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Kashkari speaks to Log Cabin about what he’d do as governor

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Neel Kashkari has his sights set on Sacramento, but he has no desire to take high-speed rail to get there.

Kashkari, a Laguna Beach resident seeking to become the Republican nominee to challenge incumbent Jerry Brown for governor this fall, said money dedicated for the transportation project connecting Sacramento and San Diego would be better spent elsewhere.

“I would use the money to build more dams and reservoirs to capture water,” Kashkari, 40, told 45 attendees at a meeting of the Log Cabin Republicans of Orange County at Karl Strauss Brewery in Costa Mesa on Monday night.

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The group is part of a national organization that represents gay conservatives and their allies.

“One of the first things [Kashkari] said was he supports marriage equality for all Americans,” chapter President Kevin Gilhooley said.

Kashkari, a former Treasury Department official, reiterated his campaign slogan of jobs and education.

“I believe economic growth is the most powerful force to lift people up,” Kashkari said. “My parents insisted I get a good education, and because I did, all the opportunities were available to me.”

Kashkari’s parents moved to the United States from India 50 years ago, settling near Akron, Ohio.

Kashkari earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

He helped craft legislation to bail out banks during the financial crisis six years ago and then worked for Newport Beach-based Pacific Investment Management Co.

Mitt Romney’s loss in the 2012 presidential election caused Kashkari to consider running for public office. He quit his job at PIMCO and traveled throughout California.

“Everyone wants the same thing,” Kashkari said. “They want a good job and a fair chance to work hard. We need to put people back to work. The middle class has been destroyed in the last 20 years. I want to rebuild the Republican party, defined by hard work and personal responsibility. The message to people is: If you want to work hard, we are the party for you.”

One woman asked Kashkari how he would create more jobs.

Kashkari talked about providing incentives for companies, including manufacturers, to return to California, while encouraging existing businesses to stay and expand in the state. In campaign literature, he proposes that any company that opens a new manufacturing facility in California not pay any income taxes generated by earnings at the new building for 10 years.

He also wants to place the high-speed rail project back before voters and redirect the bond money — nearly $10 million — for water storage projects.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s project would take riders between San Francisco and Los Angeles in less than three hours at more than 200 mph, according to the rail authority’s website. The train is projected to be running by 2029.

The state’s website says the route would bring thousands of jobs to the Central Valley, an area with one of the highest unemployment rates in California and the nation, provide environmental benefits, relieve roadway congestion and spur economic development.

Job creation is sometimes unfairly focused on top leadership, said Kashkari, who has received endorsements from Romney, former California Gov. Pete Wilson, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, state Senate Republican leader Bob Huff and the Log Cabin Republicans of California.

“As a Republican party, we’ve done terribly,” the candidate said. “We talk about chief executives of the factory, but we need to talk about the men and women working in the factory, to put working families back to work.

“You need a governor to use the full power of the office, and I will use that courage.”

Kashkari has raised $4.7 million as of Thursday, according to a campaign news release.

“Help me get through June 3 and I promise I’ll make Brown answer,” Kashkari said, referring to the date of the primary.

Craig Smith, who was a speech writer for former Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush said he was impressed by Kashkari’s speaking skills.

“He’s very articulate, able to argue well,” Smith said. “If I were Jerry Brown, I’d be worried about debating him.”

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