EDITORIAL COMMENT
Joe Nation best bet for state Senate
Intellect, integrity and track record of effectiveness give former assemblyman the edge in Democratic primary
Published: Thursday, May 15, 2008
Registered Democrats in Petaluma face a three-way choice in the June 3 primary on who will represent them in the race this fall for state Senate. Democratic incumbent Carol Migden is being challenged by former North Bay Assemblyman Joe Nation and current San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno. Given the strong Democratic registration in the district, whoever wins this contest is practically guaranteed to become the next senator.
Migden, a former member of the Assembly who is finishing her first Senate term, has been widely viewed as an effective and productive legislator who gets things done. Unlike her predecessors in the district, which includes the eastern half of San Francisco, Migden has taken an active interest in the needs of her south Sonoma County constituents and was effective in getting money for the Highway 101 widening as well as Tolay Lake Regional Park acquisition.
But Migden’s record is blemished by a record $350,000 fine levied by the Fair Political Practices Commission earlier this year for campaign spending violations. Also, she left her position as chairwoman of the powerful Senate Appropri-ations Committee in late 2005 following an embarrassing incident in which she press-ed the voting button of an absent Republican assemblyman in an apparent attempt to pass one of her own bills.
Challenger Mark Leno is an intelligent and capable state legislator with strong environmental credentials who has done a great deal to famil-iarize himself with the issues facing Petaluma residents.
But we’re concerned about Leno’s statement to the Press Democrat in February that he’d received $10,000 in campaign donations from supporters of a massive casino complex proposed for Rohn-ert Park. He later told the Argus-Courier that he’d re-ceived much less than $10,000 from casino supporters, and promised to provide a full accounting of the donations. The promised list of donations never arrived, and Leno remains the only candidate unwilling to take a strong position against casino development in Sonoma County.
Joe Nation, by contrast, introduced a constitutional amendment as an assemblyman that would have put a moratorium on new casino development, and remains steadfastly opposed to the gargantuan development that would create a host of problems for Petaluma area residents, not the least of which would be extreme traffic congestion along Highway 101. He endorses statewide legislation that would require a local vote before the state could approve gaming compacts.
Nation performed effectively for Petalumans during his six years in Sacramento and possesses the leadership skills, intelligence, integrity and a record of working effectively with fellow lawmakers to tackle tough issues and solve problems.
He wrote legislation making it possible to create a two-county rail transit system in Sonoma and Marin that voters will decide whether to fund later this year. He worked hard to secure funding for Highway 101 expansion between Petalu-ma and Novato, and was the principal author of a landmark climate change bill that created new policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the state.
A strong proponent of public education, Nation refused, as an assemblyman, to endorse the governor’s budget proposal to suspend a state law guaranteeing minimum levels of funding for public education.
Nation took up a tough fight to establish a workable health care program in California, and his current health care plan closely mirrors federal proposals by Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
We believe Nation’s integrity, intelligence and ability to work effectively with others to get things done make him the best Democratic candidate for state Senate.
