Independent seeks 5th Assembly seat

Railrod Flat resident Mark Belden, 55, likes to point out the difference between being a political "Independent" and being politically independent. In a wide-ranging conversation at the Mountain Democrat offices recently the Calaveras County candidate for the state's 5th Assembly District showed himself to be a bit of a maverick.

Formerly a lifelong Republican, Belden's campaign brochure says: "You may call me an Independent. However, I would rather you call me 'independent' of the two political parties."

The 5th Assembly District includes portions of Placer and El Dorado counties and all of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Madera, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties. There are nearly 425,000 residents and about 250,000 registered voters in the district. Sacramento County physician Richard Pan currently represents the 5th in its pre-redistricting configuration.

A fiscal conservative, Belden said California's government is "too big and too expensive" and provides a vast range of "services that its revenue is unable to support." Acknowledging that he would not want to see people go hungry or lose essential public services, he said the prison system, Medi-Cal program and guaranteed school funding among others have pushed the state into a "financial downward spiral."

Belden offered five "fixes" that he believes would go a long way to restoring California's fiscal health: Competitive bidding for public services; reduction of burdensome regulations; a fair and competitive wage and pension for state and local workers; a cost-effective welfare program that would allow recipients to contribute to the public or private sector in return for benefits; and a corrections system that allows for some inmates to contribute back to society while serving their sentences, a fair and ethical health care that minimizes cost to taxpayers and abolishment of the death penalty for life without parole.

"Feel good programs and expenditures should be eliminated promptly. Every tax dollar you spend should result in a dollar of public service received," Belden said, writing about a "philosophy of self-reliance" he believes Californians should adopt.

From his experience as a business owner, Belden said he felt the ill effects of "burdensome California regulations," and he calls them "well-intended but ill-conceived." If elected, he said his top priority would be to "make California the No. 1 state in which to live, work and conduct business."

"Our legislators should be finding ways to govern California — not Californians," he states forcefully and adds, "Republicans have pushed themselves too far to the right" on many social issues.

He strongly opposes any legislation aimed at reducing the sentences of individuals convicted under the state's "Three strikes law," if it is done simply to alleviate prison overcrowding. His opposition to capital punishment is mostly about the enormous financial burden it puts on the state. By his calculations, Californians pay out $184,000 per inmate per year over and above what it would cost to house a capital offender for life without parole. He estimates a savings of $5 billion between now and 2030 by eliminating the death penalty. And capital punishment is not a deterrent, he said.

Likewise, he opposes the so-called "war on drugs" as a losing proposition. Taxpayer dollars should be saved and used to deal with more serious crimes.

"Like alcohol addiction, an addict and/or abuser of a controlled substance is a very serious problem to all of us. We do not incarcerate alcoholics nor should we incarcerate substance abusers," he notes in his pamphlet.

Programs such as Proposition 36 (drug courts) should be continued by the state despite their mixed results for success, Belden said. "We should continue to offer a path to sobriety other than incarceration. I will support legislation that continues to offer a path to sobriety for controlled substance addicts/abusers."

Belden gives a nod to the vast number of immigrants who have helped make California a "world leader in the scientific, agricultural and entertainment industries," and he favors some kind of path to legal status for "those persons in California illegally who meet acceptance requirements."

He adds that such a "path" should be structured with strict time and requirement schedules and could employ "biometrics" such as thumb printing to identify those in question. Border security is a Belden priority and should offer protection "not only from unlawful immigration, but more importantly from terrorist elements, human and drug trafficking  and other criminal activities."

As a gun collector and vintage firearms dealer, Belden strongly supports the right of the people to keep and bear arms. He says in the brochure that he encourages all law-abiding citizens to have some type of self-defensive firearm for their own protection. Furthermore, he would "oppose any legislation that would impose further gun controls on law-abiding California citizens."

Passionate about protecting California's natural resources, water, environment and agricultural productivity, Belden said he is committed to expanding agriculture and increasing water supplies. Common sense should guide any regulation of  natural resources, and he favors legislation that supports preservation of the Sierra watershed. Urban and industrial development "should be planned and located in a way to minimize their effects on California's agricultural land."

Belden calls the state's farmers and ranchers "the most inventive, creative and industrious individuals in California."

He founded the M C Belden company and developed the "EZ Stud" and "EZ Joist" for construction of steel frame homes and currently is renovating the historical Inspiration Lodge on Highway 88 in Amador County.

Belden has Bachelor's and Master's of  Science degrees from Berkeley and City University of New York, respectively. Both degrees are in Occupational Health Science, and he worked in those fields in Washington, D.C, and San Jose early in his career. He said his "first love" was building, and he has been a general contractor since 1994.

The candidate lives with Christine, his wife of 30 years in Railroad Flat, a small Calaveras County community. Oscar and Lola, great Pyrenees mountain dogs, along with large macaws, Rudy and Pete, round out Belden's family.