Kristin Olsen’s vision for California is simple – just return it to the state that it used to be.

And that’s exactly what she hopes to accomplish if the voters send her back up to Sacramento for another two-year term.

The Modesto native and former city councilwoman, currently representing Stanislaus County in the State Assembly, is vying for the state’s newly drawn 12th district. The new district’s boundaries include Manteca, Lathrop, and Escalon.

Running a campaign on reforming California’s excessive regulations in order to promote business and foster growth, Olsen laid out her platform on Wednesday at a joint forum hosted by the Manteca Republican Women Federated and the Manteca Tea Party Patriots.

“It wasn’t until I got to Sacramento that I realized that things are worse than I initially realized,” she said. “But there are leaders and reformers and problem solvers out there, and I’m working as a part of that group to break the status quo and return California back to the state it used to be.”

Her campaign tenets are simple.

With the economy still taking its toll on San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, Olsen wants to create an environment where jobs will become a priority. It is something that directly ties in with her pledge to focus on improving transportation.

California’s failing school system, she said, can use an overhaul. The budget process that she notes is something that voters have grown tired of in recent years with last-minute negotiations and political wrangling needs to be streamlined.

Then there’s the “bullet train.”

Like every other Republican candidate, Olsen railed against the taxpayer funded project that’s supposed to provide a high-speed rail line that will connect Northern and Southern California. Olsen called it the biggest “boondoggle” in California politics and said that while plans are in the works for the first section to be built later this year, she’d like to derail it altogether.

And she doesn’t plan on pandering to special interest groups like the Sierra Club.

The self-described policy wonk says she’s proud that she has received a zero rating from the famous environmental protection group. She doesn’t plan on changing the way that she does things simply to appease them.

In the end, Olsen said, it is all about rethinking and retooling the way that government works in California and giving its 37.7 million residents the representation they deserve.

“I’m serious about reforming government and I’m looking forward to working with you towards these goals,” Olsen said. “We need to cut spending in order to move towards our goal. As long as we dream big and work hard we can shape our own reality.”