Senate race pits Pavley against Levine

Fran Pavley The race to replace state Sen. Sheila James Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) in the heavily Democratic 23rd District is likely to be decided in the June 3 primary, most political experts believe.

Fran Pavley served three terms in the Assembly, 200006, representing the 41st District. Her opponent, incumbent Assemblymember Lloyd E. Levine (D-Van Nuys), represents the 40th Assembly District.

Agoura Hills' first mayor in 1982, Pavley said her campaign is based on "the three "E's"- the economy, environment and education. Levine's campaign is focused on education, the environment and transportation.

The Democrat who wins in June will face either Leonard Lanzi or Rick Montaine from the Republican side in the November general election.

Kuehl, a longtime Pavley supporter, is being termed out of the Senate, and Levine is being termed out of the Assembly. The 23rd state Senate District includes Hidden Hills, Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village.

Views on education

Lloyd Levine Education funding is one of the biggest issues facing Californians, Pavley said. Without an educated workforce, she said, the costs of law enforcement and health care will rise, and a ripple effect will impact the state's financial health in all sectors.

Pavley, a 59-year-old former teacher, served on the Assembly education committee for six years. She says she fought to increase school funding, reduce class sizes and attract and retain high quality teachers and expand access to college. A Pavley law, AB1548 requires the state to establish environmental education standards in public schools for kindergarten through 12th grades.

If elected to the Senate, Pavley pledged to continue her work in education, starting with preschool. She foresees "more emphasis on smaller schools, especially on those that are struggling."

"The budget expresses our collective values as a state," Levine said. "The governor favors cutting education, and instead of closing tax loopholes and looking at other revenue, he's proposing to cut education by $5 billion. He's also proposing to close state parks and let prisoners out early."

The environment

Pavley gained international recognition for her landmark auto emissions bill Global Warming Solutions Act, AB32, legislation that made California the first state to mandate a reduction in greenhouse gases.

Another major environmental bill passed by the Legislature during Pavley's years in Sacramento requires the Air Resources Board to adopt regulations that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks 30 percent by 2016.

Locally, Pavley has been active in the expansion of parklands in the Santa Monica Mountains. She was instrumental in preserving Ahmanson and King Gillette ranches and other properties as open space.

Her Watershed and Clean Beaches law was sponsored by the Nature Conservancy.

Levine's successes

The 38-year-old Levine wrote and passed a tough plastic bag reduction bill, California's first plastic bag recycling program. He's taking the battle a step further with AB2058, which would require retailers to reduce the number of plastic bags provided to customers by 2011.

Levine also wrote legislation that will require Caltrans to use recycled car tires in asphalt repaving. "It's cheaper and takes tires out of landfills," he said.

And his AB772, if passed, will stop the sale of incandescent light bulbs in the state by 2012.

The economy

Pavley believes her environmental work has the potential to stimulate the economy and position California as home to "clean technology, alternative fuels and renewable energy.

"It's a wonderful economic opportunity for California," she said. "One goal is increase and create 'green collar' jobs."

Levine said that most economic problems are tied to the federal level. He, too, would like to see new technology create a "green valley" in the same way Silicon Valley became a successful model when computer technology took off.