 | | | Catharine Baker Photo provided | | | | | | [Editor's Note: This article was intended as a Lamorinda campaign forum for both incumbent Catharine Baker and challenger Cheryl Cook-Kallio, candidates to represent the 16th district in the state assembly. Questions were sent to Cook-Kallio's campaign manager but the challenger declined to
answer them.]
"I am honored to represent the Lamorinda community and to support education, transportation, accountable state government, and local control for the good of our area," said Catherine Baker, a Republican. In addition to her appointment of Lamorinda residents to all of her advisory councils, including councils on education and public safety, she noted the six town halls in Lamorinda she held in the last 20 months, two in each town, all unscripted and open to all constituents. Four of those town halls were conducted jointly with Senator Steve Glazer, a Democrat.
Proposition 55
Baker opposes Proposition 55, a ballot measure that looks to slap those earning $250,000-plus with a tax to support K-12 schools and community colleges. The tax increase would disproportionately affect Lamorinda, which has a high percentage of wealthy residents.
"Prop. 30, passed in 2012, imposed the highest tax increases in California history. When voters passed Prop. 30, they were promised that the tax increases would be temporary and would phase out by 2019, and the funds would primarily go to help education during the budget shortfall. Prop. 55 breaks this promise to voters," Baker said. She noted that the extreme budget conditions that predicated passage of Proposition 30 have passed, with the state recording a $6.7 billion reserve in its Rainy Day Fund. What's more, billions of Proposition 55 dollars would go toward expanded MediCal benefits, not education, she said.
Teacher Tenure and Seniority Rules
Many residents of Lamorinda live in the area because of the schools, but some residents are concerned about the tenure rules that can prevent dismissal of incompetent educators, which can negatively affect those schools. With the recent ruling on the Vergara lawsuit, the courts for all practical purposes threw the tenure problem back to the legislature.
The parent of school-age children, daughter of an award-winning public school teacher and former preschool board member, Baker said she believes everyone owes it to the teachers and kids to reform the rigid, antiquated teacher tenure and seniority rules that are a disservice to both the teachers and children.
"Current law also effectively puts most teachers up for tenure, or 'permanent status,' 18 months or so into their career, after which it is virtually impossible to dismiss an ineffective teacher. This policy harms teachers and kids," Baker said. She pointed to a bill she authored, AB 1044, that would have allowed school districts not only to consider seniority, but also to consider the needs of the schools and students, when having to institute layoffs.
"I have three advisory councils comprised of local teachers, school board members, and principals from our area," she said. "All three advisory councils have confirmed we need to reform the seniority and tenure rules, and provide more meaningful professional development and feedback for both principals and teachers. I will continue to fight for those reforms."
Proposition 13
Some residents of Orinda resent that they are taxed at a higher rate than residents of Moraga to fund the Moraga-Orinda Fire District. The district's hands are tied, because the property tax allocation percentage is set by Proposition 13. Only the state legislature can correct an inequity like this.
"The state imposes mandates on our local communities for decisions that most affect our local lives and neighborhoods, such as housing - where it is built, how much is built, with what local input, and what type of housing is built. How the fire district distributes its funds within the district should best be left to the residents of the local district, who better know (the) area and its service needs, response times for emergencies, and geography, and not left to legislators in Sacramento," Baker said.
She did point out that there needs to be unanimity among the affected jurisdictions on whether to change the property tax allocations, how, and under what circumstances and criteria, before any state legislation would be appropriate to consider.
BART
Baker pulled no punches over the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, on which many Lamorindans rely but are equally frustrated with.
"BART is in great need of complete reform and long-term, responsible financial and capital planning. Its labor costs are grossly too high, while capital improvements and planning suffer. That is one reason that the very first bill I introduced as your assemblywoman was AB 528, a bill that would bring an end to BART strikes that have contributed to unsustainable labor costs and capital deficiencies," she said. Baker explained that if BART workers already agreed to a no-strike clause in their contract, and the contract expires, and they continue to be paid during the expiration period while negotiations continue, BART workers cannot strike. They have to honor the no-strike clause and cannot cherry-pick what provisions of the expired contract apply.
Though Baker said she does not take official positions on local measures, she did say that she will vote no on Measure RR, BART's $3.5 billion request for infrastructure money. "Measure RR is not the right way to support BART funding, in no small part because the money that is supposed to be used for capital improvements of the train system itself can be used to back-fill the very generous labor costs that are unsustainable," she said.
Candidate Summary
"I am grateful to have the bipartisan endorsements of the entire Lafayette and Moraga town councils, and both Democrats and Republicans on the Orinda City Council, as well as bipartisan school board members and law enforcement leaders from all across the Lamorinda community," Baker said. "I adore Orinda, love Lafayette, and amore Moraga, and am honored to represent these great communities. I would be grateful for your vote, and will work hard every single day to deserve it."
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA