5 Questions: Jack Guerrero, Republican Candidate for the 63rd Assembly District

Jack Guerrero, an accountant and corporate executive, is the only republican candidate for the 63rd assembly district, which includes South Gate and Lynwood. The candidate answered five questions, which included his ideas for sovling the problem of financing education and his views on immigration. 

Patch Latino: How do you plan to address the state’s crisis regarding education funding?

Guerrero: I understand first-hand the powerful impact that an education can have on individuals and their families.  I am the son of hard working Mexican immigrants who instilled in me respect for education early in my life.  By the age of 15, I enrolled at Cal State Los Angeles for university coursework to supplement my high school education.  After high school, I attended Stanford University on academic scholarship, and later, Harvard University for graduate school.  Today, I support non-profit organizations focused on education, and serve on the Southern California Advisory Board of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

Given my background, I support a properly funded and high-quality education for all Californians.  However, I also believe that funds need to be managed responsibly, and that the focus of the education system needs to be on core academic disciplines, and not wasteful social experiments or useless curricula.  In our local school district we spend approximately $30,000 per pupil and produce a 50% drop-out rate. 

This is simply unacceptable and funding levels are no longer a reasonable excuse for failure.  We have some of the largest and most expensive non-teaching bureaucracies in the country and the most expensive school construction costs in the history of the United States. 

At the state university level, wasteful spending is even more pronounced with operating costs increasing faster than inflation and comparable costs at private institutions.  Yes, schools must be properly funded, but they must also be held accountable for their spending priorities and cost management practices.

In addition, we must raise academic standards, demand accountability from teachers and students alike, and empower parents to choose schools for their children. 

I support school vouchers, public access to standardized test results, charter schools, and parent trigger laws to remove status quo administrators if necessary.  I also support a teacher evaluation process that values results over seniority, and a performance-based system that rewards exceptional teaching.

Patch Latino: How will your professional experience help you promote job growth in the private sector in the 63rd district?

Guerrero: I have worked in the private sector my entire life, as a certified public accountant, investment banker, economist, and corporate executive.  Over the course of my professional work, I have worked closely with global financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies to solve business problems, analyze drivers of cost and profitability, and help execute business strategy.  I have observed first-hand the onerous burden of Sarbanes-Oxley implementation, heavy regulation, and excessive taxation on businesses.  I believe a private sector business and corporate background can bring important fiscal discipline to the state legislature, and a sensitivity to the needs of companies and their employees.

At 12% unemployment and 1.2 million California jobs lost in three years, we need a better business climate to promote investment in the private sector.  Fundamentally, this means lower taxes, less regulation, a reduction in wasteful government spending, and control of our government debt once and for all.  I will leverage my business experience to promote sensible public policy, fiscal discipline, and meaningful job growth in the private sector.

Patch Latino: Given your experience working and living abroad, what motivates you to move back to Southern California and work for the 63rd district?

Guerrero: I am a fully home-grown candidate with important family and community ties to the district, including over 20 years of combined residential experience.  I was raised in the district, and my parents and grandparents still call the district home. I attended local schools, including Elizabeth Street School in the City of Cudahy, Nimitz Junior High School in neighboring Huntington Park, and Bell High School, before moving away for college.

Like many university graduates, I also studied or worked professionally in a variety of cities domestically and abroad, including New York, San Francisco, Boston, London, and Zurich.  These were invaluable life experiences for me, and in many ways, these cultural exchanges (particularly overseas) have made me a better professional, and a more well-rounded individual.  I encourage all young people to study or work abroad at least once in their lives.

Since 2010, I have decided to permanently relocate to the Los Angeles area to be closer to my family.  I thought of my home district as the place to live, where I can re-engage in community activities, and transfer my private sector skill-set into public service.  Too often, the most successful people from the district move to nicer neighborhoods and never look back.  I could afford to do the same, but I have decided to live in the neighborhood by choice.  I think there is an important role for successful people who were raised in the district to come back home and serve, and with the right personal story, inspire young people along the way.

Patch Latino: Do you feel your affiliation with the Republican Party will affect the election?  Why or why not?

Guerrero: For the record, I evaluate issues without regard to party preference, and would represent the best interests of my constituents, with or without the approval of any political party or special interest group.  I also believe that voters are fully capable of evaluating candidates on other factors beyond party designation – such as character, integrity, and public policy positions on key issues.

I also make no secret about my Republican Party affiliation.  Since becoming political conscious as a young boy, I have always been drawn to the party of Abraham Lincoln, Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan.  I continue to be inspired by the message of liberty, free markets, personal responsibility, limited government, and the idea that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can be successful in this country – the greatest and most generous the world has ever known. 

Patch Latino: What immigration policies will you push for if elected?

Guerrero: At the federal level, I support comprehensive immigration reform which includes securing the border as priority, stopping illegal immigration on legal and humanitarian grounds, and deporting violent criminals and gang-members as quickly as possible.  I also support reform of the legal immigration process to make it faster, orderly, and more responsive to the human capital needs of our economy. 

As for otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants who satisfy certain requirements, such as long-established ties to this country, I support a narrowly-defined path to earned legalization, but not amnesty.  The process should consist of a thorough background check, fines, evidence of financial responsibility, recommendation letters from sponsoring U.S. citizens, and conditional requirements such as military service or university education.

I am especially sympathetic to the plight of young people who were brought to this country at a young age, through no fault of their own, but who identify with our country culturally, linguistically, and academically.  I would hope that any legislative effort at earned legalization prioritizes this group of individuals.  I also support federal and state policies which serve broader public safety, national security, and public health concerns.