John Chiang in 2018 CA Governor's race
On Technology:
More private money for high-speed rail project
[Six gubernatorial candidates from two parties participated in one debate]: There was a partisan split on Gov. Brown's high-speed rail project, with all four Democrats in favor and both Republicans opposed. State Treasurer John Chiang argued that
more private money is needed for the system, a stance echoed by the other three Democrats. Both Allen and Cox, however, promised to ax construction as soon as they were elected, calling the plan corrupt and a boondoggle.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2018 California governor race
May 8, 2018
On Drugs:
Set up state bank for pot industry
California expects to bring in $1 billion in annual tax revenues from the cannabis industry starting next year, when retailers can begin adult-use sales. The problem is how to handle all that cash. California Treasurer John Chiang announced
a series of proposed strategies to help the newly legitimized recreational and medical cannabis industry--still largely barred from using banks because of federal laws making cannabis illegal--manage large amounts of money and pay taxes.
Source: The Press Democrat on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Nov 7, 2017
On Civil Rights:
Outspoken in support of gay rights
There are many LGBT issues that I've worked on such as youth homelessness and fair and equitable tax benefits for same sex couples. However, at the end of the day,
#NationalComingOutDay is about one thing that will always prevail: love and kindness. We need more of it, now more than ever. Take pride in who you are and know that I'm proud of you for being YOU.
Source: Facebook posting on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Oct 11, 2017
On Civil Rights:
Supports affirmative action
Chiang, whose parents immigrated from Taiwan, said it's important to come to affirmative action "with a mindset that is about expanding opportunities for everyone and not about promoting divisiveness among different communities...
I support affirmative action to increase opportunities for qualified candidates and to reverse the negative effects caused by years of discrimination to ensure minorities are represented at schools and in the workforce."
Source: The Sacramento Bee on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Jul 27, 2017
On Health Care:
Fix Obamacare instead of repeal
Chiang said the ACA isn't perfect, but has contributed to a job boom and 4 million Californians gained health care coverage under Obamacare. "97 percent of kids in California have coverage now," he said.
Chiang suggested fixing the ACA's weaknesses rather than "having a dramatic pullback," he said. "Everyday Californians, they're very, very scared."
Source: Orange County Register on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Jun 23, 2017
On Crime:
Education & anti-poverty to fight crime
Chiang said his family was "struck deeply by crime" after his sister was abducted and killed in 1999. "My family, we're Catholic. We believe in redemption. We believe in hope," Chiang said. "We also believe in being serious on crime.
You want people in the right place, but we're trying to build a better society." He said the state should focus on educating children and addressing poverty to prevent crime.
Source: US News & World Report on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Apr 4, 2017
On Immigration:
Muslim immigration ban forsakes American values
John Chiang and more than two dozen Asian American and Pacific Islanders expressed their outrage to President Donald Trump, accusing the Republican of issuing a refugee and travel ban they say forsakes American core valuesChiang, a Democratic
candidate for governor in 2018, said Trump's executive order banning travel for citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries is unconstitutional and "drips with cruel irony."
"As Americans, we have been taught to take pride in our diversity and
our constitutional right to religious freedom. As Asian Pacific Islander Americans, we will not stand idly by as you attempt to pervert this nation's melting pot into a boiling cauldron of intolerance, hate, and division,"
Chiang and the others wrote in the pointed and personal letter. "We also know what it is like to be labeled 'other,' to become victims of state-sponsored racism, bigotry, and xenophobia."
Source: Sacramento Bee on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Feb 1, 2017
On Immigration:
Chinese Exclusion Act wrong then; Muslim exclusion wrong now
Last weekend, Chiang, the son of immigrants from Taiwan, was among the politicians to join the throngs of Californians clustered at airports around the state to voice their disapproval with Trump's executive order banning travel for citizens from seven
Muslim-majority countries, which has been temporarily halted by judges.Chiang called for cancellation of the order, recalling historical black marks touching California like the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese internment. "We wrongly believed
these shameful ill-begotten episodes had been consigned to the junk pile of American history--and that the sins of our past, seared into our social memory, would forever inform and guide our better future," they wrote. "Yet, here we are.
It is happening again--in 2017--leaving us shocked, angry, and forced to wear the shroud of indignity you have tossed so casually over the nation. Our Muslim brethren are being mistreated because of their faith, dress, and customs. This is un-American."
Source: Sacramento Bee on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Feb 1, 2017
Page last updated: Oct 31, 2021