My top goal is to be a candidate you can trust. My campaign is future focused, issue based with common sense holistic REAL solutions presented. I welcome your input on how to make the solutions even better.
The REAL approach to make California and our district better!
The Burning Questions: Since Education funding is provided directly by the taxpayer, are we truly getting our money’s worth in the outcome? And: What are we unwilling to change in the way our money is spent and accounted for in the course of “improving Education”?
Put that way, these are uncomfortable questions. Often people have no desire to take a look at what they are unwilling to change. But it’s those stubborn sticking points that prevent us from adopting and moving forward…
My goal is to ensure that in both our words and our actions, our Education funding is used for maximum student success and with respect for the taxpayer who’s providing the funds.
Yes, it is thoroughly possible to greatly improve our students’ success, and here’s the best part: We do not even need to raise taxes!
Bob Brunton’s Education Background: I served 12 years as an elected member of the Ohlone Community College Board of Trustees. I am a proud parent whose children attended local schools. I have been a local business owner for over 30 years, and have hired many graduates straight from our schools.
California’s Education Landscape: Education accounts for California’s largest budget area. About 54% of the entire budget is allocated to Education. But we are frankly not getting our money’s worth. Meanwhile, the funding of our Education system is needlessly overcomplicated. Simultaneously, we find ourselves both overspending on Education and underinvesting in Education.
California has 5 academic institutions and over 1,000 school districts. They do not work well together, and our students and taxpayers are the ones who suffer the consequences. Flat out: The funding of our schools is uneven and unfair.
Education has become far too political. Instead of making student learning our top priority, we too often value the bureaucrats at the expense of the students and taxpayers.
Here’s the good news, though: The problems in California’s Education system are fixable. We have many great people working in our schools and teaching our students. The problem is the abundance of people and groups that are making money off the schools. This wasteful spending takes away from the core, fundamental goals of providing a quality Education at an affordable price
Right now, the Bay Area has 24 recognized mass transit companies, all tangled up in bureaucracy, and known for not working very well together. If you toss private sector companies into the equation, that number creeps up above 40! Among these many entities, only BART and AC Transit have true accountability — as those are the 2 that function with elected boards. In the meantime, YOU, the rider, have Zero Representation. In other words, you have no vote, no voice, no input — no pipeline to the folks in charge.
So in answer to the question above, these many mass transit companies actually primarily serve themselves. They’re overgrown to the point of being ingrown. The rider, although he, she, or they may be traveling aboard actual vehicles, buses, and trains, has actually been left standing at the curb. As riders, you deserve to come along for the ride. That means having a voice and achieving true involvement in the decision-making of YOUR mass transit providers.
It means, in a nutshell, mass transit providers that are actually for the RIDER.
Bob Brunton’s Goals: Unifying the Bay Area’s 24 distinct mass transit companies. Making mass transit more accountable to You The Citizen and You The Taxpayer.
Bob Brunton’s Plan: Establish a Tax Payer’s Bill of Mass Transit Rights, basing the rights on Rider Satisfaction and Rider Growth, as opposed to the current mass transit system, which favors the transportation providers. Combine the existing 24 mass transit companies/agencies and give them a duly elected Board of Trustees. Raise the basic standards of performance. Mandate inter-agency/company cooperation, as well as openness to new ideas for transportation. Simplify overly complicated rules and regulations, while maximizing the widespread benefits of those rules and regulations (so as not to only benefit a chosen few). Improving basic consumer protections, particularly when it comes to elderly riders
The burning question: YOU’VE PROBABLY THOUGHT A GREAT DEAL ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE LATELY — BUT HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND THINKING ABOUT CIVIL JUSTICE?
When I say “Civil Justice,” I’m referring to the justice system itself, that old American institution of courthouses, judges, lawyers, bailiffs, and so on. Lately, it’s been fashionable for Americans to think and debate about Social Justice, which is definitely a good use of our time. Social justice should be a pressing concern to all U.S. citizens
Civil Justice, however, is where the rubber meets the road. The courthouse is where — day in and day out — so many citizens’ fates and fortunes are decided. While many of us are on social media arguing about Social Justice, many others are interacting with the Justice System itself, seeing and being part of real-life stories.
And I’m sorry to say it, but our existing Civil Justice system is in big trouble. It’s far too costly. It’s far too slow. And with all the conflicts, all the contests, and all the confrontation, the biggest winners are generally the lawyers. You read that correctly: The ones who are supposed to serve the citizens as stewards of justice are indeed the ones whobenefit the most from the system’s high costs and slow speeds.
As a result, citizens, taxpayers, and small businesses all take a giant hit.
Bob Brunton is ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work on repairing our broken Civil Justice system. I’m looking at not only the courthouses and the lawyers, but also the regulatory environment around them.
Bob Brunton’s Goals: To transform California’s civil justice system into one that is less costly, less time-consuming, and more beneficial to those who should benefit from it the most — i.e., the citizens/taxpayers. To correct the current legal atmosphere in which the biggest winners are generally the lawyers. To enhance the state’s business and tax climate by establishing fairer and more grounded standards for how our workers are treated and how our tax dollars are collected and distributed.
Bob Brunton’s Plan for the Civil Justice System: Raise the small claims court limit to $50,000 so the cases become more diverse and relevant. Establish public defenders for civil lawsuits. Punish lawyers for behavior that either prolongs litigation or increases its costs.
Bob Brunton’s Plan for the People & Businesses of California: Strengthen the rights of independent contractor sales representatives so as to balance out their contracts, strengthen their commissions, and secure their intellectual property rights. Reform the Gas Tax so as to ensure that all taxes collected are spent physically close to their actual collection points. Provide Tax Credits for energy-saving products both engineered and manufactured in California. Support the expansion and connection of Dumbarton Bridge Rail, bring in new transit routes while easing up traffic. Establishing Bike Rider Licenses so as to drive new money into the maintenance of our roads — exempting children and low-income riders from the licensing requirement. Reforming the Sales Tax — not by increasing it, but by allocating 2 cents of that tax to the actual zip code where the buyer lives, helping out local cities and communities
The Burning Issue: When it comes to housing, although almost everyone has an opinion, there’s no real consensus as to what the core problem is. What is certain is that the government is the major reason behind our major housing problems. Worse yet, these problems are multilayered and complex. And most of the so-called solutions coming from the state level have not worked
A viable climate change solution needs to be big and lasting — which means bipartisan legislation. I support the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act put forth by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and would work to pass its equivalent in the California State Assembly. The policy will drive down America’s carbon pollution while unleashing American technology innovation and ingenuity. The fee is placed on fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. It starts low, and grows over time. It will drive down carbon pollution because energy companies, industries, and consumers will move toward cleaner, cheaper options.
All the money collected from the carbon fee is allocated in equal shares every month to California residents to spend as they see fit. Program costs are paid from the fees collected. The government does not keep any of the money from the carbon fee.
To protect U.S. manufacturers and jobs, imported goods will be assessed a border carbon adjustment, and goods exported from the United States and California will receive a refund under this policy
Bob Brunton, his wife Elena, and their dog Vivaldi are all active supporters and visitors of our state parks.
Bob will advocate for both the growth of our park system and the improvement of our parks’ maintenance.
Meanwhile, here’s a fun idea for a Thank You Gift: Bob Brunton stands ready to propose that each year, after you file your state taxes, the state will return to you several thank you gifts, and one of those will be a Day Pass to visit one of our many beautiful state parks.
Our parks are there to be enjoyed and treasured. Californians should embrace this tradition for generations to come
Here’s the plain truth: In California, we are not only taxed too much, we receive far too little for the money that we send to our government.
We have too many government agencies, along with way too many outdated, expensive, and cumbersome rules and regulations. And to top it all off? Way too many bureaucrats. Meanwhile, our state is overflowing with unfunded programs and obligations.
And if that’s not bad enough, the information we receive about our state and local governments’ finances is too often needlessly complicated, to the point where a regular person cannot understand it. Even worse, it’s often presented in an unbalanced and outright disrespectful manner.
I am going to Sacramento to start fixing these longstanding problems. And they must be fixed, because we have so many long-unmet needs.
Sacramento and the state government must get its financial house in order. It’s time for them to stop their wasteful and redundant spending before daring to ask the taxpayer for a dollar more.