Similar backgrounds joust for primary win
Though it’s just the primary, the 28th Assembly District
election has become contentious. The rancor is even spilling over
party lines.
Similar backgrounds joust for primary win
Though it’s just the primary, the 28th Assembly District election has become contentious. The rancor is even spilling over party lines.
The seat up for grabs will be vacated this January by Assemblyman Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, which leaves it wide open for any party. The district is heavily Democratic, but the seat is still coveted by the Republicans, who were successful in getting former Assemblyman Pete Frusetta into the position until he termed out in 2002.
But with two strong Democratic candidates, the GOP has no primary challenge. Bob Perkins of Monterey County left the race early, leaving only Hollister entrepreneur Ignacio Velazquez on his own. He runs in the primary on the Republican ticket unopposed, while “The Two Annas,” Anna Caballero and Ana Ventura Phares are competing for the Democratic nomination.
That hasn’t stopped Velazquez from sending out a recent mailer that urged Democrats to cross out both Annas’ names on the ballot, and to write him in for the Democratic nomination. Both Democratic camps are angered by the move. Velazquez did not return Pinnacle inquiries.
Velazquez owns the Vault Restaurant in Hollister, as well as American Electric contracting company. He is a controversial figure, locally, for his alleged involvement in the Los Valientes corruption allegations. At a candidates’ forum this week, Velazquez repeated his belief that, “Politicians don’t care about education or gangs,” and that Sacramento lawmakers “will only take our money from us.”
“Everyone here knows that I like to speak my mind,” he chuckled, to the delight of a small group of supporters near the back of the room.
The Two Annas are similar: both are Mayors; both helped build or save libraries in their communities; both were attorneys at the California Rural League Assistance; both are Latina; both are Democrat.
But to read their campaign pieces, you would think differently.
Mayor Anna Caballero of Salinas comes from a family of copper miners who moved to the Salinas Valley 25 years ago. She started out as an attorney for the California Rural League Assistance, where she fought for the rights of striking farm workers. She was elected to the city council in 1991 and became mayor in 1998 – when Alan Styles stepped down from the position to unsuccessfully run against incumbent Pete Frusetta for the Assembly. As a strong advocate for the city library, affordable housing and preserving historic downtown Salinas, she was re-elected as mayor in 2004.
Mayor Ana Ventura Phares is also a mayor – of Watsonville, where the position is a rotational one on the city council, like those in Hollister and Gilroy. Like Caballero, Ventura Phares also worked as an attorney in the CRLA, and, yes, also represented farm workers.
She grew up in a family of migrant farm workers traveling between the Salinas, Imperial, and Pajaro Valleys. When she became involved in public service, Ventura Phares worked on an environmentally friendly housing project that designated half of the homes for moderate-income families, and city home loan programs for low-and moderate-income residents.
As part of Action Pajaro Valley, she worked to protect farmland and enhance sensitive environmental areas. The project also assisted in setting aside land for both market and senior housing, and planned for jobs over the next 30 years. She was elected to the city council in 1998, and again in 2002.
Anna Caballero
District’s biggest problem: Gang violence, education, growth, and traffic.
Immigration in the Lettuce Curtain (Salinas area): Wants a comprehensive solution to immigration – border security; earned residency, and a guest worker program should all be addressed together in future reforms.
San Benito political ethics: Support ethics training for all elected officials – which is now required by law. Has supported and initiated at Salinas city council respectful discussions about issues. Personal attacks are not permitted at meetings.
Difference from predecessor (Salinas): Has worked with and admired Assemblymember Salinas for many years and shares many of the same concerns. However, “I have my own unique leadership style that combines empathy, drive, determination, and the ability to bring people together to get things done.”
Development: It is clear that there is a need for additional housing, especially affordable housing. Any large-scale development project, however, should be approved by members of the community. Any development must pay for all of the infrastructure costs, should not negatively impact traffic and the environment and should be built with new urbanist principles in mind.
Health Care: Every Californian deserves access to quality healthcare. Nearly 1 million children lack basic health insurance in our state. California should be a leader in providing basic health care coverage. Wants to bring bipartisan support together to ensure that our children, working families, and senior citizens have health care coverage. She believes that medical professionals should drive health policy in California – not insurance profits.
Housing costs: Working families should have the opportunity to own a home. Home ownership is an essential element in family stability – but also one beyond the means of many working families. She worked with home-builders and families to implement a plan that put families in homes and gave them savings in future equity. At the state level, she would support tax credits and state funds for the creation of affordable housing, as well as support bond financing for communities that actually build housing.
Environment: Enforcement of our environmental protection laws is critical to the health and safety of all Californians. She promised to work to ensure that important environmental laws and regulations are protected.
Jobs: The key to stimulating job growth is improving the quality of life in our communities. When cities and towns create quality neighborhoods that include good schools and safe streets, businesses prosper. She sees need to strengthen our educational system so that students are prepared for the job market. The state needs to focus on incentives to encourage business growth in the state, to attract good paying jobs to our region by focusing on strengthening our communities.
Ana Ventura Phares
District’s biggest problem: is education. We need to stabilize funding, provide teachers with incentives and build more facilities. Safe and Healthy Communities: California should work towards universal health care, which would solve many of our health care problems. Short of universal health care coverage, we need to insure children and low-income families. Public safety is also an issue. Plans to look at ways to increase after-school programs, community policing and other measures that will make neighborhoods safer. Affordable Housing: Supports programs that dedicate a certain percentage of new developments to affordable housing and greater enforcement of housing elements.
Immigration in the Lettuce Curtain (Salinas area): Immigration and its impacts are complex and the only way to address them is to come together in a sincere bipartisan effort. Agriculture is California’s largest industry ($27 billion a year) and plays a vital role in the 28th Assembly District. She opposes House Resolution 4437 because of its draconian approach, such as classifying the undocumented as felons, and favors a more bipartisan approach such as the AgJobs bill.
San Benito political ethics: Understands that the Department of Justice has reviewed the serious issues regarding ethics in San Benito County. Supports more oversight and assistance to counties that face these serious ethical dilemmas. Encourages the creation of an ethics task force made up of diverse members of the community to improve and ensure high ethical standards and fairness in the political process. Supported legislation that mandated ethics training for elected officials and wants to ensure that the state’s fair political practices commission monitors local communities that are facing these types of challenges.
Difference from predecessor (Salinas): She said she has great respect for Assemblymember Salinas and shares many of the same values with respect to the importance of investing in education and attainable housing. Ventura Phares grew up in and worked for California Rural Legal Assistance in the city of Salinas, spent the last 14 years in public service in Watsonville. She said she understands the challenges that smaller, more rural communities face in balancing the needs for attainable housing and economic development with the protection of environmentally sensitive areas.
Development: The Del Webb community project would require an amendment to the general plan and annexation approval, however the potential approval will be voted by the citizens in November. If it is passed, elected officials and concerned citizens must make sure that the infrastructure can support such development and that developers are held accountable to protect and improve the quality of life for all residents in San Benito. “We should not accept anything less than model projects that enhance the beauty of the area while ensuring attainable housing for our local residents. As our communities grow it is critical that we also ensure the protection of farmland, restore environmental areas, and create open park spaces.”
Health Care: Supports a law that proves coverage for every Californian and which would cost less than what businesses and individuals now. She launched the “Healthy Kids” insurance program in Watsonville to provide every child in our region with health insurance.
Housing costs: Believes affordable housing is one of the biggest issues facing the 28th Assembly District and strongly supports both the renewal of the state Housing Trust Fund and greater enforcement of housing element policies.
Environment: Believes California must continue to be a leader on the environment. Wants to be creative to pass laws and regulations in areas where the federal rules do not overrule state actions.
Jobs: Believes the best investment for local economies is to provide all children with an excellent education so that they are adequately prepared to work in the industries, which will provide the foundation for our economy in the coming decades.
28th Assembly District at a glance
Type of race: Partisan
Term: two years; limited to serving three terms.
Salary: $99,000
District boundaries: Counties include half of Monterey, all of San Benito, 5 percent of Santa Clara and a quarter of Santa Cruz. Major cities: Salinas, Watsonville, Gilroy, Hollister, San Jose.
Analysis: A mixture of rapidly growing suburbs south of San Jose and inland Monterey County farm towns along Hwy. 101. Morgan Hill was removed to accommodate heavy growth around San Jose. In the 2000 Presidential election, 60 % voted for Gore, 35 % voted for Bush. Bottom Line: Safe Democrat.
Number of constituents: about 400,000.
Ethnic breakdown: 59 % Latino; 28 % Caucasian, 9 % Asian; 2 % Black
Political breakdown: 50.6 % Democrat; 29.1 % Republican.
