The 27th District Assembly race has been something of an enigma
in the South Valley. Morgan Hill and San Martin were ripped from
the 28th district in last year’s decennial redistricting and placed
in a coastal district that includes Santa Cruz and Monterey
counties.
Democrat John Laird, who served on the Santa Cruz City Council
from 1991-1990, has spent his political career building coalitions,
which will serve voters of San Martin and Morgan Hill well. Laird
has been involved in a variety of human rights issues and is
committed to education. He has been on leave with his job with the
county of Santa Cruz as he campaigns and has spent a total of 21
years in government work, laying the groundwork for what should be
a smooth transition into the state legislature.
The 27th District Assembly race has been something of an enigma in the South Valley. Morgan Hill and San Martin were ripped from the 28th district in last year’s decennial redistricting and placed in a coastal district that includes Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.
Democrat John Laird, who served on the Santa Cruz City Council from 1991-1990, has spent his political career building coalitions, which will serve voters of San Martin and Morgan Hill well. Laird has been involved in a variety of human rights issues and is committed to education. He has been on leave with his job with the county of Santa Cruz as he campaigns and has spent a total of 21 years in government work, laying the groundwork for what should be a smooth transition into the state legislature.
His opponent, Republican Chuck Carter, lacks Laird’s well-rounded experience.
The Pinnacle recommends John Laird in the 27th Assembly District.
Additionally, The Pinnacle believes that Simon Salinas, representing the 28th District, has proven his commitment to the South Valley and should be returned to Sacramento for a second term. Salinas has shown a commitment to the elderly and helped a Hollister hospital cut through red tape to acquire a bankrupt nursing home as frail residents were being transferred out of the county. Additionally, he has kept pressure on CalTrans to make improvements to Highway 25, the deadly two-lane link between Gilroy and Hollister.
South Valley residents are familiar with Salinas from his frequent “coffee talks,” held throughout the district. He has earned a second term. The Pinnacle recommends that District 28 residents cast their votes for Simon Salinas.
, The reason the race is of interest in the South Valley – and only in Morgan Hill and San Martin, at that – is that the two communities were ripped from the 28th Assembly District in last year’s decennial redistricting, to serve political purposes. Now, this sliver of the South Valley (12 percent of the 28th District’s population) is lumped with coastal communities while Gilroy remains in the 28th District, where Democrat Simon Salinas is challenged by Republican Jane Howard.
27th Assembly District:
27th Assembly District race, which pits diametrically opposed candidates — Democrat John Laird against Republican Chuck Carter.
Laird served on the Santa Cruz city council from 1981-90, including two terms as mayor. He currently is on leave from his job of seven years as Santa Cruz County personnel manager. He has a total of 21 years with the county.
Noting that the 27th Assembly District is one of few in the state to have community colleges and campuses of the University of California and the California state university system, Laird ranks education high on his Sacramento to-do list.
