Dean Florez for California Lt. Governor 2010: Veterans Protections

“You can’t stand for your convictions if you always stand with the crowd.”
-Dean Florez

Veterans Business Focus

The goal of 3% participation for DVBE's in state contracts for goods and services has proven difficult for some departments to meet and in the past has led to disreputable reporting methods. Preferences for veteran-owned businesses need to become more meaningful. Dean Florez is committed to ending the practice of big businesses simply using veteran-owned businesses as a pass-through for state contracting. Dean Florez will push for a new prosecutor’s office within the California Department of Justice to crack down on employers who discriminate against veterans and returning guardsmen and reservists.

Saving Soldiers’ Jobs

Dean will push for it to be the policy of the state of California to prohibit contracting with any business that consistently fails to re-hire reservists and guardsmen who serve their country and state.

Dean authored SB 115 in 2005 to provide incentives for bidders to consider Disabled Veterans Business Enterprises (DVBE's), and to direct the Small Business Advocate to work with these firms and establish a method for monitoring participation levels in the DVBE program. In 2007, Dean called on state departments to testify before the Senate amid reports those participation goals were not being met to assure that the new law was being followed.

Dean set out to recognize those immigrant soldiers who fought for their adoptive country and its freedoms without even having gained citizenship. In 2003, he introduced SJR 13, urging the President and the Congress of the United States to amend federal selective laws to grant the right of citizenship to any and all immigrants honorably discharged from the military.