Bob’s Priorities

Improving Education

Improving Education

Bob Brunton is the only candidate working to improve education for all of our students by giving them choices to attend quality schools regardless of the income of their parents or the location of their home.

He wants to pay great teachers what they are worth and knows how to improve our schools and reduce wasteful redundant spending.

Background:

California allocates about 54% of its entire budget to education and we are not getting our monies worth. Too many students are failing. There are many reasons, but the primary reason is that our current educational system is greatly out of date and needs major reforms. California has over 1000 school districts, with 5 academic systems and they do not work well together. California once had the best educational system in the world but the foundation of that system was set up in the 1950’s. California is different now and it is time to reform and restructure.

Bob Brunton has 12 years of experience in educational governing. He was elected 3 time and served 12 years as Ohlone Community College Trustee. He knows what is needed, what is possible and how to get it done.

The Bob Brunton plan will improve the education of our children’s students and improve our adult career and technical education and our systems work together better, waste less money and provide more money to the classroom. And reduce taxes.

Improving Mass Transit

Improving Education

The Bay Area needs a vital, efficient, and effective mass transit system but it currently does not have one. Bob Brunton is the only candidate that knows how to greatly improve mass transit in our region and without raising taxes.

Background:

The Bay Area has over 25 mass transit agencies and they do not work well together and of those 25 only 2 have elected board members. A bad combination.

Bob Brunton will tirelessly work towards both improving mass transit and reducing the overbearing costs thru consolidation and improving cooperation, coordination and accountability.

Improving Civil Justice

Improving Civil Justice

The costs of getting things done is outrageously expensive and time consuming. To often the only winner were the lawyers. This must stop.

Bob Brunton has plans to improve the civil court system to make it more cost effective and to make justice be fairer. He will advocate for providing a Public Defender for low- and middle-income people and small businesses when defending themselves against the rich and powerful and foreign companies.,/

Bob will advocate for small claims court reforms that will allow the system to be a better choice for settling disputes.

Housing Affordability

Housing Affordability

The Burning Issue: When it comes to housing, although almost everyone has an opinion, there’s no real consensus as to what the core problem is. What is certain is that the government is the major reason behind our major housing problems. Worse yet, these problems are multilayered and complex. And most of the so-called solutions coming from the state level have not worked.

I suggest a different approach..

The Bob Brunton Plan

Too often cities focus on taking the money while being unwilling to take on the expense. Though they add jobs and new tax dollars, they’re unwilling to balance the housing, schools, and infrastructure. They then leave other cities — or worse, no one! — to handle the expense.

The Bob Brunton is a notably innovative and workable plan.

  • Transform the widespread resistance to new additional housing…through Sales Tax Reform. I propose reallocating 2 cents of the current sales tax collected by sending it to the zip code where the purchaser lives. This will provide both an incentive to add housing and residents, while also providing a method to supply funding for the residents’ needs.
  • Instead of decreasing Prop 13, we should expand Prop 13. The way to do so is by allowing any longtime owner-occupied single-family home the one-time ability to move to any county or city in California yet keep their low tax bracket at their new home and then for several years receive a portion of the new property tax on the property they sold. The Results? Seniors would be protected from not being able to afford to live in California. Meanwhile, housing would be freed up for new families to grow and thrive in, complete with a few years of additional income for the senior who sold the property.
  • Require local school districts to accept students of parents who work full-time in those districts.

Environment

Environment

A viable climate change solution needs to be big and lasting — which means bipartisan legislation. I support the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act put forth by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and would work to pass its equivalent in the California State Assembly. The policy will drive down America’s carbon pollution while unleashing American technology innovation and ingenuity.

More about this plan:

  • The fee is placed on fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. It starts low, and grows over time. It will drive down carbon pollution because energy companies, industries, and consumers will move toward cleaner, cheaper options.
  • All the money collected from the carbon fee is allocated in equal shares every month to California residents to spend as they see fit. Program costs are paid from the fees collected. The government does not keep any of the money from the carbon fee.
  • To protect U.S. manufacturers and jobs, imported goods will be assessed a border carbon adjustment, and goods exported from the United States and California will receive a refund under this policy.

Parks

Parks

Healthy Parks = Healthy People

Bob Brunton, his wife Elena, and their dog Vivaldi are all active supporters and visitors of our state parks.

Bob will advocate for both the growth of our park system and the improvement of our parks’ maintenance.

Meanwhile, here’s a fun idea for a Thank You Gift:

Bob Brunton stands ready to propose that each year, after you file your state taxes, the state will return to you several thank you gifts, and one of those will be a Day Pass to visit one of our many beautiful state parks. Our parks are there to be enjoyed and treasured. Californians should embrace this tradition for generations to come.

Taxes/Debt/Spending

Taxes/Debt/Spending

Here’s the plain truth: In California, we are not only taxed too much, we receive far too little for the money that we send to our government.

And if that’s not bad enough

The information we receive about our state and local governments’ finances is too often needlessly complicated, to the point where a regular person cannot understand it. Even worse, it’s often presented in an unbalanced and outright disrespectful manner. Bob is going to Sacramento to start fixing these longstanding problems. And they must be fixed, because we have so many long-unmet needs.

Sacramento and the state government must get its financial house in order. It’s time for them to stop their wasteful and redundant spending before daring to ask the taxpayer for a dollar more.