have won Mitchell the endorsement of this board for the 54th District of California.
Mitchell supports incentives for expanding businesses that will hire new employees in California and providing vocational training to better prepare people for the current job market. She also supports working with local, state and federal governments to create “living wage” jobs and supports President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Republican challenger Keith McCowen, who is a newcomer to government at the state level, advocates for the creation of jobs through the private sector, more local control over education and fiscal responsibility in Sacramento.
At the higher education level, he has said administrators need to be held more accountable and that he advocates a system in which the private sector is more involved in setting up “apprenticeships” where people can earn as they learn to work in technical fields.
Both candidates focus on K-12 education, but Mitchell has passed legislation to increase access to higher education for students who are survivors of human trafficking or other violent crimes. McCowen endorses further cuts to the state budget, which does not bode well for UC funding.
Neither Mitchell nor McCowen have elaborated on how they would carry out their very broad platforms ““ but Mitchell at least, has a proven track record.
