Meeting January 25, 2017 Two Candidates for California State Treasurer

Fiona Ma, Board of Equalization and Candidate for Treasurer

FIONA MA & VIVEK VISWANATHAN
CANDIDATES FOR CALIFORNIA TREASURER
Thursday, January 25, 2018
6:00 Networking & Sharing Ideas
6:45 Dinner
7:10 Program
Crow Canyon Country Club
711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville
Please RSVP btilford@pacbell.net

Fiona Ma, endorsed by California Controller Betty Yee, will discuss the effect of cannabis on our economy and budget. What does California’s budget look like? How will cannabis be taxed? What effect will it have on state and local treasuries? This exciting new venture presents many new problems and benefits. In her talk “The Past, Today and the Future,” Fiona will discuss not only cannabis but also the economy, and taxes. Will we have enough funds to implement all our programs? Are we predicted to have excess income? How much power does the Treasurer have in the Budget?

Fiona Ma is a Certified Public Tax Accountant who serves on the Board of Equalization where she is one of only two CPAs ever to serve on the Board. What does the Board do? It collects taxes, and writes tax policy. As a member of the Board of Equalization, Fiona works to protect the rights of taxpayers while also ensuring that California collects its fair share of tax revenues.

Prior to serving on the BOS, Fiona was elected to the California State Assembly from 2006-2012. She was the first Asian American woman to become Speaker pro Tempore of the State Assembly. Fiona authored a groundbreaking law to ban toxic chemicals, known as phthalates, in baby products statewide. Hers was the first law of its kind in the nation and became a model for the federal amendment on the same subject, authored by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in 2008. As Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Domestic Violence, Fiona wrote legislation which successfully strengthened laws that protect victims of domestic violence.

Fiona previously served as a San Francisco Supervisor. She authored the landmark Local Business Enterprise ordinance on behalf of women and minority business owners and passed legislation to tackle human trafficking. She serves on the Board of CA Women Lead, and just recently she became the California State Director for the National Foundation for Women Legislators.

Vivek Viswanathan, Candidate for California Treasurer

Vivek comes to the Treasurer’s race with extensive governing and policy experience. He most recently served as Special Advisor in the Office of Governor Jerry Brown, where he managed key projects in policy areas ranging from job creation and infrastructure to health care and public safety. He also worked with the Governor to plan for and respond to attacks coming out of Washington on our immigrant communities, our right to health care, and our environment. Vivek’s talk today will be about “California in the Post-Brown Era: What the Governor has Achieved, and What Now Must be Done.”

Before joining the Governor’s office, Vivek served as policy advisor to Hillary Clinton on her presidential campaign. He took on the hardest issues, like skyrocketing college tuition and our country’s trillion-dollar student debt burden, and crafted a sweeping policy agenda that won over millions of voters across the country. He also pushed for policies to invest in scientific research, expand opportunities for people with disabilities, and promote public service and civic engagement.

Vivek graduated from Harvard College summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa; he received his Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, and Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge. Vivek is a recipient of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.

In his announcement to run for California Treasurer, Vivek Viswanathan made this core commitment: to run without any corporate money, without any political action committee money, and without any other special interest money — so that California’s next Treasurer is only in it for the people. This February, he will also begin his 500-mile run across California — through the Central Valley, from San Francisco to San Diego — to take his campaign directly to voters and bring their ideas and concerns back to state government.

Malia Cohen, candidate for Board of Equalization

We will also hear from Malia Cohen who is running for the Board of Equalization for our district. Malia won a seat on the Board of Supervisors for San Francisco from a field of more than 20 candidates! She chairs the Budget and Finance Committee. She also serves as the President of the San Francisco Employee Retirement System (SFERS), which manages a $20 billion pension fund.

Please join us at 6:00 pm to talk about the latest political news and network.

Our dinner buffets are wonderful and please remember members will always get $5 off!

Members: $27 per person
Nonmembers: $32 per person

Please RSVP to make certain you have a dinner. To reserve a dinner, please send a check for $27 or $32 payable to Brodie Hilp, 130 Bridgeside Circle, Danville, CA 94506