Who is Daniel Watts, free speech lawyer running in the California governor recall election

Name: Daniel Watts

Political party: Democrat

Residence: Vista

Occupation: Free speech attorney

Education: J.D. UC Davis School of Law, B.A. in history and political science from UC San Diego

Experience: I’ve been a free speech lawyer for a decade. I ran for governor in the 2003 recall election against Arnold Schwarzenegger on the one-issue platform of lower student fees. I’m running again to draw attention to the twin crises of California’s higher education system: Skyrocketing tuition and rampant First Amendment violations. I support free speech and free college.

Website: www.wattsforgovernor.com

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

The First Amendment does not go on holiday during a pandemic. COVID-19 is no excuse for silencing dissent or violating the Constitution. The Supreme Court held this year that some of the governor’s lockdown orders violated the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause. The governor should not make a habit of violating the Constitution.

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

There is more than enough money to go around for all sorts of things without raising taxes. For one-tenth of this year’s budget surplus, we can make every University of California and Cal State 100% tuition free. We should do it.

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

Eliminate tuition for public colleges. Education lifts people out of poverty. It teaches them what they need to know to succeed. It’s how we incubate success. Making it easier to go to college will lift people up.

What should California do to build up its middle class?

Free college. There’s no better way to get ahead than to get a degree. Too many students are shut out of the California dream by unaffordable education. California can eliminate tuition at every UC and Cal State campus with just one TENTH of this year’s budget surplus.

Free speech. Californians don’t understand it. Students definitely don’t. But it’s important. It’s the value that allows us to debate, research, and discovery the truth, thereby allowing the innovation necessary for a vibrant modern economy. Lose free speech and you lose everything.

Would you propose any new policies to address climate change?

I certainly wouldn’t try to stifle debate about it. In 2016, a California state senator proposed Senate Bill 1161, which would have fined people $2,500 for expressing unpopular opinions about climate change. Thankfully it didn’t pass, but eventually some fool will try again. The governor should promise to veto any such unconstitutional bill.

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

Make it easier to access public records about the causes of wildfire, water resources, and drought. The government spends a lot of money researching these issues, and access to that data is an important part of the First Amendment. Only with free and open access to public records can we solve existential problems like wildfire and drought.

This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Who is Daniel Watts, free speech lawyer running in the California governor recall election."