EDITORIAL: Good candidates for Congress, state races EDITORIAL: Good candidates for Congress, state races (October 30, 2002)

Area voters will see some familiar names when they go to the polls next Tuesday. Besides the hotly contested race for Menlo Park City Council, incumbents Anna Eshoo, Jackie Speier and Joe Simitian are seeking re-election to Congress, state Senate, and state Assembly, respectively. Larry Hassett, who was appointed to fill the unexpired term of the late Betsy Crowder on the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District board, is running to retain his seat. And, the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, which serves 89,000 residents in Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto and adjacent unincorporated areas, is asking voters to approve Measure G, which would raise the ceiling on the district's expenditures.

Anna Eshoo on right track in Congress

Since being elected to her first term in Congress in 1992, Atherton resident Anna Eshoo has become an articulate spokesperson for Silicon Valley residents and the high-tech industry that drives so much of the local economy.

She is a strong advocate for full access to health care, protecting the environment and women's issues. And she believes that the events of September 11 have changed the economy so drastically that Congress should roll back President Bush's tax cut and pass legislation to benefit lower-income workers.

Like many House members from California, Rep. Eshoo voted against President Bush's resolution to mount a pre-emptive strike on Iraq, saying she would support action only if the United Nations concurred and the president sought approval of Congress.

After five terms, Ms. Eshoo has proven herself more than capable of representing this district. We urge voters to return her to a sixth term in Congress.

Sen. Speier for another state Senate term

Now that Woodside and Portola Valley voters find themselves moved from state Sen. Byron Sher's District 11, they will have an opportunity to re-elect incumbent Jackie Speier, the Hillsborough Democrat who has represented District 8 for the past four years.

Sen. Speier has served five terms in the state Assembly, and if re-elected, will serve her second and last term in the state Senate. She is known for her interest in consumer affairs and her ability to get legislation through the Legislature. Twenty-three of her bills were signed into law during the 2001 legislative session and she was recently named Legislator of the Year by the League of California Cities.

Ms. Speier has worked hard to safeguard Californians' financial privacy and played a major role in securing funds for Caltrain's Baby Bullet trains. She also played a major role in getting upgrades for the critical Hetch Hetchy water system. Let's pray that San Francisco voters pass the $1.6 billion bond issue on their ballot to authorize their share of upgrading the aging and rickety water supply system.

We urge Woodside and Portola Valley residents to re-elect Jackie Speier to the State Senate.

Simitian deserves another term

It is no surprise that Palo Alto Democrat Joe Simitian has become one of the most successful freshman legislators in Sacramento. Mr. Simitian is a former member of the Palo Alto School Board, the Palo Alto City Council, and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, and it did not take long for his thorough and thoughtful approach to problem-solving to make him a valued representative in the state Legislature.

Besides his accomplishments on the legislative side, we tip our hats to Mr. Simitian for going out of his way to meet constituents and for instituting the "There ought to be a law" contest, which seeks ideas for new legislation from the general public. It is a good way to generate positive feelings about the often-maligned legislative process.

Mr. Simitian spent many hours this year attempting to work out a compromise on a complicated local charter school issue, work that unfortunately was for naught; Gov. Gray Davis vetoed the bill. This was a disappointing outcome, since the measure was supported by the Sequoia Union High School District and a charter school interest group.

Mr. Simitian has proven that he can operate successfully in the state Legislature. We urge voters to re-elect Joe Simitian to a second term in the state Assembly.
Return Hassett to the open space district

Skyline resident Larry Hassett has ably filled the Ward 6 seat of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District board, since taking over after Betsy Crowder was killed two years ago in a freak auto accident in Portola Valley.

Mr. Hassett has become a firm supporter of the district, which preserves and manages 47,000 acres of open space in the Peninsula mountains and Baylands. He supports annexation of most of the Coastside to help manage and preserve it for agriculture and open space.

His opponent, Libertarian Jack Hickey, would prefer to see the district go out of business and install profit-making ventures like golf courses on the property, a sentiment we doubt is shared by anyone who uses the trails and forests in the greenbelt along Skyline Boulevard.

Mr. Hassett believes the district is an asset that should be preserved. We agree, and urge voters to return Larry Hassett to the Ward 6 seat of the district for a full four-year term.
Support Measure G for fire district

Measure G asks voters to approve a higher spending limit, from $15.3 million to $25 million, for the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. The change does not mean taxes will increase, or that the district's budget will go up. In fact, the new limit will simply permit the district to spend the tax money it already receives.

This measure is made necessary by the Gann Initiative, which requires all government agencies to get voter approval when they seek to increase spending due to growth or expanded services. The district receives a portion of local property tax revenues, which have increased in recent years due to growth in both development and property values, causing the need for Measure G.