Who is Brandon Ross, Democratic doctor running in the California governor recall election

Name: Brandon Ross

Political party: Democrat

Residence: Eastlake

Occupation: Physician/attorney

Education: MD, JD, MBA, MPH, BS in genetics

Experience: I am a medical doctor and an attorney. I have a masters in business administration and masters in public health. I am the only physician amongst the candidates in this election. My knowledge of medicine, the law and my business background make me the most qualified candidate to make decisions regarding the COVID pandemic to help usher California through this current crisis and beyond.

Website: www.ross4gov.com

What precautions, if any, should California continue to take to cope with COVID-19 and its variants?

Everyone should be encouraged to get the vaccine so we can get past this pandemic. The state should increase spending on education and outreach programs to get as many individuals as possible to get vaccinated. At this point, the vaccine is available to anyone over 12 years old. Mask mandates and lockdowns should be reserved for special cases in which hospitals become overwhelmed or variants start breaking through and causing death in the vaccinated or adolescent populations.

California provided cash support to individuals and small businesses during the pandemic. To what extent should that assistance continue?

Public assistance should continue throughout the duration of the pandemic. People should not be punished for staying home because they fear for the safety of themselves or their families. California is flush with over $70 billion this year and can afford to help the less fortunate as we wait for this pandemic to pass. This will not be forever. Throughout history, pandemics always dissipate.

What more would you do to address California’s housing crisis?

There are simply not enough homes in California to meet demand. This has caused home prices to soar and price out many who could otherwise afford to own a home. The red tape needs to be slashed to enable development of new homes to proceed faster. In addition, California needs to drastically increase public housing. In doing so, it will increase the number of homes available and decrease the homeless population by moving them into safe, modest homes owned by the government so they can get back on their feet and turn their lives around. Public housing can be developed on state-owned land or with inexpensive private purchases. It can be developed by private contractors through a competitive bidding process, further pumping up the economy.

What should California do to build up its middle class?

California’s taxes are ridiculous. We have a huge surplus due to state income taxes, which are the highest in the country. The state coffers also benefit greatly from the record housing prices. Housing prices have doubled and caused county-level property tax revenues to be a bonanza for local municipalities. This, in turn, lessens the burden at the state level to direct revenue downstream. Since this should continue for the foreseeable future, I propose elimination of state tax on anyone making less than $150,000 per year. This will help both the lower and middle classes get a leg up. In addition, gasoline taxes should be cut significantly, which would help all Californians across the board.

Would you propose any new policies to address climate change?

California is already one of the best states in the country at tackling climate change. We should continue and even enhance the rebate system directed at encouraging homeowners to install solar systems. We should also continue building additional public transit systems and protect our water sources.

What should California do in the long term to address wildfire and drought conditions?

California is in the midst of a drought, causing an increased number of wildfires. We need to have state-funded, dedicated teams to go to homes and advise homeowners what can be done to lessen the risk of fires on a individual property basis. The state must fund building of firebreaks to lessen the number of fires and their magnitude. More firefighters should be hired and increased funding should be secured to improve aerial support, including the night-vision helicopters capable of fighting fires in the dark. As of now, California only possesses a handful of these vehicles and essentially shuts down firefighting efforts during the night.

This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Who is Brandon Ross, Democratic doctor running in the California governor recall election."