Californians are overtaxed, yet we can see in too many areas, such as fighting homelessness, that we still don’t get value for the tax dollars we are already spending. That’s why I believe that new taxes and fees should not be our first and last proposal to solve every problem.

Since elected to the San Jose City Council, I have been known as San Jose’s fiscal watchdog. Why? Because I believe it’s not smart governance to throw money at a problem without thorough planning and accountability measures in place.

As your State Senator, I will be willing to ask tough questions and to ask whether policy improvements can or should be implemented before proposing new taxes.