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Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide
Name: Henry Stern
Current job title: State Senator
Political party affiliation: Democrat
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: None
City where you reside: Sherman Oaks
Campaign website or social media: HenryStern.org
It’s no secret that California will play an outsized role in AI development and regulation. That was a big topic for the legislature this year, but what is one way you’d like to see the legislature tackle concerns about bias or transparency in the AI space or encourage innovation and start-ups? (Please be specific in your response, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
I supported the landmark legislation we moved out of the Senate this year, and do not believe the framework that emerged will inhibit innovation. It’s important that major AI initiatives have the proper guardrails in place to ensure that the public interest is formally accounted for, and isn’t just an optional afterthought. We can’t leave those major questions to people who’s primary motive is (rightly so in a free market society) profit.
Before California voters this year is a proposition to increase the state’s minimum wage to $18 per hour, the nation’s highest, by 2026. Do you support increasing the minimum wage in this way? Why or why not? (Please keep your answer to 150 words or less.)
I haven’t reviewed Prop 32 in enough detail yet to give a detailed answer here. But I will say that wages remain stubbornly low, and that I understand the motivation to push for something higher. That said, there is a huge different in regional wage markets so I need to look more closely at whether the initiative takes these differences into account. We all know Santa Monica is a lot different than San Bernardino let alone San Fernando.
This year, California faced a large budget deficit that put a strain on lawmakers’ ability to fund certain programs and projects going forward. What is one thing you believe the state should do to avoid such large deficits in the future? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit it to 150 words or less.)
We should be cautious in drawing down on our Rainy Fund, and aggressive about replenishing it. I appreciate that this Governor took this approach even though it was unpopular to make some cuts and hone our priorities as a state.
Speaking of the budget, there are multiple proposed bond measures before voters this year. Is the state in a good place to issue bonds for state programs and infrastructure projects? Should certain programs or projects be prioritized over others? (Please be specific in your response, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
This is a smart time to borrow as a government, when private capital faces higher interest rates, and the state has a uniquely cost effective role to play in modernizing our schools, securing water supplies, reducing wildfire risk, and addressing the risks of worsening heat waves in our Valley.
Cost of living is high on the list of concerns among voters, particularly among younger people. What is one bipartisan proposal you have to alleviate concerns about high prices or the cost of living in California? (Please be specific in your response, and limit it to 200 words.)
Rein in the oil industries unchecked monopoly power to gouge drivers at the pump, by building upon the state’s Strategic Energy Reserve and its enforcement powers at the Department of Petroleum Market Oversight. Much of this is contained in SB 950, which we must pass.
The legislature this year considered recommendations from a first-in-the-nation task force that considered how California could atone for past racism and discrimination against Black people, including potential compensation. What do you believe is the role of the state in atoning for the atrocities committed against Black people? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
The state has important work ahead to fully assess the legacy of our racist past and its impact on Black people, and to explore new tools remedy redlining, displacement, miseducation and impediments to building generational wealth. Bruce’s Beach is a high profile example of property remedies that make a lot of sense. But it’s also about doing the little things, like investing in teachers at public schools, environmental restoration of polluted lands, and improving job opportunities.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently ordered state agencies to remove homeless encampments on state property and urged cities to follow through. What else do you propose the state do to help eradicate homelessness? (Please limit your response to 200 words or less.)
Address the acute mental health and addiction crises driving the most egregious and dangerous situations on our streets, that involve a smaller population with big problems. That means more street teams providing prescriptions and health care on the streets to help people make better decisions about accepting care. It also means improving our mental health courts, including CARE, to make sure we have a framework to ensure people don’t fall through the cracks.
Similarly, Gov. Gavin Newsom has urged county leaders to take advantage more of a new state law that makes it easier to place someone with severe mental health or substance abuse issues into conservatorships, an effort to keep more people out of homelessness. But local leaders in Southern California have said they need more time and resources to build, fund and staff more mental health facilities. Is there anything the legislature could — or should — do to aid communities struggling to find the resources to properly provide this type of mental health support? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit the response to 200 words or less.)
Yes. We need to ensure that counties aren’t fiscally incentivized to recycle people through the system, from jail to the streets, from forced hospitalizations, to failed stays in treatment. We need to expedite Prop 1 funding and implement my bill SB 1400 sitting on the Governor’s Desk, so that severely mentally ill people who commit crimes aren’t just having their cases dismissed without care.
What’s the No. 1 song on your playlist while you’re on the campaign trail?
Little Pink Houses, John Cougar Mellencamp
Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide
Name: Henry Stern
Current job title: State Senator
Political party affiliation: Democrat
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: None
City where you reside: Sherman Oaks
Campaign website or social media: HenryStern.org
It’s no secret that California will play an outsized role in AI development and regulation. That was a big topic for the legislature this year, but what is one way you’d like to see the legislature tackle concerns about bias or transparency in the AI space or encourage innovation and start-ups? (Please be specific in your response, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
I supported the landmark legislation we moved out of the Senate this year, and do not believe the framework that emerged will inhibit innovation. It’s important that major AI initiatives have the proper guardrails in place to ensure that the public interest is formally accounted for, and isn’t just an optional afterthought. We can’t leave those major questions to people who’s primary motive is (rightly so in a free market society) profit.
Before California voters this year is a proposition to increase the state’s minimum wage to $18 per hour, the nation’s highest, by 2026. Do you support increasing the minimum wage in this way? Why or why not? (Please keep your answer to 150 words or less.)
I haven’t reviewed Prop 32 in enough detail yet to give a detailed answer here. But I will say that wages remain stubbornly low, and that I understand the motivation to push for something higher. That said, there is a huge different in regional wage markets so I need to look more closely at whether the initiative takes these differences into account. We all know Santa Monica is a lot different than San Bernardino let alone San Fernando.
This year, California faced a large budget deficit that put a strain on lawmakers’ ability to fund certain programs and projects going forward. What is one thing you believe the state should do to avoid such large deficits in the future? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit it to 150 words or less.)
We should be cautious in drawing down on our Rainy Fund, and aggressive about replenishing it. I appreciate that this Governor took this approach even though it was unpopular to make some cuts and hone our priorities as a state.
Speaking of the budget, there are multiple proposed bond measures before voters this year. Is the state in a good place to issue bonds for state programs and infrastructure projects? Should certain programs or projects be prioritized over others? (Please be specific in your response, and keep your answer to 200 words or less.)
This is a smart time to borrow as a government, when private capital faces higher interest rates, and the state has a uniquely cost effective role to play in modernizing our schools, securing water supplies, reducing wildfire risk, and addressing the risks of worsening heat waves in our Valley.
Cost of living is high on the list of concerns among voters, particularly among younger people. What is one bipartisan proposal you have to alleviate concerns about high prices or the cost of living in California? (Please be specific in your response, and limit it to 200 words.)
Rein in the oil industries unchecked monopoly power to gouge drivers at the pump, by building upon the state’s Strategic Energy Reserve and its enforcement powers at the Department of Petroleum Market Oversight. Much of this is contained in SB 950, which we must pass.
The legislature this year considered recommendations from a first-in-the-nation task force that considered how California could atone for past racism and discrimination against Black people, including potential compensation. What do you believe is the role of the state in atoning for the atrocities committed against Black people? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
The state has important work ahead to fully assess the legacy of our racist past and its impact on Black people, and to explore new tools remedy redlining, displacement, miseducation and impediments to building generational wealth. Bruce’s Beach is a high profile example of property remedies that make a lot of sense. But it’s also about doing the little things, like investing in teachers at public schools, environmental restoration of polluted lands, and improving job opportunities.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently ordered state agencies to remove homeless encampments on state property and urged cities to follow through. What else do you propose the state do to help eradicate homelessness? (Please limit your response to 200 words or less.)
Address the acute mental health and addiction crises driving the most egregious and dangerous situations on our streets, that involve a smaller population with big problems. That means more street teams providing prescriptions and health care on the streets to help people make better decisions about accepting care. It also means improving our mental health courts, including CARE, to make sure we have a framework to ensure people don’t fall through the cracks.
Similarly, Gov. Gavin Newsom has urged county leaders to take advantage more of a new state law that makes it easier to place someone with severe mental health or substance abuse issues into conservatorships, an effort to keep more people out of homelessness. But local leaders in Southern California have said they need more time and resources to build, fund and staff more mental health facilities. Is there anything the legislature could — or should — do to aid communities struggling to find the resources to properly provide this type of mental health support? (Please be specific in your answer, and limit the response to 200 words or less.)
Yes. We need to ensure that counties aren’t fiscally incentivized to recycle people through the system, from jail to the streets, from forced hospitalizations, to failed stays in treatment. We need to expedite Prop 1 funding and implement my bill SB 1400 sitting on the Governor’s Desk, so that severely mentally ill people who commit crimes aren’t just having their cases dismissed without care.
What’s the No. 1 song on your playlist while you’re on the campaign trail?
Little Pink Houses, John Cougar Mellencamp
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
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