Todd Zink for State Senate 27

My name is Arthur Christopher Schaper, a resident of Torrance, CA. To the voters of the Simi Valley and the San Fernando Valley, I am now more than ever interested in the political currents in your part of the world.

The two races in the 33rd Congressional District and the 66th Assembly District have commanded the most interest for me up to know, because I live in those regions. I have paid some attention to the political developments in the 27th Senate District north of Pacific Coast Highway, from Malibu through Agoura Hills, the San Fernando Valley up to Stevenson Ranch because the 33rd takes in the South Bay and the Simi Valley.

I support market executive Craig Huey's candidacy for the Assembly, but he needs all the help he can get once he gets to Sacramento. I have supported Todd Zink from the moment I saw his campaign take off, and I know that he will help bring Bloomfield supporters to the polls because they share a similar passion for reforming education and dealing with the debt in our government.

Astonishingly enough, The LA Times just reported that Todd Zink is giving back campaign donations. I have read about politicians who give back money to a tainted or morally dubious donor, but Zink is voluntarily returning $140,000 to two county GOP committees. Is he confident to win the seat? Has he given up hope of taking down the established incumbent from Santa Monica? Zink limited his campaign spending to $1,169,000 so that he could place his statement in the official voter pamphlet. Still, Zink did finish first in the June 6th primary, and despite but Ms. Pavley currently maintains an edge in funding, the district has a more conservative trend than most senate districts, with 34.3% registered Republicans, 40% Democrats, and the remaining 26% independents. The more conservative temper in the Agoura Hills/Calabasas region should dampen liberal spirits, or at least give Pavley a real run for her money.

The fact that a politician is giving back campaign money to keep his promise to the state electoral commission alone warrants granting Zink more attention and the vote.

The Daily News outlined the nearly twenty years of public service which Pavley has accomplished working on the Coastal Commission, the state Assembly and the state senate. Zink served in Afghanistan, now he serves justice as a county deputy district attorney. Some reports cast Zink as a "new-comer", but whether leading Marines are defending a case in court, those fraught moral and legal circumstances try a man and define him fit for greater works. He understands law, authority, and responsibility, three necessary values much needed in the State Senate.

From reading the same  Daily News article, I am most troubled that Ms. Pavley supports the high-speed rail boondoggle, even though she differs with Sacramento's decision to begin construction "at this time."

Her voting record over the past three months contains a startling number of "did not vote" absences. Where has she been? She also voted for some troubling or tedious bills:

Prohibits the Use of Dogs to Hunt Bears or Bobcats -- So, she's worried about the bears, but what about the bare necessities for residents in the Simi Valley who are still struggling to pay their bills, educate their kids, and keep their gas tanks filled?

Expands Cash Assistance Programs for Pregnant Teenagers -- Pregnant minors need care, but money cannot buy them the caring that they need, and the taxpayers are hurting for all the care that Sacramento wants to carry to every impoverished interest.

Increase State's Ability to Borrow -- This vote is pure lunacy. Sacramento does not need more money, as the state is still struggling with overburdened pension entitlements, high-speed rail pork projects, and a bloated bureaucracy which denies are schools adequate funding. She even voted for Parental Crime for Chronic Truancy -- as if parents who are struggling to make ends meet can ensure that their kids get to school all the time on time.

Pavley even supported Compliance with Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the unpopular federal mandate-tax which a majority of Americans still want repealed. Hospitals are closing all over the country because of ObamaCare, with premiums going up and access going down. This state and this country need free-market reforms, not more government, yet Pavley does not respect this difference.

Other unremarkable elements from Pavley's stay in the Sacramento legislature include her vote for the Criminal Justice Realignment, a sticking issue for deputy district attorney Todd Zink, who is also leading the charge to implement real education reform. His plan includes streamlining both the hiring, training, ans support of our teachers. Also, Zink wants to end the "budget chicken" which holds schools hostage. Among his many endorsements, the California Charter School Association Advocates.

After nearly twenty years in office, Pavley has become part of the problem instead of the solution, supporting frivolous legislation (when she does vote) without initiating serious long-term reform for our students, our cities, and the state.

Vote for Todd Zink for California Senate District 27.