Social Workers Voter Guide to the 2014 General Election November 4, 2014 Candidate Endorsements are made by the CalPACE Committee and are based on the candidates’ commitment to the NASW Code of Ethics and official delegate assembly positions in Social Work Speaks. CalPACE evaluates candidates by sending out questionnaires and evaluating incumbent vote records. Governor Lt. Governor Secretary of State Controller Treasurer Attorney General Insurance Comm. Super. Of Schools Bd of Equal. Dist. 1 Senate District 02 Senate District 06 Senate District 10 Senate District 14 Senate District 18 Senate District 20 Senate District 22 Senate District 24 Senate District 26 Senate District 30 Senate District 32 Senate District 34 Senate District 38 Senate District 40 Assembly District 02 Assembly District 04 Assembly District 07 Assembly District 08 Assembly District 09 Assembly District 10 Assembly District 11 Assembly District 13 Assembly District 14 Assembly District 15 Assembly District 16 Assembly District 17 Assembly District 18 Assembly District 19 Assembly District 20 Assembly District 21 Assembly District 22 Assembly District 24 Assembly District 25 Assembly District 27 Jerry Brown Gavin Newsom Alex Padilla Betty Yee John Chiang Kamala Harris Dave Jones Tom Torlakson Chris Parker Mike McGuire Roger Dickinson, Richard Pan Bob Wieckowski Luis Chavez Bob Hertzberg Connie Leyva Ed Hernandez Kevin De Leon Sandra Fluke, Ben Allen Holly Mitchell Tony Mendoza Jose Solorio Fotios “Frank” Tsimboukakis Ben Hueso Jim Wood Bill Dodd Kevin McCarty Ken Cooley Darrell Fong Marc Levine Jim Frazier Susan Eggman, PhD, MSW Susan Bonilla Tony Thurmond, MSW Tim Sbranti David Campos Rob Bonta Phil Ting Bill Quirk Adam Gray Kevin Mullin Richard Gordon Kansen Chu Nora Campos Assembly District 28 Assembly District 29 Assembly District 30 Assembly District 31 Assembly District 32 Assembly District 35 Assembly District 36 Assembly District 37 Assembly District 38 Assembly District 39 Assembly District 40 Assembly District 41 Assembly District 43 Assembly District 44 Assembly District 45 Assembly District 46 Assembly District 47 Assembly District 48 Assembly District 49 Assembly District 50 Assembly District 51 Assembly District 52 Assembly District 53 Assembly District 54 Assembly District 56 Assembly District 57 Assembly District 58 Assembly District 59 Assembly District 61 Assembly District 62 Assembly District 63 Assembly District 65 Assembly District 66 Assembly District 69 Assembly District 70 Assembly District 72 Assembly District 77 Assembly District 78 Assembly District 79 Assembly District 80 Evan Low Mark Stone Luis Alejo Henry Perea Rudy Salas Heidi Harmon Steve Fox Das Williams Jorge Salomon Fuentes Raul Bocanegra Kathleen Henry Chris Holden Mike Gatto Jacqui Irwin Matt Dababneh Adrin Nazarian Cheryl Brown Roger Hernandez Ed Chau Richard Bloom Jimmy Gomez Freddie Rodriguez Miguel Santiago Sebastian Ridley-Thomas Eduardo Garcia Ian Calderon Cristina Garcia Reggie Jones-Sawyer Jose Medina Autumn Burke Anthony Rendon Sharon Quirk-Silva Al Muratsuchi Tom Daly Patrick O’Donnell Joel Block Rueben “RJ” Hernandez Toni Atkins Shirley Weber Lorena Gonzalez NASW-CA only takes positions on initiatives where there is a clear nexus to social work State Initiative Position Chart Proposition1 – Water Bond Support No Position* Proposition 2 – State budget reserve Proposition 45 – Health care rates Support Proposition 46 – Medical malpractice Oppose Proposition 47 – Criminal Justice Support No Position* Proposition 48 – Tribal Gaming Prop 1 – SUPPORT: State Water Bond - This measure would authorize the state to sell $7.1 billion in general obligation bonds, as well as redirect $425 million in unsold resource related bonds, to fund various water quality, supply, treatment, and storage projects. Within this amount, $260 million is slated for drinking water projects in disadvantaged communities, which was a key factor in our decision to support this proposition. This bond will help to improve water quality and helps to ensure a reliable and safe water supply for farmers, businesses and our communities. Prop 45 – SUPPORT: Healthcare Insurance Rate Changes - This proposition is modeled after Prop 103, which helped control price increases for auto insurance. This measure allows the Insurance Commissioner to reject health insurance rate increases that he sees as being unreasonable. This is supported by a progressive coalition of groups. There have been some concerns raised by Covered California that this would interfere with their mandate to negotiate rates. This could create some confusion, but if Covered California cannot negotiate good rates, there would be an additional protection provided by this initiative. Prop 46 – OPPOSE: Medical Negligence Lawsuits - This proposition has three main components: It requires drug testing for doctors; requires health care practitioners to review the statewide prescription database before prescribing controlled substances; and it increases the $250,000 pain/suffering cap in medical negligence lawsuits to account for inflation. The most significant provision in this proposition is the lifting of the pain and suffering cap. We have an oppose position because of concerns about increasing the cost of healthcare due to increased malpractice insurance costs, which decreases access to healthcare, especially in poor and rural communities. Patients can still recover unlimited economic damages, which includes lost wages, medical costs and punitive damages. As for the other two provisions, the Medical Board currently enforces complaints against doctors - which includes problems with substance abuse - in the same way that the Board of Behavioral Sciences enforces complaints against LCSWs. The prescription database is currently being upgraded and does not have the capacity or privacy protections that would be necessary if this measure were to pass. Prop 47 – SUPPORT: Criminal Justice, Misdemeanor Sentences - This would reduce penalties for most "nonserious and nonviolent" property and drug crimes - from a felony to a misdemeanor - and would place state savings from this measure into money for school truancy and dropout prevention, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and victim services. * We did not take a position on Prop 2 or Prop 48 because the effect on social work clients was unclear. The budget reserve in Prop 2 could help or hurt the funding of social services depending on the strength of the economy. Prop 48 can help certain tribal communities prosper, but tribal gaming can foster addiction problems. For more information, contact (916) 442-4565 ext. 12 or go to www.naswca.org. To view the California Secretary of State’s Voter Handbook on the Initiatives, visit www.ss.ca.gov