Desmond Silveira for Governor 2018 |

Platform

Common Good – Common Ground – Common Sense
Pro-Life for the Whole Life
Pro-Family
Social Justice
Freedom of Religion
Pro-Community
Localized Government
Human Dignity
Pro-Peace
Pro-Marriage
Pro-Environment

Desmond Silveira is the 2018 candidate for California governor who supports the common good by finding common ground across California’s diverse citizenry, and using common sense. He is a member of the American Solidarity Party but is running in the gubernatorial race as an independent. Desmond is pro-life, pro-family, pro-marriage, and supports freedom of religion from needless government intrusion. He is for social justice, pro-community, pro-human-dignity, pro-environment, and pro-peace. Last but not least, he supports localized government where communities can decide for themselves instead of being forced to accept state or federal values and decisions.

Policies

Respect for Human Life

Abortion

To protect the lives of the unborn, the American Solidarity Party is working for the overturn of Roe v Wade. While this battle is being fought at the national level, we Californians must do our part by restricting abortion to the extent that is constitutionally legal.

Restrict nurse midwives and other non-physician medical professionals from performing abortions.
Institute waiting periods and counseling requirements to offer mothers resources to weigh their alternatives.
Strengthen health and safety codes and shut down facilities that don’t meet proper standards.
Oppose increased access to abortion such as efforts to mandate that college campuses make them available.
Ensure that the California Board of Registered Nursing approves of classes for nurses on Abortion Pill Reversal (APR).

Capital Punishment

Repeal the death penalty in exchange for life in prison without the possibility of parole. Aside from the death penalty being barbaric, each execution on average has cost California tax payers $308,000,000. In comparison, life in prison averages $400,000.

Assisted Suicide

Repeal California’s End of Life Option Act.

Marriage and Family

Introduce laws that protect religious institutions, small businesses, and private individuals from civil or criminal liability for refusing to participate in activities contrary to their belief in marriage as a secure union of one man and one woman.
Introduce and strengthen tax incentives that promote marriage and raising children.

Economic Participation

Support economic policies that expand opportunities for the poor, and rebuilding and supporting a vibrant middle class, the erosion of which is a fundamental threat to our democracy.
A fair and progressive tax system that ends subsidies and exemptions which disproportionately benefit the wealthy.

Stewardship of the Environment

Institute or increase taxes on natural resource consumption while decreasing income taxes for a net zero tax change for the average consumer. Heavy polluters will have an overall increase in tax liability, while environmentally conscious citizens realize a tax savings.
Protect our water via environmentally sustainable management practices.

Civic Engagement

End the state lottery and replace it with privately run prize-linked savings accounts, to encourage people to save more.
Alternative methods of voting in primaries and elections in order to make governing bodies more accurately reflect broad candidate choice. These include, but are not limited to: approval voting, range voting, and ranked choice voting.

Justice in the Workplace

Protect our state’s workplace rights, including legal protection for occupational safety and compensation, equal access to employment, good faith in hiring and retention, and paid leave for illness and family care.

Education

Subsidized preschool, based on financial need.
Support the right of families to choose the best methods for educating their children, be they public, charter, private, parochial or home-based education.
Offer tax credit programs that give families the practical means to choose the form of education they prefer.
Public funds for private education options, by means determined at the state or local level, provided equitable funding of public education is safeguarded.
Measurable educational standards that preserve the freedom of teachers to design curricula appropriate to the needs of their students within general parameters set by local authorities.
Oppose tuition hikes in public higher education.

Immigration

A generous policy of welcoming immigrants fleeing persecution and violent conflict within their countries of origin, including a call for the United States to fulfill its obligations under international law in regards to the treatment of refugees and those fleeing inhumane conditions.
Providing safety and opportunity for all immigrants who currently reside within California, including equal access to driving privileges and higher education.

Personal Security and Criminal Justice

Reform the war on drugs by enforcing strict punishments on drug dealers but treat drug abuse and drug addiction as a medical issue instead of a criminal justice issue.
End the three-strikes law.

Background

Desmond Silveira is a professional software engineer, a successful small business owner (real estate), a husband, and a father of eight children. Born in Zambia and of Indian (Goan) descent, he has lived in southern California since he was one-year-old. After earning his Bachelor of Science in computer science from California Polytechnic University, Pomona, Desmond has worked at various companies and organizations including GE, JPL, YellowPages.com, Los Angeles Times, and Disney. Desmond has been involved at different times with various ministries at his parish including CCD, Familia, and Cub Scouts. In his free time, Desmond enjoys playing games with his kids.

Endorsements

“I have found Desmond to be a man of honor and integrity – which is oh so lacking in politics today – and worthy of your vote. I hope and pray you will seriously consider voting for him and thereby damage the calm of all those who prefer ‘business as usual.'”
— John Martignoni, Founder and President of Queen of Heaven Catholic Radio and the Bible Christian Society, and host of the EWTN Open Line radio show on apologetics since 2003

“I wholeheartedly endorse Desmond Silveira for the office of Governor of the State of California. He is an intelligent, hard working gentleman who will work to bring the people of California together for the common good. His common sense ideas are what California needs.”
— Mike Maturen, 2016 presidential candidate of American Solidarity Party

“I endorse Desmond Silveira for governor of California because he understands that the defense of human life and human dignity from conception to natural death is the common good.”
— Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, professor and vice-president at Holy Apostles College & Seminary, publisher of En Route Books and Media, LLC, and producer of WCAT Radio.

“Just read a NY Times piece on outgoing California Governor Jerry Brown. As a slate of new candidates line up out there, one particularly stands out to me: Desmond Silveira. Like Brown, he would lean toward social justice, toward good environmental stewardship, toward fiscal responsibility… But unlike Brown (and most Democrats) on some social issues, Silveira also stands against abortion, he stands for traditional marriage, he stands, in fact, for the gospel message (and Catholic Church teaching) across the board. In fact, his platform very much matches up with ours.”
— Joe Schriner, journalist, activist, and six-time independent presidential candidate

“I support Desmond Silveira! Why? Because he supports the common good–for all Californians–and stakes out the common ground–for all Californians. Desmond Silveira is pro-life for the whole of life. That’s common sense.”
— Dr. James Hanink, contributing editor to the New Oxford Review, President of the American Maritain Association, professor of philosophy at Loyola Marymount University (retired), and host of WCAT Radio’s The Open Door program

— Dr. Ronda Chervin, Ph.D, emerita Professor of Philosophy, author of numerous books and TV and Radio Presenter

California

Desmond Silveira for Governor 2018