Rubay for State Assembly

My Statement of Support for the Jewish Community:

I stand with the Jewish Community and the State of Israel in its justifiable struggle for self-defense and survival. The Jewish Community must be safe because all people must be safe. We must all support law enforcement and demand that those who engage in threat or violence be held accountable.

Public Safety

Ms. Bauer-Kahan’s voting record shows greater concern for criminals than for law enforcement and the general public. She has voted to allow felons to vote while serving sentences on parole, to serve on juries as ex-felons, and to choose the gender of institutions for their incarceration. Police on the other hand are to have less authority in matters such as traffic stops, jaywalking, electronic monitoring of minors in home detention, and are now prohibited from using tear gas during riots. Yet Ms. Bauer-Kahan has voted for additional levels of oversight and control over the police. California’s violent crime rate in 2022 increased for the second year in a row while the overall national rate has declined.

We must reverse this trend and prioritize the protection of the law abiding public.

Education

The Assembly must lead in emphasizing the importance of reading and math proficiency, civics, U.S. History, and STEM in our schools. A recent survey revealed that 41% of California students were sub-standard in math and 31% sub-standard in reading. For minority communities the results were even worse. 83% of African-American students were sub-standard in math and 70% in reading; for Hispanic students it was 77% in math and 64% in reading. These scores are appalling. Yet rather than address these pressing needs the Assembly added an Ethnic Studies requirement which seems to have introduced some very questionable, i.e. anti-American and anti-Jewish agendas into our classrooms. Even mathematics is being presented as a part of an oppressive power structure. Let’s go back to the basics.

Our students need to learn the fundamentals of reading and math and U.S. history and be encouraged and enabled to rise to the limits of their abilities. Education is the pathway to their future.

Assembly Bill (AB) 5 and Independent Trucking Owner Operators

California Assembly Bill (AB) 5, the “gig worker bill,” establishes a criterion for qualifying as an independent contractor may likely disqualify the bulk of independent owner-operator truckers in California. Combined with the state’s already high regulatory and insurance costs and fuel prices, AB5 threatens the viability of many of the State’s independent truckers. In September 2020 the legislature passed AB 2257 which exempted many job classifications from the requirements of AB 5. In November 2020 California voters passed Proposition 22 which created a similar exemption for drivers in app-based ride-hailing and delivery services such as Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash. The Assembly should pass a similar exemption for owner operator truckers.

California Gas Tax and Infrastructure

Californians pay the highest gas tax rate in the nation at $.779 per gallon. Pennsylvania has the next highest rate at $.662 per gallon. Gasoline in California costs 33% more than the national average. Yet, in spite of these high costs Consumer Affairs ranks our state’s roads as the fourth worst in the nation with just over 50% in poor or mediocre condition. These road conditions themselves create added expenses for California drivers. The greatest burden falls on those who can least afford it. This combination of high gas taxes and poor driving conditions is unacceptable and must be addressed! In the Assembly I’ll push for a comprehensive review of our infrastructural expenditures and practices so that we can upgrade our roads and reduce the gas tax.

SB-525 Minimum Wages: Healthcare Workers

SB-525 Minimum Wages: Health Care Workers establishes a $25 per hour minimum wage for healthcare workers to be phased in between June 1, 2024 and June 1, 2033. The stated purpose of alleviating the shortage of healthcare workers is laudable but deceptive as the law extends to employee categories not usually considered to be healthcare workers such as janitors, housekeepers, groundskeepers, guards, and others including contract workers. The bill was passed and signed without a cost estimate. Subsequent projections run around $4 billion evenly divided between the State’s General Fund and the Federal Government.

SB-525 is an ill-conceived, deceptively framed social experiment. Raising minimum wages also increases the costs of goods and services which in turn has the greatest impact on those who can least afford it. With California having one of, if not the highest poverty rate in the nation the Assembly should be focusing on the drivers of our high cost of living that makes our state the third or fourth most expensive in the nation.

The California Budget Crisis

The California Legislative Analyst’s Office is projecting a $68 billion cumulative budget deficit through June 2025. Yet as recently as 2022 the State enjoyed a $100 billion budget surplus. That year the Assembly passed and the Governor signed an unpresented $308 billion budget with many one-time expenditures. This conduct reflects a flagrantly irresponsible governing culture incapable of controlling spending while remaining overly dependent on the wealthiest 1% who contribute 50% of tax revenues. It is time to clean house and elect those for whom fiscal responsibility is a sacred trust rather than an afterthought.

Skelton: Newsom, lawmakers need to take stance on reparations

Let’s focus on improving our state, not dividing it.

California sheriff: Criminals getting more brazen, violent

For the safety of our communities, we must stand up for common sense in Sacramento.

Caught on video: Brazen armed jewelry store heist leaves San Ramon residents shaken

Link to YouTube

Our state has enough water for all of us… Our leaders are not building the infrastructure to capture it.

Opinion: Oakland lawlessness reflects a breakdown of community values

Everyone understands the problem… Now Is the time for new leadership in the State Assembly.

Authorities search for man who tried to kidnap girl at Lafayette middle school

Our children's safety is job one. If elected to the state assembly I will work toward bringing back school buses for all children.

What to Know About California’s Ban on New Gasoline-Powered Cars

As I understand it, the governor is requiring new car sellers to more than double the percentage of zero emission car sold in California in just four years. Is this fair? is this possible? What Unintended consequences will come from this order?

What’s behind Newsom’s safe injection sites veto?

My opponent is more radical than our governor… It saddens me to report that she voted for these injection sites. 

Are race-based teacher layoffs in Minneapolis legal?

I don't think this is very fair... is California next?

SRVUSD Faces Backlash After Mannequin Scandal

The rights of parents to oversee their children's education must be preserved

Daughter of victim of latest Danville Rolex robbery speaks out

Elections matter… As parents we owe it to our children to keep our communities safe.