It is no longer clear to us that newspaper endorsements serve much of a useful purpose, except perhaps for the candidates who receive them. Given the current level of online information, there is little excuse for the average voter not to have arrived at a reasonably-informed opinion on candidates and election issues by the time a vote is taken.
Those unwilling to do the modest research necessary to become at least minimally informed are not, it could be argued, fulfilling their democratic responsibility.
For those few who can’t do that research, perhaps what follows will still have some value. We’ll break this review of candidates and issues into two parts, the first dealing with statewide races.
Governor:
Jerry Brown has a unique lock on a fourth term and no one is going to unseat him. He has a 33 percent lead over Republican challengers, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (now polling at 15 percent) and former assistant Treasury secretary Neel Kashkari (10 percent), and so much money bankrolled it’s hard to imagine he’ll lose. If Minuteman Donnelly survives the primary, he will drive the state’s Republican party further off a right-wing cliff. GOP voters should pray Kashkari beats him, if only to dignify a later loss to Brown.
Our choice: Jerry Brown.
Lieutenant Governor:
Like Brown, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has a commanding lead going into the primary vote. His closest rival is L.A. City Councilwoman Janice Hahn who trails by some 20 points. Former state Republican chairman Ron Nehring offers only token opposition. Most pundits believe Newsom, whose unbridled ambition is transparent, is already running for governor in 2018. We think they’re right. But we also think he’s the best candidate in the race.
Our choice: Gavin Newsom.
Attorney General:
Like Newsom, incumbent Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris has such a large lead she can coast through the primary. Four Republicans are in the contest but none have a remote chance of beating her. Also like Newsom, Harris is thought to be planning ahead to a 2018 gubernatorial run. She’s also proven to be an impressive attorney general.
Our choice: Kamala Harris
Secretary of State:
Incumbent Debra Bowen is termed-out, leaving the race wide open to a field of seven, not counting indicted and suspended state senator Leland Yee. There are, refreshingly, at least two viable candidates from the two major parties – Democratic State Senator Alex Padilla and Republican Pete Peterson, who runs Pepperdine University’s Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership.
Two other candidates are credible – Derek Chessman, a former Common Cause executive, and Dan Schnur, a former GOP consultant and director of USC’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute, but neither appears to have the polling numbers to make it past the primary.
The office of secretary of state needs fresh leadership, an up-to-date and fully functional public database with more comprehensive and transparent campaign finance reporting.
We think Padilla and Peterson are both attractive candidates.
Our choice: Alex Padilla and Pete Peterson, for a general election showdown.
State Controller:
Widely-respected incumbent John Chiang is termed out and a field of six candidates want to replace him, including three Democrats, two Republicans and Green Party candidate Laura Wells, a former financial analyst who won almost 500,000 votes running for the same office in 2002.
Three of the six are viable – former Assembly Speaker John Perez, Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin and former Deputy State Budget Director/current Equalization board member, Betty Yee (not to be confused with Leland). Perez has significant legislative experience, but we believe both Yee and Swearengin are better qualified. Yee has some 30 years experience in public finance, understands the system and knows the budget bureaucracy.
Swearengin is credited with keeping Fresno financially afloat during the recession and wants to improve the state’s business climate. In 2012 she won re-election with 75 percent of the vote.
We’d love to see Yee and Swearengin go head-to-head in the general election.
Our choice: Betty Yee and Ashley Swearengin.
State Treasurer:
Incumbent Bill Lockyer is termed out this year, but only three candidates are in the running to replace him, soon-to-be former Democratic controller John Chiang, former Republican PUC commissioner Greg Conlon, and Green Party attorney, Ellen Brown.
Brown is using her candidacy to promote the idea of a California state bank and Conlon says he wants to focus on the state’s pension fund crisis while improving California’s credit rating. Neither have the experience or track record of Chiang, who should be a shoo-in.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: