Marc Berman's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- State Assembly (CA) - District 23, Democratic
On The Ballot: Running, Democratic for State Assembly (CA) - District 23
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
California State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing California's budget.
| No | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| No | c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | ||
| Yes | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Option D is vague. I would support tax increases on certain tax brackets. There are other tax brackets I would not support an increase on. That said, California has been very fiscally prudent over the last few years and has the largest budget reserve in our history. I don't think any of these proposals are necessary right now. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| No | e) Do you support repealing California's nonpartisan blanket primary election system? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| No | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Question C is too vague to answer. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of California? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support expanding state public housing programs? | ||
| Question B is too vague to answer. | |||
| a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in California? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from California high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Question A is too vague to answer. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| d) Do you support permanent statewide water usage restrictions? | |||
| Question D is too vague to answer. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | |||
| I don't know on Question D. It's an interesting idea that I haven't been able to research yet. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through California's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | |||
| I don't know re Question E. I wasn't in the legislature during the vaccination debates, and haven't had a chance to research the issue enough to come to a conclusion. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in California's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by California state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support California's "Sanctuary State" immigration policies? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Housing Affordability. We must increase the supply of housing of all income levels across the state. The high cost of living in California - and especially in the Bay Area - is the foundation of many of our societal problems. Transportation - we also must decrease traffic congestion, improve the quality of our roads and highways, and increase the public transit options in California and in the Bay Area especially. As Chair of the Assembly Elections & Redistricting Committee, ensuring the security of our voting systems and access to the polls are also a top priority of mine. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.