Voters will face another election in just three short months.
While the March 2, presidential primary race will garner most of
the attention, there are local races that Morgan Hill and San
Martin voters will want to follow.
Voters will face another election in just three short months. While the March 2, presidential primary race will garner most of the attention, there are local races that Morgan Hill and San Martin voters will want to follow.
• Measure P, the voter-approved residential growth-control ordinance mandating that Morgan Hill not grow larger than 38,800 by 2010, will go before the voters in its new and updated form, which broadens the figures to 48,000 by a sunset of 2020.
A large committee of about 20 members from many parts of the community worked together for over a year to revamp the initiative, which was passed as Measure P in 1990, replacing an earlier Measure E.
The revision was intended to make the initiative reflect today’s growth reality in Morgan Hill and make it less complicated for city staff and developers to deal with. The measure, which will be assigned a name by the county Registrar of Voters, needs a simple majority to pass.
• Voters will also approve – or disapprove – a countywide parcel tax to fund operations at the nine Santa Clara County libraries.
The parcel tax would increase the countywide assessment that operates the Morgan Hill, Gilroy and seven other county libraries, buying books, paying staff, keeping the doors open six (or seven) days a week. The current assessment of $33.66 per parcel, expires in 2005.
Voters will be asked to approve $42 per parcel for seven years. The current $33.66 assessment paid 40 percent of library operating costs when it was approved in 1995 and now covers only 24 percent of costs, library officials say.
If the parcel tax fails, the Joint Powers Authority (that operates the Santa Clara County Library System) will lose an estimated $1 million from its operating funds. This tax needs approval from two-thirds of voters to pass.
• Gavilan Community College District will ask the voters to authorize the sale of $108 million in bonds to cover renovation of the aging campus in Gilroy, to upgrade library and student services center,, provide a permanent San Benito County facility and buy land for a permanent Morgan Hill facility.
If passed by a 55 percent majority, would add $15 per $100,000 of assessed value to homeowners’ property tax bills in the South Valley and San Benito County.
• Two statewide measures are also on the ballot.
Proposition 55 would allow the state to sell $12.3 billion in bonds to pay for school and university construction and renovation projects; it was added to the ballot by the Legislature.
Proposition 56 is an initiative that would allow lawmakers to pass budgets with 55 percent majorities instead of the current two-third’ requirement. Tax increases needed to balance the budget could also be passed by the same 55 percent margin.
Voters will not find a bond issue authorizing the state government to borrow $15 billion to cover part of the huge state deficit since the Legislature and the governor could not reach agreement by last Friday’s deadline. The issue will likely appear in November.
CANDIDATES
Santa Clara County Open Space Authority district one representative Alex Kennett, the Morgan Hill resident and incumbent, is running unopposed, though the filing deadline for OSA’s district 3 has been extended to Wednesday, Dec. 10 because that incumbent is not running.
Morgan Hill voters will select their candidates for the 11th Congressional District. Incumbent Richard Pombo is a Republican who has represented Stockton and parts of the central valley since 1991. Morgan Hill, but not San Martin or Gilroy, was added to his district in the 2000 redistricting. Pombo was on Morgan Hill’s 11th district ballot for the first time in November 2002.
No one of any party has filed to run in any party against the congressman.
San Martin’s 16th District congressional representative, Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat (Morgan Hill was formerly in her district), is being challenged by Democrat Carleton Louis Beswick in the primary.
Republican Doug Adams McNea and Libertarian Markus Welch are seeking the nod from their parties. Winner of the Congressional seat will be determined Nov. 2 election.
In the 27th Assembly District, (Morgan Hill and San Martin) Assemblyman John Laird has announced that he is running for a second two-year term. Laird, a Democrat from Santa Cruz with a long history of public and government service, is unopposed. Jack D. Barlich, the mayor of Del Rey Oaks, is running to be the Republican candidate who challenges Laird in November.
The 15th State Senate District (Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy, all of San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties) has long been represented by Bruce McPherson, R-Santa Cruz, who is not running again because he is “termed out.”
Margaret A. Pinard, San Luis Obispo County supervisor, is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for McPherson’s seat, Ryen Brook Madsen for the Green Party’s. Assemblyman Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, who was first elected to the Assembly in November 2000 and is a member of an agri-business family, will seek the Republican nomination.
Winner of the November 2004 election will replace McPherson in the state Senate.
Incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer, a Democrat, is being challenged by no Democrat. Republicans Tony Casey and Bill Quraishi, Don James Grundman of the American Independent Party, James P. Gray and Gail Lightfoot, Libertarian and Marsha J. Feinland, Peace and Freedom are running for their parties’ nominations to challenge Boxer.
No City Council members are on the ballot, though the seats of Hedy Chang and Larry Carr will be up for re-election in November 2004. The mayor’s position in Morgan Hill is a two-year, elected position and will be up for re-election also in November, 2004. These positions are nonpartisan.
Morgan Hill School Board seats up for election in November are those currently held by George Panos, Jan Masuda and Del Foster.
Council and school board terms are for four years.
Three Gavilan Community College trustees are up for re-election in November 2004. Leonard Washington (a Morgan Hill seat), Mark Dover (a Gilroy seat) and Tom Breen (a San Benito County seat) are all eligible to run again. Voters throughout the college district will determine winners of any trustee races.
California has a “modified closed primary system” in which voters registered in qualified parties can vote for candidates of that party. Voters registered “Decline to State,” non-partisan or an unqualified party will only be able to vote in non-partisan contests.
The “modification” in the California system allows qualified party committees to alter their party rules allowing cross over voting by voters not registered in qualified parties (i.e.: Decline to State, non-partisan or an unqualified party).
The following parties allowing cross-over voting by decline-to-state voters: American Independent, Democratic (cannot vote for Central Committee), Republican (cannot vote for presidential nominee or Central Committee).
The last day to register to vote in the primary is Feb. 17, 2004. Registration can be handled on line at www.sccvote.gov, by calling the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters at 299-8683. Registration forms will be available at public libraries and City Hall.
