By Bruce Barton

Survey says focus on education

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon steered clear of income tax questions that had hounded him the past week, instead reveling in a pep rally put on for him April 24 by members of the South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition (SPARC).

More than 230 guests cheered for the Southern California lawyer as he made his way to the podium at Rickeys in Palo Alto. Among them were dozens of Los Altos residents, including city leaders such as Los Altos councilmen John Moss and Lou Becker.

Los Altos Hills councilman Bob Fenwick introduced Simon as a house guest he had looked upon skeptically until Simon earned his respect when he answered Fenwick’s tough questions with candor and a lack of defensiveness. Simon pulled a surprise upset in the March primary by snagging the Republican nomination for governor.

Los Altos resident Rick Glaze, guitar in hand, set the stage for an evening of skewering Gov. Gray Davis with an “El Paso”-derived song about Davis’ decisions during last year’s power crisis that left Californians with a pile of debt.

Simon painted himself as the candidate who is everything he said Davis isn’t: accountable, effective and open. He also portrayed himself as the underdog who is proving all doubters wrong. Simon said he currently enjoys an eight-point lead over Davis per the latest polls.

“I have late-breaking news for you - we’re out of cash,” Simon said. “I’m talking about the state of California.”

He talked of the state holding the promise of prosperity as the world’s fifth largest economy. “That’s not going to happen with leaders like Davis,” he said.

While promising not to raise taxes, Simon said getting the state “out of the power business” and having private enterprise build power plants would be among his goals as governor. “If we can empower you, we’ll get to the right place,” he said.

Simon also spoke of fixing the state’s education system by implementing more local controls, making school districts more accountable and eliminating social promotion. Simon also was big on repairing aging school facilities statewide.

He talked of some $175 billion needed to address water shortages and fix state highways. Simon said he also wants to reduce the “regulatory burden” that hurts small businesses and keeps housing prices high.

Simon did not comment on his pro-life stance, a subject of debate among many pro-choice people in his own party, until taking a question about women’s issues. While reiterating that he did not favor abortion, he said he would do nothing as governor to interfere with a woman’s right to choose.

After the resulting applause, Simon responded, “I don’t deserve the applause because there’s nothing I can do about it.”

The subject of his refusal to release his income tax statements never came up. The refusal has prompted the Davis camp to infer Simon has not paid some of his taxes. However, the Los Angeles Times reported last week Simon had filed his income taxes every year since arriving in California from New Jersey in 1990. Simon, who was initially vague on questions about whether he filed his 2001 taxes, eventually admitted he filed for an extension because his tax issues were complex.

After his speech, Simon was immediately surrounded by a horde of well-wishers and picture-takers, as members of SPARC led the room in the organization’s own theme song.

SPARC is a 2-year-old grassroots organization of mainstream Republicans based in the south Peninsula. For more information about the group, call 917-9125 or logon to www.sparcgop.org.