San Bernardino County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector Larry Walker said he is running for state senator in the 32nd District because “We are at a crossroads in our state’s history, and I feel that many important things are on the line in the next two years. I believe that now more than ever we need somebody who brings an outsider’s perspective to Sacramento, but who has the years of experience necessary to be prepared to pursue these issues, and I believe that I have those qualities.”
Walker added, “As the San Bernardino County auditor-controller, recorder, commissioner of marriages, treasurer, and tax collector, and as a former county supervisor, a mayor, a realtor, an attorney, accountant, and officer in the US Naval Reserve, I have had varied and complementary experiences in the public and private sector throughout my career that allow me to view any government program from several different angles. My background will be valuable when asking the questions ‘is it efficient?’ and ‘how can we cut waste?’ Some legislators may have the background to look at an issue with a single type of expertise, but not many legislators have the background to approach an issue this comprehensively.’
The major challenges facing the state, Walker said, are “budget reform, unemployment and the need for improved economic growth, and improvements in education and transportation, and maintenance of public safety.  Finding ways to overhaul the state budget is a critical challenge.”
In the 32nd District, Walker said, “The state’s fiscal mess has a huge impact on our community, including the reductions in school funding it has caused.  Public safety and improving transportation are key challenges as well.  We need to find ways to encourage economic growth and jobs in our region.”
In meeting these challenges, Walker said, “Fiscal discipline is an important tool that I hope to bring to Sacramento.  I want to make sure that Proposition 30 money is being spent on things that matter – ending our structural deficit, returning money to education and public safety – and that it is not just being spent to kick the can down the road.” Proposition 30 was a statewide tax measure approved by the voters in 2012.
“Over the next two years, I want to bring the perspective of an accountant and a county auditor-controller to the state budget,” Walker said. “Sacramento needs a sober outside voice, a pragmatic accountant.  I will seek to implement policies that encourage economic growth, balanced with maintaining our environmental values. Transportation improvements are important in our area.  I will be a tireless advocate for return of Ontario Airport to local control, and for the extension of the Alameda Corridor East to include rail lines in this district.”
Walker said that he is a superior choice to the others vying for state senator. “Often there is a trade-off in electing a state legislator – either you get a tired old incumbent who is a part of the problem, or you get an outsider who has new ideas, but not very much experience,” he said. “Because of the range of my experience as a fiscal watchdog in local government, I can be an exception to that rule: a candidate free of the tired old partisan Sacramento groupthink, but who is ready to step into the job on day one.”