Editorial Editorial (February 20, 2004)

Voice endorses in local races

Measure J

This $1.6-million parcel tax measure would benefit programs and services in the Mountain View-Whisman School District, providing badly-needed funding for school sports, art, music and counseling.

To lower the tax burden on property owners, district leaders actually trimmed it from $3 million -- the amount they say they need -- a move they hope will give it the two-thirds vote it needs for approval. Unlike Measure E -- a similar $2.5 million parcel tax that was defeated last June -- Measure J has the support of the Chamber of Commerce Mountain View and no opposition from the Tri-County Apartment Association.

Measure J spreads the tax burden more equitably than Measure E between residential and commercial property owners. Small parcels, including most homes, would be assessed $75 a year, with owners of larger commercial lots paying more based on a sliding scale that tops out at $600 a year.

By raising only $1.6 million, the parcel tax will not replace all of the state funding lost last year, although it will enable the district to maintain some sports, arts and counseling programs. But even if the tax passes, closure of a school campus is possible, according to school officials. Without the new tax, that outcome is virtually certain, one board member said. We urge residents to support this badly-needed tax and vote yes on Meaure J.

State Senate District 13

Mountain View voters face a tough choice in the Democratic primary for State Senate. Two strong candidates, former Assembly member Elaine Alquist and Assembly member Manny Diaz hope to fill the seat of John Vasconcellos, who is retiring due to term limits. Given the district's heavy Democratic registration, the primary winner is a virtual shoo-in to win in November. Jose Medeiros of San Jose is also in the race, but has not held a public office before.

Alquist, of Cupertino, is running a strong campaign based on her Assembly service representing District 22, which includes Mountain View. Former Mayor Sally Lieber, who is unopposed in the primary, has held the seat since 2002, when term limits forced Alquist to step down. A longtime school board member, Alquist chaired committees on aging and higher education during her six years in Sacramento and served on the K-12 education committee.

Diaz, a former PG & E engineer, is in his second Assembly term, representing San Jose in District 23. He is a former San Jose City Council member and Planning Commissioner and serves on the critical budget committee in the Assembly. Diaz also chairs an Assembly subcommittee on Information Technology and Transportation, and Select Committees on Housing in the Silicon Valley and on Information Technology and the High-Tech Workforce.

Both candidates have similar values in many areas, including strong support for all levels of education, health care and a willingness to back additional taxes if Proposition 57, the Governor's $15 billion bond issue, fails to pass. Both are the first in their families to be born in America (Alquist is of Greek and Diaz of Mexican heritage), and both have shown the capability to carry bills and get them passed into legislation.

But in this race, we give the edge to Diaz, whose enthusiasm and charisma are infectious, especially when he is talking about making sure the state does not run roughshod over the lives of those citizens who are least able to cope in today's tough economy. Diaz, who has earned the support of labor unions and the Sierra Club, is quick to point out that he has never forgotten where he comes from, recalling the days when his five-person family slept in one room in a San Francisco apartment.

Those memories are a driving force in his legislative agenda today. He points to his successful plan to create a children's health insurance program while on the San Jose City Council and the state legislation he authored that offers incentives for other California counties that copy the program.

Diaz, who unfortunately missed a Mountain View debate with Alquist several weeks ago, nevertheless is very familiar with Mountain View concerns. In an interview with Voice reporters and editors, Diaz identified "basic aid" school funding, transportation, the rights of day workers, rights of mobile home owners and affordable housing as issues of local importance. And, as a state Senator, Diaz would be in close contact with his colleague and Assembly member Sally Lieber, who has endorsed his candidacy.

We urge Mountain View residents to vote for District 13 State Senate candidate Manny Diaz on March 2.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.