Slo Coast Journal's Election 2012 Endorsements
How incredibly lucky we are — those of us who live on the Central Coast and Americans in general — to be able to vote for the array of candidates who are candidates in the November 6 election. Each and every one that the Slo Coast Journal is endorsing are prizes, who will serve us beyond all expectations — if we do our job and just VOTE!
Their— and our— biggest risk is us not voting.
Why would we, the voters, fail to do our job and vote? Because among the five we are endorsing, many seem shoo-ins. But they only seem to be because they are such attractive candidates and many people, oddly enough, don't realize that they are not going to win without them getting a lot of votes.
Lois Capps
Take Congresswoman Lois Capps, with offices in Washington, D.C., Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. She is an incumbent being contested by Abel Maldonado, who is at loose ends now that he is no longer lieutenant governor and has a history of Republicanism, which includes opposing most every thing that Democrats, President Barack Obama, and Capps believe in.
Capps describes serving in Congress as "the honor of a lifetime" and feels incredibly fortunate to work on behalf of Central Coast residents.
On the Health Subcommittee, Lois' background as a registered nurse has helped her play a key role in many of the major health policy debates in Congress, including enactment of historic health insurance reform. She authored the Nurse Reinvestment Act, which addresses our country's chronic nursing shortage. She has passed legislation to help persons suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease, improve CPR training in schools, and reduce domestic violence. She has helped to lead the fight to expand children's health care, enact mental health parity legislation and promote stem cell research. She has also been deeply involved in the efforts to protect Medicare, expand the use of health information technology, and improve cancer care.
She also is one of the leaders of the pro-choice community in Congress and has also been a leading voice for improving access to emergency contraception. Capps has helped bring national attention to maternal mortality, both here and abroad, by authoring much needed legislation on the issue. She also has authored legislation to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease and stroke in women, the HEART for Women Act.
For more on her background, go to Slo Coast Journal - Lois Capps.
Bill Monning
Currently a member of the state assembly, Bill is the leading candidate for state Senate covering San Luis Obispo County and elsewhere.
As a current member of the California State Assembly, he has had the honor of representing portions of Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties since his election in 2008 and re-election in 2010. Monning's Republican opposition is barely heard from but could surprise if his supporters do not vote for probably the most able Senator candidate to come along in many years. He listens and acts on behalf of his constituents.
He says:
We face high stakes in the November election. In addition to key candidate races at all levels of government, California's future will be further defined by voter turnout and voice on eleven ballot measures. I am supporting Proposition 30 to protect funding to education, higher education, public safety, CAL FIRE, and disability services. I oppose Proposition 32 as I believe it is a deceptive measure, funded by out of state corporate interests that seek to stifle the First Amendment rights of working families and members of unions in California. In light of the Citizens United decision that recognized “corporate personhood” and the right of corporations to make unlimited contributions in the political arena, it is indeed hypocritical to consider that the same free speech rights might be denied to membership organizations and working people in California.
In SLO County, I have supported voter registration and voter outreach efforts to build a strong campaign and have worked to support the re-election of Rep. Lois Capps whose continued leadership I believe will best represent the interests of families, children, students, businesses, educators, and working people in SLO and Santa Barbara counties.
I recognize that I am a newcomer to the political landscape in SLO County and appreciate the warm and open reception that I have received. I encourage you to check out my website at Bill Monning.org or visit my Facebook page, Bill Monning for Senate
"Should the voters select me to represent the beautiful 17th SD (Senate District), I will work hard to provide effective constituent services and treat all stakeholders with respect and a willingness to listen."
Personally, in my 45 years as a journalist, I have seen no elected official who could match Bill Monning.
The Journal also strongly supports Gerald Manata over Katcho Achadjian, who does not adequately represent our coastal area and, worse yet, has started to support Morro Bay and Cayucos in advocating the building of a new WWTP in Morro Bay, which the Coastal Commission adamantly opposes and which which would be costly to Morro Bay ad Cayucos.
The only local election that the Journal is covering this time around is being waged in the Cayucos Sanitary District (CSD) where CSD president Robert Enns is seeking reelection and is being challenged by Peggy Little and Dan Lloyd for the two open seats on the board. Their election could constitute a new majority on the board with much different philosophical positions.
Little says if elected, she would be a part of the joint committee to help steer the Cayucos community to the future with well thought-out plans. She graduated from California State University-Dominguez Hills with degrees in science and philosophy (summa cum laude). She studied wastewater treatment plants, and has performed many analyses of different science and business projects. She uses these skills today as a self-employed Certified General Appraiser, studying land use, income sources, cost analysis and statistics. She also, with her husband, owns a manufacturing company outside the area. Here is her summary: Peggy Little
Dan Lloyd started developing properties in and around the County 12 years ago, while also handling project representation and design duties consistent with his training and experience. Today, Dan is president of his own land planning firm, LandSite, Inc. in Cayucos where he provides project design and processing services throughout the County and local cities to a diverse client base. He and Little have somewhat different views on the community of Cayucos. Read their self-composed bios to see those differences. Dan Lloyd
The Journal strongly supports Little and Lloyd for election because of their incumbent opposition.
Enns is not worth considering for reelection. One major factor is he blamed residents for delays in developing the new Morro Bay-Cayuicos wastewater treatment plant. How? By talking to much to the CSD board, not the board's endless delays in getting the project started. (See: Public Blamed for MB/CSD Sewer Plant Delay)
