This is the second of my posts on the upcoming California primary. This one looks at the people. My positions on the propositions were discussed in this post.
First, some political background: I’m a Democrat, learned from my mother. I tend to believe that government can do good and has a responsibility to do good, and to help the people it governs (this falls under promoting the general welfare, and supporting health, happiness, and the pursuit of liberty). I think partisanship has destroyed the effectiveness of our system, with politicians voting against things just because the other side proposed them. We need to be electing politicians that do the best for the people they represent, whether or not that is in the interest of their party. I believe our budgets should be balanced, and that government enterprises should be run as efficiently as possible. However, I recognize that running a governmental entity is not the same as running a business, and often good business skills make people bad public servants. In the large, I’m against “pork”… but I also recognize the political reality that sometimes it is necessary (remember the old adage that laws are like sausages — it is best not to see them being made). Socially, I’m liberal: I believe women should be able to make the decisions regarding their bodies, and that relationships are matters between consenting adults, whatever their form. I believe that religion should be the provance of the churches, synagogues, and mosques, and the state has no business imposing religious views (such as in the area of prohibiting abortions or marriage practices).
That said, here’s my thoughts:
State
- Governor: Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown. Jerry Brown was my first vote for Governor of California (his second term; I couldn’t vote in 1974), and he has changed a lot since then—for the good. I’m not one who believes politicians should never change their views: Brown has grown up and shown the ability to learn, and is turning out to be closer to his father, “Pat” Brown, one of the best governors that California has ever had. I don’t see strengths in any of the other Democratic candidates. Brown is best of the bunch.
An observation on the Republican side: It has been fun watching the two lead candidates, Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner battle over who is the most Conservative candidate. This, I’m sure, is turning them off from any Democratic voters, and probably bothering the large number of moderate Republicans in the state. The funny part is the 180° turn they are going to have to make after the primary where they are going to have to fight for the moderate votes. It’s going to be a nasty election, folks.
- Lt. Governor: Janice Hahn. Lt. Governor is a meaningless position, and we have two meaningless folks and an unknown battling for the job. I can’t see voting for Newsom—he has struck me as a bit of a flake, for whatever reason. Hahn has been much more reasonable, and isn’t the problem that her brother (Jim Hahn, former Mayor of LA) was.
- Secretary of State: Debra Bowen. No opposition on the Democratic primary ballot. I can’t think of any complaints about the job she has done.
- Controller: John Chiang. No opposition, and he has been the pragmatist in dealing with California’s fiscal crisis, calling the truth as it happens.
- Treasurer: Bill Lockyer. No opposition. I don’t recall problems with him, although I’ll need to see who ends up running against him in the general electio0n.
- Attorney General: Kamala Harris. Although there are a large number of candidates, this is boiling down to a battle between Rocky Delgadillo, Chris Kelly , and Kamala Harris. Harris has the bulk of the endorsements, and wouldn’t do a bad job. Kelly has the most money, but has been involved in the whole Facebook privacy debacle, and I have no confidence in him. I know Delgadillo from Los Angeles, and I was originally for him—but I found it telling that the LA Times did not endorse him, for if he had done a good job here, they would have wanted him to move on. Thus, Harris seems like the best candidate. Believe in a different candidate? Convince me in the comments.
- Insurance Commissioner: Hector de la Torre. This is another difficult choice: both de la Torre and Dave Jones have a strong set of endorsements. I’m impressed with de la Torre’s work in the State Assembly towards protecting consumers, and so I’m giving him the edge. Here, I could be convinced the other way.
- State Board of Equalization: Jerome Horton. Unopposed in the primary.
- State Assembly, 38th District: Diana G. Shaw. Unopposed in the primary. We really need a strong Democratic candidate in this district. The current officeholder, Cameron Smyth (R), is mostly heavily-conservative Santa Clarita, leaving the balancing bit in the San Fernando Valley at a loss. In the election in 2006, the vote was 57% R, 38% D, meaning that Shaw has an uphill battle.
- Superintendent of Public Instruction: Gloria Romero. The Times likes Larry Aceves, a retired Superintendent, but I believe that such a formal official wouldn’t be able to see past the paradigm. I think Romero, a former LAUSD board member who did good things, might be able to think in the creative ways we need.
National
- Senator: Barbara Boxer. On the Democratic side, she’s the only viable candidate. She’s also done a reasonable job fighting for California in the Senate, and using her political knowhow to get things done. The battle here is on the Republican side, between Carly Fiorina and Tom Campbell, and again it has been like the Governor’s race: who is the most Conservative. This would be bad for California, for it would invite even more gridlock. Especially now, California needs the seniority Boxer brings, and it needs her political savvy.
- Representative: 30th District: Henry Waxman. He’s running unopposed, and for good reason: He’s done a good job, fighting the good fight, working for the right things. I see no problem with his work, and have no desire to change.
Party Central Committee
- County Central Committee, 38th District: Don’t Care. I have no idea who these people are. I’ll likely vote for teachers, engineers, and incumbants. Recommendations are welcome.
Los Angeles
- County Assessor: John Wong. Times endorsed, but I like Wong because he has been on the appeals board, and thus recognizes the decline in property values in the county.
- Sheriff: Lee Baca. Running unopposed, so I’m stuck. He has some connections to Scientology, although that’s more of a problem in Riverside county.
- Supervisor, 3rd District: Zev Yaroslavsky. I’ve been familiar with Zev since he started running, and in general, he’s done a good job for his district and for Los Angeles. He is, perhaps, a bit too biased towards his Westside constituency, which hurts those of us in the valley… but he’s unopposed, so there’s not much we can do this election.
- Judicial Choices: Nº 28/Randy Hammock, Nº 35/Soussan (Suzanne) Bruguera, Nº 73/Laura A. Matz, Nº 107/Tony de Los Reyes, Nº 117/Alan Schneider, Nº 131/Maren Elizabeth Nelson. For Judges, I often defer to the LA Times endorsements, as they have the time and ability to investigate the candidates. Also useful are the Bar Association ratings.
That’s it. My positions on the June 8, 2010 California primary. Feel free to convince me otherwise on these candidates.
