Eleventh District race could help shift congressional balance of
power; land use and school board among hot races for Gilroy
Gilroy – South Valley voters in Morgan Hill and areas east of Gilroy have a chance to play a small but crucial role today in shaping the country’s future, while the most exciting races that Gilroy voters will decide involve a controversial Santa Clara County land use measure, the city’s school board race, and a raft of state initiatives.
Political pundits have dubbed the 11th Congressional district based in Tracy, where incumbent Republican Richard Pombo is fighting for his political life against Democrat Jerry McNerney, as a toss-up that could help shift control of congress to Democrats. The district, which includes Morgan Hill voters and unincorporated areas east of Gilroy, is considered a Republican stronghold, though an influx of San Franciscans searching for affordable housing and a national tide of anti-Republican sentiment have helped put the district in play this year.
Environmentalists have vilified Pombo for his efforts to open sensitive habitat to oil drilling and to overhaul the Endangered Species Act, while the national Democratic Party has funneled money into advertisements that seek to connect Pombo to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, from whom he received campaign contributions, and a broader Republican culture of corruption in Washington.
“I think it’s a real toss-up and I think it depends on turnout,” said Terry Christensen, a political science professor at San Jose State University. “I think if Democrats get out and vote up there, I think it will be a real squeaker.”
Even if Pombo retains his seat, the widely predicted Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives would leave him with far less influence. Pombo currently chairs the powerful House Resources Committee, which oversees lawmaking that effects the environment, energy and Native Americans.
“He’s out as a committee chair (if the Democrats win),” Christensen said. “It will be hard for him to affect legislation in the way that he’s been affecting it as a member of the majority and a committee chair.”
Gilroyans may not have a chance to affect politics on the national stage, but the city will have its say in a number of controversial races. Topping the list is Measure A, an initiative backed by a consortium of environmental groups that seeks to restrict the number of homes that can be constructed on hill sides and ranch lands. Political observers believe the urban makeup of Santa Clara County leaves little hope for the opposition, made up of farmers, Realtors and homeowners.
The District 1 seat to the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board of directors has turned into a competitive race for the first time in years, with a San Jose State University professor of water engineering offering a serious challenge to incumbent Rosemary Kamei. Singh claims Kamei and her colleagues on the board have allowed the agency to grow into a bloated and inefficient bureaucracy. Such criticisms are nothing new for the sprawling agency, which handles water delivery and flood control for 1.7 million county residents. Unlike past critics, however, Singh has 40 years of experience in water management. Kamei says water district directors are not meant to serve as engineers and micro-manage water projects, but to serve as a conduit of information between citizens and the agency – a role she says she has faithfully fulfilled.
In Gilroy, a flap over cheerleaders attending a field trip to Hawaii could inject some excitement into a five-person race for four seats on the Gilroy Unified School District’s board of directors. Incumbents Javier Aguirre and Tom Bundros backed a controversial decision to bar cheerleaders from attending their annual trip to the island oasis, inspiring a wave of protest from family members, friends and other supporters. Aguirre ultimately re-agendized the matter and tilted the vote in the opposite direction, though Bundros remained opposed to the trip as cutting too deeply into class time.
On the state level, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appears to have bucked the national anti-Republican sentiment and appears safely on the path to re-election. Down-ticket elections for lieutenant governor and secretary of state also could swing Republican, though Democrats hope that a strong turnout could help swing the balance in their favor.
Roughly 50 percent of Santa Clara County’s 750,000 voters are expected to cast ballots in this election, and more than a third will use absentee ballots, according to Registrar of Voters Jesse Durazo. The figures represent a 25 percent jump in absentee registrations since the June primaries, far more than the standard 10 percent increase for comparable time periods. Durazo said convenience is a big factor in the spike, but not the only one.
“I believe that when there is not a whole lot of voter unrest, the turnout tends to be status quo,” he said. “Now when they’re upset, I believe that the percentage of numbers do go up.”
Voters today will also decide on whether to approve bonds for billions of dollars in new infrastructure spending, including money for new levees, roads and schools.
A small but faithful group of cigar-puffing voters fear that Prop. 86, which would impose a $2.60 tax on each pack of cigarettes and steer it toward health programs and anti-smoking educations, could force the shuttering of the Morgan Hill Tobacco Company.
Voters will also decide the following statewide initiatives:
– to impose tougher residence restrictions and monitoring of sexual offenders (Prop. 83)
– for $5.4 billion in spending on water quality and safety projects (Prop. 84)
– to have a waiting period and mandatory parental notification before a teenager can get an abortion (Prop 85)
– to tax energy producers for investment in alternative energies (Prop. 87)
– for a $50 parcel tax for education programs (Prop. 88)
– to have public financing of political campaigns (Prop 89)
– to prohibit governments to take land from one private property owner and hand it to another in the name of economic development and to force compensation to landowners for losses in property value related to regulatory changes (Prop. 90)
Alex Kennett is running for city council in Morgan Hill, and going door to door drumming up support for Democratic causes. Voters have not been this energized, he said, since the Republican takeover of congress in 1994.
“The apathy seems to be pretty much gone,” Kennett said. “In walking neighborhoods, I haven’t run into one person who said ‘I’m not voting. My vote doesn’t count.’ So that’s been a great thing.
“Starting at 5 o’clock tomorrow night,” he added, “I’m going to start watching the poll results from the East Coast. I’m really looking at the big picture. My race is important, but the 11th District race is more important.”
Serdar Tumgoren, Senior Staff Writer, covers City Hall for The Dispatch. Reach him at 847-7109 or st*******@************ch.com.
