Incumbents Assemblyman Simon Salinas and Congressman Sam Farr
have proven to be effective leaders who work for San Benito County
while representing us in Sacramento and Washington D.C.
Incumbents Assemblyman Simon Salinas and Congressman Sam Farr have proven to be effective leaders who work for San Benito County while representing us in Sacramento and Washington D.C.
Vote for Salinas
Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, has proven to be an effective leader who represents San Benito County well in the 28th Assembly District.
Though he votes along party lines a little too often for our liking, Salinas has experience that his opponent Republican Bob Perkins, seeking his first seat in any political office, is lacking. And, Salinas is focused on issues that are important to San Benito County – growth, diversifying the economy and bringing in affordable housing, especially for farm workers.
Over the summer, Salinas helped secure Department of Justice officers to police the Independence Rally, which needed outside law enforcement.
More recently, Salinas passed a bill that sets criteria for where sexual predators can be released. It ended the practice of “hide the predator” where undesirable sex offenders were slipped into rural communities when released from jail. Without a change in the practice, San Benito could have become one of those rural areas.
Also, Salinas is firmly opposed to the controversial proposal to bring a casino to San Benito County. If he is reelected, we would want Salinas to be a strong advocate for opponents of the casino at the state level.
Over all, we believe Salinas has the understanding of what is important to our area and the experience to be effective in Sacramento.
Vote for Farr
Our Congressman, in U.S. District 17, Sam Farr, D-Carmel, could easily be ensconced in Washington D.C., but he has had a strong presence in San Benito County – whether discussing tourism, attending a release of California Condors at the Pinnacles National Monument or helping to land funding for a new bridge to the Historic Society’s Historic Village near Bolado Park.
And when Farr comes to our county, he brings good ideas. Earlier this year, Farr stopped by the Chamber of Commerce to tout San Benito County’s natural beauty as a tourism draw. He said our area doesn’t have to try to land the next Wal-Mart or another big box store to become economically viable. Instead, we can capitalize on the beauty of the area, our wineries and history to draw in visitors.
That idea makes a lot of sense and it seems to have energized the chamber’s tourism committee, which is looking for ways to bring people into our county. He also offered the technical expertise of those in his office to help create a plan to draw tourism.
Also, Farr shepherded a bill through the House that will help renovate California’s missions, including Mission San Juan Bautista and he helped secure money to create a cleanup plan for the pollution at the New Idria quicksilver mine.
His record shows that Farr is keeping San Benito County in mind while in Washington, and he is providing fresh ideas to help our county move forward.
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