Point Reyes Light - October 31, 2002
The Light Endorses
By Andrew Pridgen
BOLINAS-STINSON SCHOOL DISTRICT
Incumbents Frankie Accardi and Charlie Ross, who have participated in two of the most active years in the board’s recent history are facing formidable challengers.
• Accardi is the lone candidate from Stinson Beach. This alone makes her voice important, but aside from geography, Accardi’s appeal is her proven ability to work with other trustees, as well as parents and teachers. Accardi is well-known as being a truly "good soul" and seems to be reinvigorated for the next round.
• Incumbent Ross appreciates the importance of keeping young families in Bolinas, despite the untenable cost of living, but because his votes often mirror those of school board President Tomas Krakauer, Ross’ potential leadership is not always evident.
• Challenger Meg Simonds would provide a different voice on the board; which in the past two years has introduced a Spanish program in the district and built a computer lab. She has been less vocal about classroom size, budget constraints, and dwindling enrollment. We believe the challenger when she says she can work well with other trustees, even when they disagree, although she plans to stick to her convictions "even when outnumbered." For decades, Simonds has worked for many Bolinas causes and has well-thought-out views.
• Tom Williard is a relative newcomer to Bolinas who has involved himself in many school committees in the past two years. His wife teaches for the district, which may or may not be an advantage. He has a keen understanding of the issues, but his lack of tenure in town may prohibit him from earning a seat this election. Look for Williard’s name to pop up again regardless of this November’s outcome.
• Matt Lewis, a 1976 graduate of the district, barely lost the trustee election last time, and the time before that, and the time before that. He has shown his immense, sometimes scary, resolve to stay involved in the district. Since his last defeat, Lewis started a Bolinas-Stinson student council and became chairman of the district’s technology committee, which helped bring a computer lab to Bolinas School. It’s no secret that he and school board president Krakauer relish the opportunity of working together. The Light endorses Frankie Accardi, Meg Simonds, and Matt Lewis.
MARIN HEALTHCARE DISTRICT
The debate over whether the district should keep trying to break Marin General Hospital’s lease to Sutter Health may finally be dying. In the ashes of a debate that once was is the state of healthcare in California. Although whether to keep or break the lease is no longer the district board’s top priority, Sutter now faces a new generation of critics. The issues of hospital staffing and patient-care problems are still rampant and even worsening. The tradition of the district board being a bunch of Ross Valleyites using the meetings to get in awkward and personal skirmishes is both dated and pointless.
• Board president Lawrence Arnstein is a doctor who has been with the hospital 12 years and has grown increasingly critical of Sutter’s practices. He vows to do more for patient care, making that his focus of his reelection campaign.
• Incumbent Suzanna Coxhead, the lone Sutter proponent, believes the state of healthcare at Marin General has improved drastically, especially with the addition of a trauma unit.
• John Severinghaus of Ross, doctor and educator, is anti-Sutter but more realistic about the district’s inability to break its lease with the corporation. Instead of flogging a dead horse, he hopes to use this (perhaps his last) term on the board to find new directions.
• Newcomer Jennifer Rienks of Fairfax wants to increase the nursing staff, pediatric services, care for the mentally ill, and neurosurgeon coverage, as well as keep Sutter in check. Her proposals sound realistic.
• Anthony Nyberg of Mill Valley believes the addition of a trauma center has improved the hospital although he still believes it can be wrested from Sutter.
• Lynette Shaw of Fairfax, who has been on the self-proclaimed "other side" of healthcare as Marin’s most prominent medical-marijuana activist, says she is ready for a change on the district. Shaw’s politicking is limited but includes an ill-advised attempt to recall Marin District Attorney Paula Kamena. The recall effort won only 14 percent of the vote but cost county taxpayers $500,000, a fact that may have crippled her politically in this election.
• Other candidates Peter Romanowsky, Raymond Perkins, and Robert Case have not made their positions known.
The Light endorses Rienks, Arnstein, and Severinghaus.
GOVERNOR
• Incumbent Democrat Gray Davis appears to have already bought his re-election by rewarding with porkbarrel legislation those corporations and unions that are financing his campaign. Liberals and conservatives legitimately can’t stand the sight of him. His vetoes of parole board decisions – although the boards are almost entirely composed of law-and-order types – amount to politically grandstanding at the expense of people’s lives. West Marin alone can’t unseat him, but it can at least kick him there.
• Republican challenger Bill Simon is hardly a legitimate challenger. Not only has his family business been a financial disaster, the millionaire-turned-politician has never showed enough civic interest in the past to serve on a school board.
• Peter Camejo – The Light likes Green Party candidate Camejo’s attention to this part of the world and was impressed by his appearance at the Dance Palace. West Marin, however, may be one of the few regions of California he can carry. While we respect him, the Greens still make us a bit uneasy, for most countries that have opted out of international trade have suffered poverty and corruption. Some of the Green Party’s fears continue to be unfounded. As we see it their bogeyman, "globalization," is less a scheme of avaricious governments than a description of the international flow of capital and goods. Regardless of whether they think international trade is good, the Greens need to make the distinction or they will remain the marginal, misunderstood party that put George W. Bush in office. Camejo is closer to reality, but it’s safe to say he’ll be spending the next four years regrouping to run against Republican actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democrat Attorney General Bill Lockyer in 2006. The Light endorses Peter Camejo.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Aside from the occasional gaffe, Cruz Bustamante is a good politician. The man who’s brought many issues from Latino farmworkers in the Central Valley to Sacramento has the background to communicate and contribute directly to some of the same problems that affect West Marin. To his credit, the lieutenant governor has also had some fundamental run-ins with Governor Davis. Bustamante is the logical choice.
SECRETARY OF STATE
Assemblyman and majority leader Kevin Shelley has a history of being the type of politician who understands not only the politics but also the consequences of the laws he helps draft. Shelley doesn’t grandstand or mince words, and he knows how to work within the system. His environmental record is exemplary. In February, he received a rare 100 percent approval rating from the California Conservation League of Voters, which rates members of the Legislature on how they voted on environmental issues. The Light endorses Kevin Shelley.
STATE CONTROLLER
Republican Senator Tom McClintock has on his website a "Davis Inc. Favors for Friends Clock" which provides up-to-the-minute campaign-fund donations to the governor. But don’t let the gimmicky clock fool you. McClintock, a conservative, promotes fiscal responsibility. If California were a country, its economy would be the fourth largest in the world; nonetheless, it’s budget is often Third World, and it’s time to bite the bullet and elect a conservative as controller. In fact, McClintock is the only candidate who actually knows what the job entails and is not afraid to cross party lines to do it right. The Light endorses Tom McClintock.
STATE TREASURER
Phil Angelides has walked the fine, almost invisible, line of being both developer and public servant for almost three decades and has gained a favorable reputation in the state as treasurer. As a legislator, he developed a reputation as one of the few honest lawmakers in Sacramento. There’s no reason that Republican Greg Conlon should dethrone Angelides. Angelides is strong member of the Democratic Party, who has also earned the respect of the private sector. The Light endorses Phil Angelides.
ATTORNEY GENERALAnother term as attorney general will be the final stop on the political ladder for incumbent Democrat Bill Lockyer before he makes a run for governor in 2006. His opponents are unknowns, so Lockyer is essentially running unopposed. The Light endorses Bill Lockyer.
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER
In a fight between Republican businessman Gary Mendoza and less-Republican rancher John Garamendi, the results may not provide much of a victory for either party. Titular Democrat Garamendi, who served as insurance commissioner from 1991 to 1995, has a longer record of public service, but his private sector dealings could hurt him. Mendoza has a squeaky clean reputation. Neither candidate appears to have an ulterior motive although if Garamendi wins, he can be expected to look for greener pastures before long. The Light endorses Gary Mendoza.
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION
Because of term limits Assemblywoman Carol Migden needs a place to hang her hat for two years before she can try to make a run for the State Senate seat John Burton will have to give up because of term limits. Migden has been doing similar work in the Assembly and is ready to help manage revenues for that support hundreds of state and local government programs, including hospitals and health care services, law enforcement, and local governments. She’s always been tactful and knowledgeable of West Marin’s issues, and on the Board of Equalization, she will work to take the tax burden off elderly, disabled, and lower-income working families. The Light endorses Carol Migden.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Always well-intended and sometimes a voice in the wilderness, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey has championed those opposed to a war in Iraq. Meanwhile, opponent Paul Erickson, a Santa Rosa-based real estate appraiser, says he would support a war, and of Hussein: "His weapons need to be taken away from him." The Light endorses Lynn Woolsey.
STATE ASSEMBLY
Of late, Democratic Assemblyman Joe Nation has come under fire from the National Federation of Independent Business for voting in favor of several small bills to increase workers’ compensation, paid family leave, and the minimum wage. Nation, a former Marin Municipal Water District director and a small-business owner himself, seems to see the big picture on issues even when he’s outnumbered. Still in his first term, Nation still makes occasional missteps, like grandstanding about raising the smoking age while important budget battles loom. However, he continues to establish himself as a formidable power amidst a crop of young heavyweights in Sacramento. The Light endorses Joe Nation.
Bolinas Advisory Measure R – After advisory-poll Measure D, which would have endorsed a county-proposed bike path between Bolinas School and downtown, lost 225-267 in March, townspeople drafted compromise Measure R. Bolinas Public Utility District again placed the advisory poll on the ballot but this time opted to include all residents within Bolinas Fire Protection District vote, not merely residents within the utility district. This means people on Horseshoe Hill Road and other outlying areas of Bolinas can vote. Measure R proposes building a two-way bicycle/pedestrian path on the east side of the Olema-Bolinas Road from the school to the Mesa Road intersection. The path would be separated from the road by at least five feet of natural vegetation and out of view in many locations. The Light endorses Measure R.
Measure S (Bolinas parcel tax) – Too many people have worked too long to have Mesa Park remain mostly uncompleted. Measure S would approve a $36 per year parcel tax for four years to cover for maintenance and operation of the park. The park, which is now run on a volunteer basis, provides the community with three playfields, a playground and a basketball court. At $3 a month for a much-needed place for children to play, The Light feels residents of Bolinas are getting a bargain. The Light endorses Measure S.
Measure T (Stinson Beach Water District appropriations) – This measure will cost Stinson taxpayers nothing and will merely allow the water district to hang onto all the property taxes it is due. The alternative would be to spread it among other local governments. The Light endorses Measure T
State Proposition 46 – Unlike most big-dollar bond propositions, this one actually carries the torch of responsibility to those who aren’t usually able to benefit from big money. Proposition 46 would authorize borrowing $2.1 billion for the Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2002. Counties, like Marin will receive money desperately needed for shelter beds, housing for seniors and low-income families (are you listening EAH?) and shelters for battered women and their children. Yes on Proposition 46
Proposition 47 – Another big bond measure, this time dedicated to upgrading schools. Although some West Marin schools are in good shape, many California schools have crumbling ceilings, lights that fade out, and bathrooms that flood. Kindergarten is a hard enough adjustment as it is. Yes on Prop. 47
Proposition 48 – Otherwise known as a housekeeping measure, this continues to consolidate superior and municipal court into one system. The state trying to streamline the courts? We can’t believe it, but we laud them for trying. Yes on Proposition 48.
Proposition 49 – Muscle-bound actor Arnold Schwarzenegger has apparently chosen to be the spokesman for Proposition 49 to give him political exposure before he runs for governor 2006. For all his efforts, Proposition 49 subverts the budget process by earmarking money for before- and after-school programs even when schools have more pressing needs. No on Proposition 49.
Proposition 50 – Another big bond issue, but one with local implications. It would authorize $3.4 billion in bonds in West Marin that potentially could help the Inverness, Point Reyes, and Stinson Beach water systems, as well as the Tomales sewer system. The subsidizing of septic-system repairs would also be eligible for bond money. Yes on Proposition 50.
Proposition 51 indiscriminately puts about $1 billion annually toward a short list of traffic and transit problems without adequate review. No on 51.
Proposition 52 would provide automatic voter registration when one receives a driver’s license. California residents are already forced to spend too much time filling out mostly repetitive forms. Yes on Proposition 52.
Judicial Races
The 15 candidates for associate justices of the State Supreme Court and judges of the State Appeals Court are unopposed, so The Light is not endorsing any particular judge.