Excerpted from Audie Bock's May 20th, 1999 Commonwealth Club Speech

My district is a mirror of the New California. Its cultural and racial diversity is complex and exciting. Its urban heart is alive with activists and community leaders. Its churches and charities are magnets for civic involvement. Its consciousness of politics as it could be is awakened, and it is my intention to use this office to nurture the spirit of hopeful politics among my constituents and throughout California. My legislative priorities are first and foremost to address the basic needs of the District.

I want to help my community rebuild quality public education from the Administration to the classroom teacher, to the school buildings themselves. I see my role as becoming an accessible facilitator to the forces for change in the education community. Above all, my goal in office is to bring sustainability to public policy.

For now, and for the rest of the Session, I am learning the business of being a Legislator. I want to remain a citizen lawmaker who is able to put this value-driven politics before career ladders and term-limit musical chairs.

Every decision we make as legislators will affect the quality of life for future generations. I want these future generations included as key interests in the decisions we make about how we manage our resources and our environment, and how we prioritize our expenditures each year.