“The drive and determination I used to win a world boxing championship is exactly the same drive and determination I will use to represent the people of California. Simply put, I’ll fight for you in Sacramento.”

—Paul Nave
World Champion, Businessman,
Civic Activist, Parent, Democrat

I, Paul Nave, businessman, former World Boxing Champion, parent and past Sixth District State Assembly candidate, am declaring my candidacy as a moderate Democrat, in the recall election for Governor of California.

It is my opinion that Governor Gray Davis is responsible for the budget deficit that beleaguers California. Like a CEO of a business, or a coach of a sports team, a governor is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the government, business or team and is accountable for it’s leadership. I believe Governor Davis mismanaged the state. He turned a ten billion dollar budget surplus into a thirty-six billion dollar deficit. He is in the envious position of being a Democratic leader, with a large majority of Democrats in the Assembly and Senate, yet has still failed us. The state's spending is out of control and there's no fiscal responsibility.

During the energy crisis he failed to recognize the severity of the problem and dragged his feet in dealing with the issue, resulting in overpriced energy contracts costing the taxpayers billions of dollars. California State Workers' Compensation insurance rose 50% in the last year. The cost has been detrimental to business, especially small business trying to survive during the current recession. It has contributed to the escalating cost of doing business in the state resulting in the exodus of many big businesses out of the state and the demise of various small businesses. California must lower the exorbitant cost of doing business. We must become business friendly to stop the loss of jobs and much needed tax revenue for the state and local governments. I believe Governor Davis spent too much time raising money for his re-election campaign and turned a blind eye to mounting problems in the state as the budget deficit soared.

Though I hold him responsible for the budget woes, it is not solely his fault. It’s the political system that’s partly to blame: money is everything in politics and without money you don’t win. The media follows the money. With money you become a player in the media’s eyes.

The unspoken word in politics is the legalized fixing by special interest groups.

They don’t give politicians money for nothing. In regard to legislative candidates, prior to giving any money, many special interest groups consult with the candidate first through lengthy questionnaires, by answering, results in what your stance is on questions that pander to their agenda. Only after you have answered all the questions to their satisfaction will you even be considered to receive their money. Many groups will then want to talk to you personally to make sure you are completely supportive of their agenda, and will do everything in your power to pass any and all legislation that will benefit their group. Upon affirming your support for the particular group, substantial campaign contributions are then normally realized. As a candidate, if you receive special interest money, especially from a deep pocket group, you must know that once you’re in office, if you don’t do everything in your power to pass or block legislation that favors the special interest group, they will use all their power and resources to get you out of office when you come up for reelection.

State politicians become reliant on continued campaign contributions from special interest groups, thus they continue to try to satisfy and push the agenda of these groups, by way of legislation, often costing the state millions of dollars. Legislators need to vote their conscience, not bend to the will of special interest groups.

Furthermore, the State Assembly seats are only a two-year term, and many freshman assembly members are preoccupied with raising campaign money as soon as they get to office. Due to the stranglehold that special interest groups have on politicians, the two-year term limit in the assembly and many other issues make political reform in the state of California a necessity.

I’m realistic. So I know I’m a long shot for the governorship. But I’ve been a long shot before – and won. And my commitment to the people of this state is that I will give it my all. And if I don’t win, I’ll be back, too.

If I was the Governor of California I would not be beholden to any special interest groups and my main focus would be to pay down the budget deficit and balance the budget as expeditiously as possible. The sooner the budget deficit begins to get paid down; the sooner the state’s credit rating can be raised, resulting in the savings of millions of dollars in credit interest.

As Governor, I’m sure there’s a gaggle of advisors for briefings. I'm a quick study and would ask the right questions to get the answers I need to make informative decisions to manage the Golden State. I'm very close to the middle of the political spectrum and will bridge the gap and find common ground with all political parties.

As part of my plan to erase the budget deficit, I would use the power of executive order to cut as much government bureaucracy as feasibly possible. I would review all state agencies and departments and eliminate overspending. The state must prioritize it's spending and work within its current budget parameters. In years past, the State Senate and Assembly never worked year-round as they do now. Due to the current mammoth multi-billion dollar budget deficit, which is larger than some states’ entire budgets, I would like to harken back to those years. I believe the State Senate and Assembly should be cut back to working a total of eight months out of a twelve-month cycle. The legislature should convene the months of January–February, May–July, September– November, adjourning for the months of March–April, August and December. Their salaries, benefits, expenses and affiliated offices would be adjusted accordingly. This would save the state millions, if not billions, of dollars.

Other than the budget deficit, I would make education my main priority. Our state has failed miserably in dealing with education compared to many other states. Next in line after education would be campaign finance reform, transportation, prison reform and improving life for our seniors.

The recall election will give the people of California the opportunity to break the cycle of business as usual, which has failed our state, causing a historic deficit. The people of California can rewrite the future by voting Gray Davis out of office with 3 1/2 years left in his term.

In conclusion, I believe the new Governor should be a businessman, not an elected official tainted by the political process. It should be someone who is known to turn things around, someone who has faced adversity and prospered and who is not afraid to make drastic changes and unpopular decisions to make the necessary cuts. For it is that kind of person who will save this state from the burdensome deficit.

—Paul Nave