One race has been relatively peaceful, the other heated by
rhetoric. The campaigns for the District 12 Senate seat and the
District 28 Assembly seat have offered voters stark contrasts in
candidates.
One race has been relatively peaceful, the other heated by rhetoric. The campaigns for the District 12 Senate seat and the District 28 Assembly seat have offered voters stark contrasts in candidates.
The Free Lance endorses incumbent Jeff Denham for the Senate, and Salinas Mayor Anna Caballero for Assembly.
The Assembly race represents a difficult choice. Ignacio Velazquez is a charismatic, intelligent, engaging, successful local businessman who is passionate about local politics and our community. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Caballero is a tested, veteran politician who manages a tough city. In the June primary she easily defeated Ana Ventura Phares, an excellent candidate also experienced in running a city.
We endorse Caballero because of her experience in running a diverse city challenged by circumstances – gangs, agriculture, economy, to name three – that will deeply affect the Assembly district. In his campaign strategy, Velazquez has accused Caballero of almost everything but committing crimes herself, and she has responded with the hardened stoicism of someone who has undergone the large-scale budget process.
Velazquez did not have to take this tack; standing on his record as a businessman and regular, effective participant in community affairs would have been enough.
In the Senate race, Denham is a clear choice. For openers, his opponent, while a fine young man with a bright future, has no experience. While not having political experience can be advantageous in certain instances, it is not a good idea for someone who wants to serve in the Senate. Wiley Nickel, 30, has painted Denham as a Bush conservative who is too far to the right to serve communities in his district.
While that is open to debate, perhaps, we do know that Denham has served rural agricultural areas well. His work in helping establish the Central Coast Rural Crime Prevention Program that covers five counties was timed nicely for the election; it will help farmers. If he is re-elected we hope the effort continues.
