en Español
presents
Voter’s Edge California
Get the facts before you vote.
Brought to you by
MapLight
League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
KPBS Voters Guide@KPBSNews
June 5, 2018 — California Primary Election

California State SenateCandidate for District 32

Election Home
Next
Photo of Ali S. Taj

Ali S. Taj

Democratic
Councilman/Financial Advisor
6,349 votes (5.3%)
Use tab to activate the candidate button. Use "return" to select this candidate. You can access your list by navigating to 'My Choices'.
For more in-depth information on this candidate, follow the links for each tab in this section. For most screenreaders, you can hit Return or Enter to enter a tab and read the content within.
Candidate has provided information.
Thank candidate for sharing their information on Voter's Edge.

My Top 3 Priorities

  • Healthcare:I believe single payer is both the most humane and most cost-effective solution.
  • Infrastructure: we need to invest now in the long-term projects that will make our infrastructure sustainable for decades to come.
  • Affordable Housing: The current system isn't working for Californians. We need to increase supply, increase affordable housing quotas and make it easier to build.

Experience

Experience

Profession:Councilmember/ Financial Advisor
State Wide Board Member, League of California Cities — Appointed position (2016–current)
Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, Eco-Rapid Transit Orange Line Development Authority of Los Angeles County — Appointed position (2014–current)
Board Member, California Contract Cities Association. — Appointed position (2014–current)
Board Member, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority — Appointed position (2013–current)

Biography

I am an immigrant and a proud single father who has lived in District 32 ever I came to California in the '90s. 

I am grounded in this community- a fact reflected in my many endorsements from local Mayors and Councilmembers. I started out working as a sales rep at a local electronics store. I put myself through a financial qualification and had a successful career as a financial advisor. In 2013 I ran for office because I wanted to give back to the community that has given me so much.

When I became a Councilmember, Artesia was on the verge of bankruptcy, but we turned things around by cutting waste and improving management – not taking the easy route of cutting jobs. I will bring the same approach to Scaramento.

Questions & Answers

Questions from League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (5)

What do you think the State should do to encourage affordable housing for all Californians?
Answer from Ali S. Taj:

We need measures like SB540 (affordable housing quotas) and SB167/AB768 that strengthen the Housing Accountability Act and make it easier to increase supply.

According to a "Civility In America” survey, 75% of Americans believe that the U.S. has a major civility problem. If you are elected what will do to address this?
Answer from Ali S. Taj:

I absolutely agree that there has been a decline in civility in our public life. This is due in part to the polarisation of our politics and also the anonymity provided by the internet.

  Political leaders play an important role in setting the tone for public debate. I will work across the aisle with respect and dignity to ensure that everyone feels welcome and included. I will also push for existing legislation aimed at tackling all forms of harassment is enforced as well as for new powers to tackle cyber bullying and internet trolls.
Climate changes, and the shifting between very wet weather and drought, worry Californians. What strategies would allow your district to both satisfy its water needs and protect the environment? Please be specific.
Answer from Ali S. Taj:

As Mayor of Artesia, I was one of the first to hire an environmental consultant. I sit on the board of Eco-Rapid Transit which is taking cars off the streets and reducing emissions. My background is in finance, and I know that it is always better to plan for the long term. We need to make changes now, not ignore the problem because it will cost more in the future.

 

I support grey water recycling, investment in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure.

What programs or strategies would you suggest to meet the educational needs of young, low-income Californians?
Answer from Ali S. Taj:

I want free community college tuition. We can pay for a lot of this by cutting waste. Last year we discovered that UC could not account for $175m. This is equivalent to sending 8,000 students to community college for 2 years. Once we’ve squeezed every penny of value, we can look at increasing taxes, but there’s a huge amount to be saved by cutting duplication and waste and cracking down on corruption. 

Currently there isn't enough money in the state retirement system to pay for all the benefits promised to government workers. What would you do as Senator to address the state’s unfunded pension liability?
Answer from Ali S. Taj:

Unfunded pension liability is a serious and a complex issue, local and state wide. With my finance background I will not only work with several other professionals to make sure this issue is properly addressed but also use my experience to minimize the issue. I will do this by using straegies like a good asset allocation model, invest in better short term, mid term, and long term investment vehicles and by rebalancing portfolios with better returns.

Who gave money to this candidate?

Contributions

Total money raised: $263,039

Top contributors that gave money to support the candidate, by organization:

1
Ali S. Taj
$28,802
2
Employees of Hastest Solutions Inc.
$5,400
3
Employees of Altaf Godil
$4,400
3
Employees of Avlon Industries
$4,400
3
Employees of bhindi k international
$4,400
3
Employees of El Camino College
$4,400
3
Employees of Expert MRI
$4,400
3
Employees of Global Property Management
$4,400
3
Manhattan Data Inc.
$4,400
3
Employees of PRS
$4,400
3
Employees of Space-craft worldwide
$4,400
3
Employees of Space/craft worldwide
$4,400
3
YQ Energy
$4,400

More information about contributions

By State:

California 74.13%
New York 8.04%
Washington 5.02%
Texas 2.80%
Other 10.01%
74.13%8.04%10.01%

By Size:

Large contributions (86.07%)
Small contributions (13.93%)
86.07%13.93%

By Type:

From organizations (10.31%)
From individuals (89.69%)
10.31%89.69%
Source: MapLight analysis of data from the California Secretary of State.

Political Beliefs

Political Philosophy

I will push for long-term solutions, not quick fixes that store up problems for the future. This is especially important when it comes to dealing with climate change, improving air quality and water security.

 

I am a grassroots fighter, but I also have experience at the state-wide level, delivering results on the boards of Eco-Rapid Transit, The League of California Cities and California Contract cities. 

I am a moderate and a pragmatist. I want to see policy tht works and I my only ideology is that government should be accoutnable, fiscally responsible and a force for good in people's lives. 

Candidate Contact Info

Who else is running?

Please share this site to help others research their voting choices.

Subscribe for updates on upcoming elections

Voter’s Edge California neither supports nor opposes political parties, ballot measures, or candidates for public office.

About Us

Policies

Contact Us

Resources

Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NCThe content on this site is licensed with a Creative Commons license. Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC
PUBLISHING:PRODUCTION SERVER:PRODUCTION