Unemployment in California is officially 6.7% on average (source: Bureau of Labor Statistics). But regionally the numbers are even worse: 7.5% in Los Angeles County, 8.4% in Santa Clara County, and 12.0% in Kern County. Unemployment claims are siphoning off precious funds from our strapped budget and preventing California from reaching its true potential. We need to get California back to work. I have a plan to do this.

Most economic stimulus plans you hear about are based on a "trickle down" theory, which claims that by giving tax breaks to businesses, they will invest in equipment and jobs, putting people back to work. That's too indirect an approach, and I don't believe it works. Instead, my plan goes right to the heart of the matter.

I propose waiving state income taxes for all newly hired employees for the first 6 months of employment. In order to qualify for this tax break, the employee must currently be qualified to receive unemployment benefits by the California EDD department, and the employee must be hired by a company other than his or her last employer.

This proposal has two benefits:

1. It will put more Californians back to work, improving their own economic situations and our overall economy.

2. It will reduce the unemployment burden on our state budget, making it easier for the state to pay its bills and improve its credit rating.

My proposal will work, because it will reduce the total payroll expense for new hires. A company can hire an employee at a reduced salary, because the employee's net pay will be the same, since no state taxes are being deducted from the gross pay. This will provide an incentive to employers to hire more people. Companies will see increased productivity and growth as a result of their increased staff, and our economy will get back on track.