Delaine Eastin, a candidate for governor, stopped by the Benicia Public Library on Tuesday to promote her views at the Progressive Democrats of Benicia meeting.

Eastin began her career in education as a political science and women’s studies professor at several community colleges. In 1980, she was elected to the Union City Council. From 1986 to 1992, she spent four terms in the California State Assembly representing portions of Alameda and Santa Clara counties. She also served as the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1995 to 2003, under Govs. Pete Wilson and Gray Davis. To date, she has been the only woman to serve in this position.

Eastin was introduced at the meeting by longtime friend and Benicia resident Constance Beutel. Given her past role as state superintendent, education issues dominated much of Eastin’s presentation. She stressed the need for more counselors and librarians in schools and creating more funding for higher education.

“Most people don’t realize that when you were all growing up, 18 percent of the state budget went to higher ed,” she said. “3 percent went to prisons. Higher ed is down below 12 percent, prisons are above 9 percent. You are 41st in per pupils spending and No. 1 in per prisoner expenditure.”

“I haven’t met a single Californian (who thinks that’s a good plan),” she added. “You wanna know the best crime prevention program? It’s called education. You wanna know the best economic development program? It’s called education.”

Eastin cited one of her favorite quotes by author Neil Postman, “Children are living messages we send to a time we’ll never see.”

“I know that the people who sent me here were generous beyond all imagining,” she said. “They did so much for me and my generation. Can we do the same? I think we can. Along the way, we will get dividends. It will be called lower crime, it will be called less incarceration, it will be called a great economic development boom. It will be called ‘tomorrow.’”

Education was not the only topic Eastin discussed. She also stressed environmental issues, including combating climate change, banning fracking, and promoting cleaner air and water.

“In addition to doing a long-range water plan, we’ve gotta be a lot more nimble about what we do with water in this state and we’ve gotta make sure that everybody’s got clean air and clean water,” she said, “and that can’t just be a function of your income.”

Eastin also talked about reforming Proposition 13, a ballot measure passed by California voters to limit the tax rates for properties.

“When they passed Prop. 13, they put a 1 percent limit on how much property tax would be,” she said. “The assumption was when 50 percent plus 1 of the stock turned over, companies would get reassessed. Guess what? They don’t reassess the companies at all, not even when 50 percent of the stock turns over. Disneyland is paying what it paid in 1978!”

Eastin suggested going to the voters and asking they change Proposition 13 so that it would be 1.5 percent on commercial and industrial businesses which would be reassessed every 10 years with the money going toward education.

“It’s time for us to have this conversation,” she said.

Eastin also said she did not support Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed Delta Twin Tunnels project, which would provide $15 billion to build four-story tall tunnels to deliver fresh water from the Sacramento River to intake stations in the Central Valley Project and State Water Project.

“Until we have a much better study that shows how we protect the San Francisco Bay and Delta, we’ve got no business talking about a twin tunnel,” she said.

Eastin expressed mixed feelings about the proposal for a bullet train system from San Francisco to Los Angeles. She felt it would provide a cleaner form of energy but felt it needed a clearer revenue stream for her to support it.

“If you said, ‘Let’s have an oil severance tax and we’re going to put that money into building a bullet train,’ then I’d be willing to talk,” she said. “But I’m not into taking it out of the existing income of the state of California because we don’t have enough money and they’ve totally underestimated how much the thing’s gonna cost. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Eastin’s challengers in the Democratic primary include Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Treasurer John Chiang, former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Amanda Renteria, a former aide to Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Republican candidates include Assemblyman Travis Allen and businessman John Cox. For more information on Eastin and the other gubernatorial candidates, go to https://ballotpedia.org/California_gubernatorial_election,_2018.