Opposes SCA3: Donna Courtright

Courtright touts taxpayer advocacy in her campaign

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This is the fifth of six profiles on candidates for the 24th Assembly District. We are running stories on all six candidates prior to the March 7 election.

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By Nathan R. Huff

Ask Donna Courtright what she does in her spare time and you'll get a surprising response; the self-described conservative soccer mom will say, "Oh, I watch C-Span and CNN--I'm a total political junkie."

Courtright, the most conservative of three Republicans running to replace Jim Cunneen in the 24th Assembly District, is campaigning on three basic issues--education, taxation and transportation. Courtright, president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, believes her education, high- tech experience and history of taxpayer advocacy make her perfect for the 24th district.

"I am a good fit for this district because I have the high-tech expertise and experience along with the languages," Courtright said, touting her years in the semiconductor industry and her degree in foreign languages.

Courtright believes all aspects of government should be taxpayer centered. Government boards and committees should be evaluated for their usefulness and technology should be used to reduce the size of the state's bureaucracy. In education, that translates to more local control.

"The state's role in education is to set high, achievable standards," Courtright said. "The state's role is not to micromanage." She favors block grants and increasing the percentage of the education budget that goes straight into classrooms.

Courtright said she also believes good teachers need to be compensated and that entry-level wages must also be increased to attract more qualified educators. She is in favor of streamlining the credential process for those who already have experience in the high-tech and science fields. As vice-president of the Art Docents of Los Gatos, Courtright said she knows the cost benefits of using volunteers in the public education system.

When it comes to finding housing for teachers, as well as other lower-income valley residents, Courtright believes the state needs to make affordable housing attractive to builders. "There are too many hoops and hurdles [for developers]," she said. "We've got to offer some good incentives to builders to build affordable housing."

Getting people to and from work on our congested highways is also one of Court-right's concerns. Ironically, she says, she agrees with Gov. Gray Davis' opposition to SCA3, a state constitutional amendment that would change the two-thirds super majority required to pass local traffic-related sales taxes to a simple majority vote.

"We have to maintain the two-thirds majority," Courtright said. In place of SCA3, Courtright would like to see a portion of the projected budget surplus, as well as the gasoline taxes that currently go into the state's general fund, earmarked for transportation and infrastructure. She is also in favor of eliminating little-used diamond lanes and expanding bus services, which she says is more flexible and cost-effective than fixed rail.

As a self-described "strict constitutionalist," Courtright says many of the recent gun-control laws infringe on people's rights. "Some of these laws are really pushing the envelope on individual liberties," Court-right said, adding that as an assemblymember she would be willing to consider legalizing concealed-weapons permits.

"Peace through strength, as Reagan said," Courtright continued, saying the philosophy holds true in personal as well as national defense.

To strengthen individuals' rights in the health-care system, Courtright is in favor of businesses creating tax-free medical accounts for employees, insurance pools for small-business owners and more patient choice. However, Courtright believes a patients' rights bill is not the answer, describing it as "smoke and mirrors," a symbolic fix with no real effects.

"I support putting patients in the driver's seat by being able to choose their own health-care provider," she said.

Courtright said she believes the constituents of each state should be able to decide on the abortion issue, but parental notification should be mandatory for pregnant minors.

Raised in Texas and a graduate of Southern Methodist University, Courtright believes strongly in the core values espoused in the Republican platform. A member of the Association of Republican Women and former member of the Bay Area Task Force Against Graffiti, she said many Republicans are unclear on what they stand for.

"When Republicans can clearly articulate the message, they're successful at the ballot box," she said.

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