Neel Kashkari on Budget & Economy

Ran program to bail out the nation's largest banks

Kashkari previously worked for Goldman Sachs and ran a controversial Treasury Department program that bailed out the nation's largest banks. He called that experience an example of the bipartisan compromises he hopes to strike in California.

Last year, Kashkari quit his job as an investment banking executive and began traveling across the state and mulling his run for governor, meeting with potential donors, community organizations and regular Californians. He said he formed his campaign platform--creating jobs and fixing schools--by spending time in a homeless shelter, meeting with Central Valley farm workers and listening to average Californians discuss their unmet needs. "People don't want welfare; they want jobs," said Kashkari, who did not elaborate on his policy positions.