 Independent, practical
Badi Badiozamani's plans for California
By Katayoon Hadizadeh
September 26, 2003
The Iranian
Sitting at Starbucks café in
El Segundo, I am interviewing a rather exceptional candidate
running for California's
governor. Why exceptional? Let me explain. It has been almost
25 years since large numbers of Persians have immigrated to
California. They form a significant portion of the population,
many of them are leaders in business and industry. But now,
for the first time in US election history, Badi Badiozamani is
one of two Persian-Americans seeking to become governor of the
most populous and prosperous state in the country.
For Badiozamani being a "first timer" has
been almost a part of his life. He enjoys an analytical yet
creative mind that lets him grasp the opportunities coming his
way to
help mankind. When he graduated from university before
the revolution in Iran, he volunteered to the work in desolate
regions to help people improve
their life conditions. It has always been his doctrine to protect
his cultural identity and contribute to
society regardless of the geographical boundaries.
Currently Badiozamani is the director of the East-West
Understanding Center. He believes all people regardless
of race, sex
and cultural differences share the same aspirations. He is
not new to politics. He has served on
the California
Governor's Joint Venture Advisory Board and presently serves
on San Diego's Small
Business Advisory Board. And with a Master's in Public
Administration and a PhD in Political Science,
together with 22 years of living in the California, he
has pinpointed a number of fundamental problems in the Golden
State.
Badiozamani shared with me some of his plans
for California.
1- Sincne he is running as an independent, he can
act as a catalyst between Republicans and Democrats. This way
he
can be a
consensus builder to bring them together and bring more
transparency
to outsiders like you and me!
2- If he becomes governor, he will cut his salary
by half. Change starts form self.
3- Being on the business advisory board, he has
seen how California's credit rating has dropped. To get over
this problem, the state budget should address practical
purposes. For instance, the $200,000
set aside for an AIDS memorial should instead go to research
on how to deal with AIDS.
4- Reduce tuition fees especially
at state-run universities. It is hypocritical to
encourage people to get a better education while making
it impossible for them to afford it.
5-
A great portion of the state budget goes to retention centers.
Badiozamani plans to bring private business to prisons.
In this
plan, a prisoner is paid the minimum wage so that
he does not feel like
a slave. Out of each dollar received by the prisoner,
20% goes to the victim family, 20% to the prisoner
family, 20% for
prisoner savings so that when he gets out of jail he
has some savings,
20% for
daily expenses and 20% for room and board. This way
the prison budget burden is relieved to
some degree
and when released, fromer prisoners can start a new
life with the help of their savings.
6- Badiozamani has identified experts who can reduce
traffic at rush hours without building new freeways. Hardline
environmentalists forget that emissions during traffic jams
can be a more serious threat to the environment!
7- California has a large number
of immigrants who can influence federal decisions. Those
who cross the boarder to work illegally and support their
families should
be treated
by employers like any other worker. Issuing temporary
seasonal visas will allow alien
workers to work, enjoy the rights of a legal
citizen, pay taxes and the go back to their families
at the termination
of their
visa period.
At the end of our coversation I have a clear picture
of who Badiozamani is and what his plans
are for California. If you would like to contact him for
more details or just to show your support, here is the contact
information:
Phone: (858) 382-2200
Fax: (858) 484-1472
Email: Badi@badiozamani.com
Web: badiforgovernor.org
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Independent, practical