There are only nine days until the Primary Election? Current Rep. Salud Carbajal canceled the debate with Andy Caldwell. The only thing Mr. Carbajal knew for sure was that he would lose to Mr. Caldwell.
The Assembly 37th District debate was emceed by Jerry Roberts. Locals you may know are Jason Dominguez, the former outcast from Santa Barbara City Council — often the case when you’re the smartest one in the room; Cathy Murrillo, with her rote endorsements, didn’t bother to show; socialist Jonathan Abboud — if you went to UCSB and never left, you would know your comrade; and 20-year Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett, who turned the Ventura school budget deficit to 13% reserves during his tenure.
Choosing with your heart is well and good, but it’s prudent to pick the person that serves the better outcome. Why waste a vote? Big egos and big playing fields dilute the election, and the clear winner is not the public. Look at Santa Barbara’s last mayoral race.
There is state Senate 19th District candidate Monique Limon. Campaign signs everywhere, but why? Obviously she is running unopposed, just like several of our own district elections. Bred in the DCC stable and ready to take orders.
Once being a state senator was respected and revered, not a pawn in the shell game.
The face-off between Laura Capps and Das Williams for County Supervisor First District is fueled by smoke and “no mas Das” camps. His campaign ads show a chatty-Cathy Montecitan lady who repeats, “What would we have done without Das during the floods?” As we remember, it was first responders at the ready, not Das.
Proposition 13 is the most important vote of all. This is a tax for 35 years; not an election cycle of two or four. This increase to everyone is sold as funding for school upgrades, but where are the bond measure monies voters already approved for schools? Property taxes will rise, rents will rise. Taxpayers may leave California and cause the next crash. That may be what the players want.
—Bonnie Donovan