Republican Damon Dunn will face incumbent Debra Bowen in the Secretary of State race this year. The Texas native grew up in deep poverty, but eventually became a football star at Stanford and spent some time in the NFL. He has worked in real estate in Irvine over the past several years. Dunn is now campaigning across the state, advocating for increased voter participation and business regulation restructuring. SDNR talked to Dunn about his campaign, his plan to create jobs and his plan to get more people to vote. We also probed his football knowledge for his take on the college football system.

SDNR: What inspired you to run for this office?

Dunn: I came to Stanford as a poor kid with a good work ethic. This state made me and its payback time. I want to make sure more people are involved in the voting process. Clearly we have had an apathetic attitude in our voting base. In a special election between Chris Norby and Linda Ackerman in Orange County, only eight percent of the people showed up. There is a lack of connection between the constituents and Sacramento. I want to make sure people understand the policies that are being legislated and how they affect everyday lives. Because I know what’s it like to feel like your vote doesn’t count.

Secretary of State is the only elected official in the state of California that gets a notice when a company shuts down or leaves the state. When the businesses pull their business filing, the Secretary of State should be doing exit interviews. We don’t know why 47,000 businesses left between December 2008 and December 2009. Maybe some shut down because of the economy, but there are a percentage of people who have left the state because of regulatory policy or tax policy. We should be asking businesses what policies made them leave and take that information to the legislature and show how their policies affect jobs.

SDNR: How does California create jobs with some of the most expensive and cumbersome business regulations in the country?

Dunn: We have to change our tax policy and we have to change our regulatory policy. If we don’t make the changes nothing is going to happen, we’re going to keep losing jobs. The Delta Smelt is creating 20 to 25 percent  unemployment in the Central Valley because we don’t have access to the water it lives in, it’s regulations like that we need to change. The Democrats have not shown that they want to change tax or regulatory policies, so we have to turn to direct democracy.

We need a tax policy where everyone pays taxes. There are a significant number of people in this state that don’t pay taxes. We also need a broader tax policy; one percent of the population pays 40 percent of all the state income tax. That’s a significant problem, because when things are bad and that one percent spikes down, we have low revenues. We need a lower corporate tax so that we can encourage companies to expand, start and move here. I believe I have the leadership skills to galvanize and to mobilize people to pass the reforms needed to turn this state around.

SDNR: What changes would you make to the election system?

Dunn: I think we primarily need photo ID at the ballot. That improves the security of our democracy. In Mexico they require you to have photo ID to vote. In 2008, ACORN submitted 1.5 million voter registration affidavits nationwide and 700,000 of them were rejected. That means there are people who will cheat if we allow them to. I want to make the process impossible to cheat and easy to vote. I don’t think improving the verification of signatures or requiring photo ID disenfranchises people like many argue. I don’t feel like I’m disenfranchised when I have to show ID at the bank or a hotel. It’s a completely partisan argument by those who want to keep the system the way it is.

SDNR: Would redistricting reform improve the legislature?

Dunn: Absolutely, because the districts are drawn so partisanly. If we redistrict, we will have more competitive districts and we are going to find ourselves having a better dialogue in the state legislature. There won’t be as much gridlock.

SDNR: Are you seeing a trend in California where independents are coming to the Republican side, similar to what happened in Mass.?

Dunn: The President’s approval rating is working in favor of Republicans right now and people are tired of the Democratic leadership that’s not reducing unemployment. All those trends that got Brown in office are still here. I think it’s an anti-incumbency year more than it’s an anti-Democrat year. If you have an “I” behind your name, that’s more critical than having an “R” or a “D.”

SDNR: Why can’t we have a college football playoff?

Dunn: Everyone who loves sports wants a winner; we want a champion with little to no controversy. In doing that though, you extend these kids games into the next set of school work.  Do we want to see a champion so bad that we are willing to put these kids through more risks and jeopardy in order to have an undisputed winner? I think the NCAA has decided it’s not the best decision to extend the season. Winning is not the most important thing in college, getting your diploma is. We shouldn’t put winning ahead of their diploma, while exposing these kids to more risks in the form of injuries.

                                        

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