California voters have good reason to be cynical about politics. Our state is facing record unemployment rates and a $16 billion budget deficit, yet all that seems to come out of Sacramento is partisan bickering and political gamesmanship.

I believe that the 2012 election cycle is a great opportunity for Californians up and down the state to take back control of Sacramento and finally elect people who are serious about reform. It’s not about Republican or Democrat, it’s about finding common sense solutions that will improve our economy and help put people back to work.

As a member of the State Assembly for the past 4 years, I’ve worked hard to build relationships with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground and get things done.

Last year, I teamed up with Assemblyman Bill Monning on a couple of bills to help curb illegal contracting and crack down on California’s underground economy. Both pieces of legislation (AB 397 and AB 878) earned bi-partisan support and were eventually signed into law. While these two bills alone won’t solve all of California’s economic problems, we were able to build a consensus and pass common sense and meaningful reforms.

It is my hope that California’s new open primary system will encourage more members of the Legislature to work together and find solutions that will help bring back jobs. Californians expect and deserve more from their government, and I am optimistic that more independent thinking in Sacramento will help put this great state back on track and restore confidence in the legislative process.