Assembly: 41st District

Questionnaires were distributed to candidates this month. Answers have been edited to fit the available space.

Family Sick Leave

Q. Gov. Deukmejian recently vetoed legislation that would have granted workers as much as four months of unpaid leave every two years to care for sick children, spouses and other family members without fear of losing their jobs. Do you favor this type of legislation?

Nolan: This is not a matter for government intrusion. It should be a matter of negotiations between labor and management.

Mann: Yes. Women are primarily responsible for the care of children, the elderly and other family members. Women cannot have a chance for decent jobs to support their families without such protection.

Teacher Salaries

Q. The Legislature approved a 4.7% cost-of-living raise for school employees, and Gov. Deukmejian reduced it to 3%, placing the difference in an account for special education programs. Should this money be used for salaries?

Nolan: California’s children suffer from the largest class size in the nation. It is imperative that we begin to bring down the size of our classes. The governor proposed a modest 0.8% of the education budget be used to lower the student to teacher ratio. I supported this reasonable proposal.

Mann: Yes. Schoolchildren and their teachers should not be held hostages to the internecine war between the governor and the Legislature. The educational needs of children in special education programs should not be pitted against their teachers’ needs for a decent salary to support their families.

Big Green

Q. Proposition 128, the so-called “Big Green” initiative on the November ballot, seeks to eliminate ozone-depleting chemicals by the year 2000, phase out pesticides known to cause cancer and require that trees be planted in all new developments. Do you support this initiative? Nolan: No. It makes no sense to add more layers of governmental approval and bureaucracy to our already huge state government. It makes even less sense to allow Tom Hayden to create a powerful new political position from which to impose his discredited philosophy. Proposition 128 won’t really help clean up the environment, but it will create a regulatory nightmare for people.

Mann: Yes. We must stop poisoning the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. Our wanton destruction of the environment has threatened our very survival.

Tree-Cutting

Q. Proposition 130 on the November ballot would restrict clear-cutting of forests, allow the sale of $710 million in bonds to preserve ancient redwood forests and provide $32 million to retrain unemployed loggers. Do you support this initiative? Nolan: No.

Mann: Yes.

Limited Terms

Q. Proposition 131 on the November ballot, authored by Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp and Common Cause, would limit most statewide elected officials to eight consecutive years in office, and senators and Assembly members to 12 years. Proposition 140, sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum, is more stringent, limiting lifetime service to eight years in the Senate and six in the Assembly. Do you support limiting the number of terms state legislators can serve? If yes, how long should the limits be? Nolan: Yes. The Founders of our Republic never intended for the legislative branch of our government to be a permanent, ruling oligarchy. I support Proposition 140 because it would force a regular turnover in the state Legislature.

Mann: Yes. I support the consecutive term limits of eight and 12 years in Proposition 131. The present system is not responsive to the voters. It is time for new, clean leadership which will be responsive to the voters.

Sales Tax

Q. Proposition 133 on the November ballot would raise state sales and use taxes by 0.5% for four years to raise $7.5 billion for drug enforcement and treatment, anti-drug education, and prison and jail construction and operation. Do you support this initiative?

Nolan: No.

Mann: No.

Liquor Tax

Q. Proposition 134 on the November ballot would substantially raise taxes on beer, wine and liquor, and dedicate the revenue from the tax hike to programs for the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse. Do you support this initiative? Nolan: No.

Mann: Yes.

Inmate Laborers

Q. Proposition 139 on the November ballot would allow private companies to hire state prison and county jail inmates as laborers. Do you support this initiative? Nolan: No.

Mann: No position.

Death Penalty

Q. Do you support capital punishment? If so, do you think it should be imposed on those convicted of importing or selling drugs? Nolan: Yes on both.

Mann: No.

Handgun Controls

Q. Do you support additional limits on handgun purchase or possession in California? Nolan: No.

Mann: Yes. There is no place in the urban home for handguns. Hundreds of children and young people are murdered each year in California because of the presence of handguns in their homes and the homes of their friends.

Abortion Rights

Q. Do you support a woman’s right to unrestricted abortions within the first three months of pregnancy? Nolan: No.

Mann: Yes. Keep the government out of our bedrooms.

Abortion Funding

Q. Do you support government funding of abortions for women who cannot afford them? Nolan: No.

Mann: Yes. Abortions should be funded on the same basis as any other medical procedure.

Day-Care Services

Q. Do you believe the state should require private employers to subsidize day-care services for employees who request them? Nolan: No. This is a matter to be negotiated between labor and management.

Mann: No. Day-care services ought not to be required by the government. They should be provided by the government or supported by tax credits as one among many benefits, such as health care, made available to employees.

War on Drugs

Q. Do you believe our present strategy of criminal prosecution, interdiction of supplies and imprisonment of users and dealers will ever significantly reduce the level of drug use in the United States? If no, what should be done? Nolan: Yes.

Mann: No. As long as there is a demand, there will be a supply. We must convince our young people that drugs are death.

Drug Decriminalization

Q. Would you consider supporting the decriminalization of drug use? Nolan: No.

Mann: No.

Oil Exploration

Q. Do you think the present Mideast crisis justifies opening up additional parts of the California coastline to oil exploration? Nolan: I think we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Mann: No. The California coastline is a priceless part of our heritage that must be preserved. We must become less dependent upon foreign oil through energy-efficient automobiles, mass transit systems such as light rail, and development of alternative energy sources.

Parkland Exchange

Q. Should the National Park Service exchange 50 acres in Cheeseboro Canyon in southeastern Ventura County for about 1,100 acres of the neighboring Jordan Ranch owned by entertainer Bob Hope, permitting park agencies to buy another 4,600 acres of Hope’s land in the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains for $10 million? Nolan: This land is completely across the country from my district and does not affect my constituents.

Mann: Yes.

Mandatory Ride-Sharing

Q. Do you favor mandatory ride-sharing in an effort to meet government air pollution standards? Nolan: No. I support voluntary programs.

Mann: No. I favor aggressive requirements that employers meet ride-sharing standards. I do not support mandatory ride-sharing for individuals because I believe that it is unenforceable.

Political Funding

Q. Do you support full or partial public funding of political campaigns? Nolan: No. Tax money should be used for essential services--not political rhetoric.

Mann: Yes. I support either full or partial public funding of political campaigns. Under the present system, it is virtually impossible to unseat an incumbent. The voice of the people too often goes unheeded and the door is opened to special-interest groups, such as savings and loans. Ninety-eight percent of all incumbents in the state Legislature and in Congress were reelected in California in 1988.

Income Disclosure

Q. Are you willing to publicly release your income tax returns and those of your spouse prior to the November election? Nolan: No.

Mann: Yes. They are better than Sominex.

Porter Ranch

Q. Do you support development of the massive Porter Ranch project in the hills north of Chatsworth as presently configured? Nolan: This development is far from my district and does not affect my constituents.

Mann: This is a decision best left to the residents of the city of Los Angeles.

CONTENDERS Patrick Nolan, 40, a Republican from Glendale, is seeking a seventh term in the Assembly. An attorney, Nolan is a staunch conservative and has easily carried his district in past elections.

Jeanette Mann, 54, a Democrat from Pasadena, is affirmative action coordinator for Cal State Northridge. She also is a member of the Pasadena Community College District Board of Trustees. Curtis Helms, the Libertarian candidate, is a registered nurse who lives in Pasadena. He did not respond to The Times’ questionnaire.

David Velasquez, Peace and Freedom party candidate, is a student who lives in Glendale. He did not respond to The Times’ questionnaire.