News & Press

After 12-year-old Polly Klaas was kidnapped from her home during a slumber party and murdered by a lifetime criminal in 1993, the California Legislature moved quickly to pass a law intended to prevent such criminals from being released after incarceration. Read more»

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is rapidly approaching its day in the Supreme Court. This controversial bill has helped polarize our country even before most of its provisions have taken effect. Based on its individual mandate, which fines people who don’t purchase health insurance, the bill should be struck down as unconstitutional. Due to its unpopularity and price tag, the bill should be repealed. Read more»

Despite the seemingly hyperpartisan times we live in, there is at least one issue that a majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents support: capital punishment. According to the latest Field Poll conducted two months ago, 68 percent of California voters favor keeping the death penalty. I am one of those 68 percent. While I believe in the sanctity of life, I also believe the state has a responsibility to protect the lives of its citizens. The death penalty, in addition to being the ultimate punishment, serves as a deterrent to other criminals who may commit violent crimes and take innocent lives. Read more»

The economy is limping along, and unemployment remains high. State revenue is down nearly $1 billion, which will trigger automatic budget cuts and likely a push for higher taxes. Working families and seniors are feeling the pinch when they visit the grocery store where food prices are up nearly 5 percent over last year — the steepest rise in decades. Yet the debate we are having in San Luis Obispo County is whether an obscure board should make the unilateral decision, affecting the entire county, to ban plastic bags. The answer is a simple no. Read more»