The lieutenant governor referred frequently to controversial former Gov. Jerry Brown, whom he served as chief of staff in the 1970s. He also repeatedly reminded viewers that he is a Vietnam veteran. At one point, Davis was asked how he could support measures opposed by unions, such as merit pay for teachers, when some of his biggest campaign contributors are labor unions. Lungren, whose public comments about Proposition 227 have been increasingly negative, unequivocally declared his opposition to the bilingual education initiative because it does not allow local school boards to fashion their own alternatives. Lungren referred frequently to his California roots, at one point gesturing toward one of his childhood teachers who sat in the audience when discussing the need for quality public education.
Money is important.
Asked if they would fire educators whose schools consistently perform poorly, all four candidates said they would. They also embraced higher pay for teachers who perform well. Only Lungren said he would support publicly funded vouchers, however. And Lundgren, more than the others, emphasized the need for parents to have more control over local school board decisions.