 "Photo:")
View the Steve Westly town hall slideshow.
Democratic candidate for governor and state Controller Steve Westly visited Chico State Wednesday night, sharing his goals and answering questions at a town hall meeting in the Bell Memorial Union.
Westly and state Treasurer Phil Angelides are the main Democratic contenders for governor. The candidate will be decided by the June 6 primary election.
Westly smiled as he bounded out in front of the packed room and asked the audience members if they thought California was ready for a new governor.
"Well, you're going to have one," he said after the audience cheered in response.
Westly explained that he chose Chico as the kick-off for his campaign tour because smaller towns and cities in California tend to be ignored by politicians. Education, he said, was also one of his main reasons.
"I wanted to be here with students," he said. "You are the future."
He spoke briefly about his main campaign issues, including education, particularly at community colleges. If elected, he said, he would like to see community college education be free.
When asked what he would do for four-year universities, balancing the budget and paying off California's debt would be first, he said.
If there was any money left over, he would like to help out with fee reduction. Westly said his priority was more with community colleges because they educate more people than universities do and the students usually have less income.
"I'd love to tell you all that I'd give you huge benefits, but there are other people who need it a little bit more," he said.
Earlier education was also a main focus. He disagreed with President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, saying more control needed to be with local educators than with politicians.
Another main priority is job creation, Westly said. As a former executive for the Internet auction site Ebay, he pointed out the Web site's ability to help people make a living on their own.
"That's what we need," he said.
Audience members quizzed him a variety of issues, including the war in Iraq, which he said the United States should get out of as soon as possible. The lack of National Guard troops in California is particularly disconcerting if the state were to face a natural disaster or terrorist attack, he said.
When addressing the issue of illegal aliens, he said there needed to be a better solution to the situation than shutting down borders, such as providing work permits for migrant workers. Westly said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger supported putting more vigilantes on the Mexican border and he disagrees with it.
"He is living in a different century," Westly said.
He also pointed out that he is bilingual and had done several campaign ads in Spanish.
"My wife speaks Chinese, I speak Spanish. Between the two of us, we have the whole state covered," he said, which made the audience laugh.
Westly was direct when answering questions concerning abortion and the recent ballot measure that would have required underage girls to get parental notification in order to have an abortion.
"I am emphatically pro-choice, and I stood up against parental notifications," he said. Notifications could be dangerous for girls who come from abusive homes and don't have a parent they can go to, he said.
When asked if he supported domestic partnerships for gays and lesbians, he answered with a simple "yes."
After the question and answer session, Student Democratic Club President Emmanuel Domkam presented Westly with a red Chico State sweatshirt and ball cap, both of which he promptly tried on and posed for pictures with audience members.
The Chico State Student Democratic Club, which co-sponsored Westly's visit, originally endorsed Angelides, said Vice President Alex Burr.
"That's subject to change though," she said. She liked Westly' straightforward style, she said.
"He just seems down to earth and smart, which I like," Burr said.
Senior Carly Humann said she came to the meeting because she was frustrated with the political apathy of many fellow students.
"You gotta take the action to make the change," she said.
Kelly Reed can be reached at kreed@orion-online.net
Be the first to comment on this article!