Meet the other recall candidates: Michael Loebs

What experience has prepared you to take over leadership of the world’s fifth largest economy?

Nothing can prepare someone for an economy of our size. Business experience bears almost no relation to the complex macroeconomic reality of our nation-state scale economy. (Here Newsom and I agree.) But our economy is not just large, but distinctly Californian. The governor must understand different interests, weigh them honestly without preference, and make decisions that are in the best interests of California. This ability to take California and its unique qualities seriously, instead of solutions based in ideology or party loyalty, is the quality I bring more than other candidates.

Do you believe Joe Biden was lawfully elected president?

Yes

Should an ethnic studies course be required for high school graduation?

Yes

Defund police?

No

Should government make any vaccine mandatory, including for polio and smallpox?

No

Under California law, low-income women are eligible for taxpayer-funded abortions. Do you support this?

Yes

Should the governor’s emergency powers be altered, and if so, how?

A constitutional change should be made such that after the initial declaration, the Governor must petition the Legislature to actively approve extensions of the emergency declaration every 90 days, with an explicit list of justifications for this extension.

If you had $25 billion to spend on homelessness, what would you do with it?

The unhoused need homes, as do many Californians. We need more housing generally in targeted locations to prevent homelessness in the first place, and a program to get the unhoused into basic housing with treatment and placement services which is a necessary for step in building a new life.

As governor, would you direct the state to do more to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement?

All law-abiding Californians should be allowed to stay here, regardless of their origin or U.S. immigration status. California should develop its own residency system for anyone who’s lived here five years and plans to stay. Serious crimes must be punished to the full extent of the law.

What would you do to decrease the chance of destructive wildfires?

The 45% of our land under federal control must be transferred to us; they are clearly uninterested in its upkeep. Proper land management, controlled burns, and native species replanting are crucial, but fires are inevitable. We need local, professional emergencies service to effectively combat them.

What emergency steps would you take during a drought to allocate water usage among Californians?

End the federal government’s sale of our water to companies for bottling. Agricultural water usage in California should favor small to medium farmers engaging in sustainable, water responsible growing which incentivizes practices that allow for future generations of California farmers.

Do you support California’s climate change initiatives? If no, what would you change?

California should be an active international partner in combating climate change, which it cannot effectively do as part of the U.S. We should continue actions to reduce emissions, convert to renewable energy, etc. but ultimately California needs the ability to make its own environmental policy.