John Chiang Is Right Choice for State Controller

Born in New York City during the 1960s as the eldest son of Taiwanese immigrants, Chiang studied finance at the University of South Florida and earned a law degree from Georgetown University. His career has focused on ensuring that government is accessible and improves the lives of all citizens. On the Board of Equalization, John Chiang has fought against unfair corporate tax loopholes, advocated more equitable policies to help working families, pursued more equitable tax law for Domestic Partners and offered seniors and nonprofits free tax assistance.

John Chiang’s opponent, Republican Tony Strickland, is a former State Assemblyman and the current President of the California chapter of the Club for Growth, a group that is dedicated to, among other goals, making the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, repealing the estate tax, drastically cutting and limiting government spending, privatizing social security and overhauling the current tax code. Aside from his ideological baggage, Strickland brings with him only a bare minimum of experience in relevant tax and finance issues, while John Chiang has years of experience in virtually every facet of the job, from California's economics and finance to its tax laws. Currently representing 8.5 million Los Angeles County residents on the Board of Equalization, Chiang sponsored more legislative proposals signed into law during his tenure than any other Board Member. As Chairman of the Board of Equalization, Chiang has been successful in achieving his priorities of better educating the public on the tax code, and streamlining the tax filing process for all.

While this race might not be targeted by organizations capable of throwing millions into a race at a moment’s notice (unless, of course, Strickland’s Club for Growth gets involved), the State Controller is crucial for ensuring sound, sustainable and people-friendly fiscal and public policy in the State of California. In addition to administering $300 billion in pension funds and serving on more than 60 boards and commissions, including those that protect the coastline and build hospitals, the State Controller provides the state with independent fiscal oversight, providing control over $100 billion of public funds a year, and offers fiscal guidance to local governments. The Controller is also Chair of the Franchise Tax Board, which sets personal and corporate income tax policy. Given the importance of the position and the myriad of ways that it can impact California’s economy, the 6th largest in the world, it only makes sense to turn the position over to someone that not only understands but appreciates how much people’s lives can be impacted by job performance in the Controller’s position.

California is at a crossroads, what it needs right now is a fixer, someone who can navigate the nuances and bureaucracy of government finance and make it simpler so that citizens and businesses alike can make the process work for themselves. John Chiang’s candidacy offers that, whereas Tony Strickland’s answer to similar problems throughout his career has been to ‘kill government.’ When a patient is sick, you call a doctor, not a hitman. Why, then, should California’s finances be treated any different? Once the smoke clears and voters are able to sort through the rhetoric, it will become clear that only John Chiang has the experience to right the ship. On November 8th, please remember John Chiang, because California’s finances and, more importantly your own, are too important not to.

John Sheehan is the National Director of Research for Campaign for a National Majority, and a member of the Board of Directors. For more on John Chiang or Campaign for a National Majority, visit www.nationalmajority.org.