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Assembly hopefuls balance issues

Dave Moller
Sun News Service

Streamlining government, building more water storage for California and supporting nuclear energy were among the issues that State Assembly candidates Sue Horne and Dan Logue agreed on last night.

When it came to balancing the budget, bolstering education and health care, there were subtle differences between the two Republican hopefuls for the 3rd District nomination at a candidates forum at the Veteran’s Building in Nevada City. Democratic hopeful Michael Harrington of Butte County was not present.

To balance the budget and streamline government, “We need to cut costs and bring business back to the state,” Logue said. “Raising taxes will just make it worse.” The Yuba County supervisor also said the state legislature should revert to part-time status to save money and be run more like a business.



Full access to state agency budgets is needed to meet those same ends, Horne said. Currently, she said, legislators are limited in how deep they can delve into those budgets.

“There is waste in those budgets, and we need to roll back the staff,” of state government for savings, Horne said, “It’s not a question of revenue, it’s a question of reckless spending year after year.”



The state education system should scrutinize how special education dollars are being spent in relation to regular classes, Horne said.

“We need to a more realistic approach on where the money goes.”

Horne, who is a two-term supervisor from Lake of the Pines in Nevada County who was elected in 2000 as a write-in candidate. She was re-elected in 2004 with and has served as chair of the Regional Council of Rural Counties. Prior to her election she was a field representative for former Assemblyman Bernie Richter.

Logue is a two-term supervisor from Linda in Yuba County who was first elected in 2002. He was re-elected in 2006. He was a county chairman for the campaigns of Arnold Schwarzenegger and presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush and George W. Bush. He is a Realtor.

The Nevada County Supervisor said counties also need to look at consolidating districts to become more efficient.

“We don’t need 10 bureaucracies in a county to overlook schools,” she said.

Identifying programs that simply don’t work would be one way to improve education, Logue said.

In addition, “You have to take the funding in Sacramento and take that money back to the districts at the local level.”

Health care should not be placed in the hands of government, Horne said.

“We need out-of-state firms to come in,” and increase private sector health care competition.

A return to the old days when patients paid their doctors is needed, Logue said. Turning it over to government would make trips for health care like going to the DMV.

Both candidates said that it is about time again for political redistricting in California and both said retired judges or an independent panel of some type should do it.

“It shouldn’t be done by politicians,” Logue said.

“The politicians should not be choosing their voters,” Horne said.

A national fence should be built to stop illegal immigrants and taxpayer benefits should not be given to them, Horne said.

The Minute Men who are strongly opposed to illegal immigration have endorsed Logue, he noted. He added that securing borders is paramount.

Small counties need to ban together to gain more clout and money from the legislature at the state and national levels, Logue said.

That is already happening in California with the Regional Council of Rural Counties, Horne said, adding that she has worked with RCRC for the past seven years.

The Nevada County representative also said she is tough enough to handle the rigors of Sacramento and the legislature. She said ridding the county of the NH2020 land use initiative several years against other county supervisors was an example of her resolve.

Taking Yuba County back from union control, criminals and drug dealers proved that he can handle Sacramento as well, Logue said.


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