Billy Boyd asks California OneCare:

What’s Jerry Brown’s position on SB 810? I can’t squeeze an answer out of his campaign headquarters. His television ads position him as wanting no new taxes without voter approval, which strongly implies no universal health care for California.

Billy

Dear Billy –

Jerry Brown and his campaign have been purposely noncommittal about his support for single payer health care. It was part of his campaign platform when he ran for president some years ago, so he is familiar with its basic principles. When he has been asked about his support for it during his campaign for governor, his response has been that he wants to see how it would be paid for.

As SB 810 and the subsequent iteration of the bill that will be introduced next year are self-financing, that should not be an obstacle to his support for the bill in the legislature, nor for his signature on it when it passes late next summer. Nevertheless, nothing is guaranteed, of course, so we must continue to bring political pressure to bear on all fronts in Sacramento to be sure that single payer becomes a reality in California.

Don Schroeder, Co-Chair
California OneCare Campaign