Mike,

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview on my blog. I have more questions then we have time so I am going to ask some expected questions and leave others out to try to understand you more. That doesn't mean the other questions aren't important but that I am confident they will be asked over and over as you campaign.

Q1 ( Label your response to this question Q1 to make it easier to follow):

Many groups are looking to call a constitutional convention to fundamentally overhaul state government. Do you support calling a convention?

If you could change something in the constitution what would you change?

Brian,

Thanks for hosting this interview on your blog.

Q1: As for a constitutional convention, I would support it but do not think it is realistic to expect one to take place. What I would like to see addressed, whether through a convention or the initiative process, are things like term limits, a true bi-cameral legislature, or a part-time legislature so that legislators spend more time in their districts and less time in Sacramento.

Q2:

Ever since I saw the interview where Sarah Palin wouldn't or couldn't name what newspapers and magazines she reads I have become more curious of the sources of information candidates use to stay informed. I asked Das Williams and Tom Campbell the same basic question before and it helped me to understand their ideology.

What are your top blogs, magazines, and newspapers you like to read to stay informed?

Q2:

All local news sources and for state or national news Time, Wall Street Journal, and www.rtumble.com.

On most issues of the day, I go to competing websites to get the facts from both sides before making a decision.

Q3:

Mike,

How would you like to reform term limits? Do you agree term limits has failed to create citizen legislators that go to Sacramento and then return home to their previous work?

It seems to me that it has created a system of politicians fundraising all of the time for their next position and their next campaign.

Q4:

Who did you support in the 2008 Republican primaries? Why did you support them?

Did you vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger in the recall election or his reelection?

Q3:

Term limits have made the majority of state elected officials beholden to special interests. Every member of the Assembly knows if they want to run for Senate in 6 years and they are not independently wealthy, they cannot say no to the special interests who they will need to rely on for their next campaign.

Unlike my two opponents, I have always received less compensation while serving the public than while employed in the private sector, which is why I never have, nor never will be beholden to those special interests.

To change the grip special interests have on state legislators, we need to either eliminate term limits or significantly increase the time you can serve in the Assembly and Senate; we also need allow legislators who are term limited out to be able to run again in a subsequent election after sitting out one or more election cycles.

Q5:

I supported Senator John McCain in the primary and served as his statewide Agricultural Chair for California.

In the recall election I supported State Senator Tom McClintock because he was the one candidate who I believe provided real solutions to California's fiscal problems.

Q5:

Did you vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger when he ran for reelection?

Q5:

Yes, I voted for Arnold's re-election in 2006.

Q6:

Your opponents won't be self funding their campaigns and will be taking money from interest groups. Won't you be doing the same thing?

Which of the following groups will you not accept campaign donations from:

The California Teachers Association, Native American or other gambling interests, oil producers, Building or manufacturing lobbies, or tobacco companies?

All of those are interest groups that donate to California politicians.

Q7:

When campaigning most candidates are readily available to the public. But once they get elected some are more accessible than others.

State Senator Tony Strickland posts his schedule of public events and often holds scheduled events that the public is invited to attend.

Rep. Gallegly doesn't post his schedule and his local office has told me that people need to call DC to talk to them as they don't know his schedule here. In addition, he doesn't often hold events that are scheduled and open to the public.

His supporters say he often meets the voters as he travels to the district almost every weekend. He does meet with constituents in his office and he has met voters at events like the Ventura County Fair in the past, although it isn't public when he will be there.

Which model do you think you will follow if you are elected? Will you often hold formal or informal town hall meetings?

Q7:

The one special interest I have ruled out at this point is the tobacco industry but I very well may rule out other special interests down the road.

However, I can guarantee that at the end of the day my campaign will have less special interest money and more support by grassroots individuals than my opponents. I would welcome you to review each campaign finance report and divide the total contributions by the number of contributors; I assure you my opponents will have a much higher average per contributor, showing they are supported by big money which is most often from out of the district.

I will challenge both of my opponents to limit 75% of total contributions to within the district; I expect both of them to turn down that challenge.

Q8,

Candidates run for many reasons including to bring their platform to a wider audience, to get the other side to moderate their ideology to win, and of course to win.

Money has become a strong indicator to see why a candidate is running. Do you think you will be competitive with your opponent in financing for your campaign?

When will you release your next campaign finance statement? What should we expect from it?

Q7:

I have always found Congressman Gallegly to be very accessible.

Having worked closely with Senator Strickland and being very familiar with his approach as you described above, you would find me just as open and accessible.

As a former County Supervisor in Santa Barbara County, I was well known for my acessibility and open-door policies which even my political opponents gave me credit for.

Mike,

Where do you stand on gay marriage?

I expect to be very competitive financially. The next report will be filed in January for contributions through December 31st. For that report, I expect to have $150,000 in the bank.

As a county supervisor I always supported equal rights and benefits for domestic partners. California currently provides those rights and benefits to domestic partners pursuant to state law. I fully support those rights and would continue to as a member of the Assembly.

However, I believe marriage should be reserved between a man and a woman.

I must repeat my question since it was rudely deleted.

Mike Stoker, where do you stand on gay marriage? The federal government has left it to the states to decide and it is a very hot topic.

Thank you.

As Jack Nicholson would say...can't we all just get along?

I will do my Jack Nicholson impersonation when I see you in person.

Mike,

I am not surprised that a well connected Republican former officer holder that has been appointed to many boards finds an elected official accessible. But I am glad that you will follow the example of State Senator Tony Strickland of scheduling public meetings.

Thanks for answering Daniel's question, but I did state this entry is only for us two.

Q9:

Which of the following ideas do you support to change public schools: vouchers, expanding charter schools, modifying tenure, making it easier to fire a teacher that isn't performing, or anything else you support?

Sorry, I thought I was supposed to respond to all questions that were submitted.

Q9: As for schools, we should significantly expand charter schools as Florida has done, and we also should revise tenure so that good teachers get merit pay and bad teachers are not protected by a tenured system. I will be working for an initiative on the 2010 ballot to assure that at least 80% (although I believe it should be 90-95%) of all dollars end up in the class room which includes teacher's salaries.

I think it is outrageous that as a school teacher, my wife and her colleagues have to buy their own supplies.

Don't worry about it. Daniel is a well-intentioned guy and I had the same question too.

Q10: Where and what does your wife teach? What type of merit pay proposals do you support?

From your answer is it safe to conclude you don't support vouchers?

Mike,

Q11:

Republican legislators and others have often pushed to reform Sacramento by eliminating many of the boards and commissions that meet only a few times a month but have lucrative compensation packages. often politicians are appointed to them after they are termed out ( something we both agree is a problem) to win favor from them while they are in the legislature.

Looking over your extensive resume on this website ( you can just click on my name):

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:bg1xmHnGOLcJ:www.sbcta.org/MikeStoker.html+mike+stoker+santa+barbara&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

I am wondering if you support eliminating any of those boards or commissions you were appointed to over your career.

Q10:

My wife Tara formerly taught K-3 and now teaches ESL (English as a Second Language) at Santa Barbara City College.

I supported Tony Strickland's (then Asm.) merit pay legislation authored several years back.

Given the special interests in this state, the best way to ensure that healthy competition exists in our school system is the expansion of charter schools like in Florida vs. a voucher system.

Q12:

I know you have worked for Tom McClintock in the past but what work do you currently or have you done in the past for Tony Strickland besides volunteering to support him?

Q11:

In 1999, a newspaper (I believe it was the Sacramento Bee), commented that I was the first Chairman of any board in California history to advocate the elimination of my own job - Chairman of the California Ag-Labor Relations Board.

Our board had gone from issuing over 1000 decisions per year in the late 1970's to just under 100 decisions by the mid-1990's and only a handful by the end of the 1990's. I therefore called for the elimination of the ALRB and suggested transferring their responsibilities to the Public Employee Retirement Board (PERB).

There are numerous agencies, boards and commissions whose jobs functions can be merged into other boards, agencies and commissions generating a cost savings for taxpayers while also running a more efficient California.

As your Assemblyman, I would actively author bills to consolidate state functions and boards, agencies and commissions.

Q 12:

On a consulting basis, I serve as District Director for Santa Barbara County for Senator Strickland.

What does that mean? Do you have a desk in his local office? Do you get paid using funds from the state?

Have you attended any Tea Party events?

Q14:

Cities, states, and countries have been debating what to do to combat climate change.

But before we even discuss that do you agree that climate change is real and influenced by human activity?

If it is real and influenced by human activity do you see a role in combating it for California government?

I get paid for being Senator Strickland's District Director. However, I work out of my home which saves taxpayers money.

Constituents can reach me 24-7 on my cell phone at (805) 478-4975 or via email at mikestoker@aol.com.

Q15:

In press releases and campaign tactics you seem to be going after Das Williams more than Susan Jordan. How come?

Do you see one of them as a tougher opponent or is there some antipathy you want to tell voters?

I have attended two Tea Party events and have been impressed by the fact that they are not contrived and professionally organized events, but are rather every day Americans concerned about the direction in which our state and country is headed.

Radio Sow host Tammy Bruce was the emcee of the Santa Barbara Tea Party event after she called Barack Obama and Michelle Obama trash.

Recently, conspiracy theories have come up that Barack Obama wasn't born in the Untied States.

Care to distance yourself from ideas like these?

Q 14:

My campaign will be about jobs, spending and education. California's state legislature has become a job-killing machine.

Whether the science exists to establish global warming I will not debate on this blog. However, to the extent that legislation will be pursued to deal with global warming, it should be done on the national level and not at the state level, which causes California businesses to go out of business or move to other states.

Keep in mind no other state has global warming legislation to the extent of Caliifornia.

As for the science, we better hope that those that say the science is questionable are correct because China, India and the rest of the 3rd world countries are not coming to the "Global Warming Party."

I definitely distance myself from those ideas/comments that you mentioned.

Mike,

Thanks for coming on my blog. I appreciate your time and your responses. Have fun on the campaign trail.

If you have any challenges you want to have posted to your opponents send them to me and I will post them for you!

Q 15:

I think I have been distinquishing myself from both candidates equally. We could spend hours on this subject but I believe both Das and Susan represent more of the same ideas that got California in the mess it is in; I represent proven leadership and real solutions to move California back in a positive direction.

Brian, thanks for having me. I always enjoy having a positive dialogue about the direction of our great state.

I hope we can figure out a way for Das, Susan, and I to exchange thoughts and ideas on your blog simultaneously.

Mike