CA SENATE DISTRICT 15 DEBATE
Senate redistricting for the 2004 California election has moved Monterey Bay communities, excepting Santa Cruz, into District 15, which ranges approximately 200 miles to the south. The sparsely populated Big Sur coast separates the northern and southern communities of the District. The two candidates who have filed for this open Senate position are a State Assemblymember (Abel Maldonado, R) and a County Supervisor (Peg Pinard, D) both from the southern-most area of the new district. Both candidates have marginal name recognition among voter groups in the northern communities of District 15.
Public statements by both candidates suggest that the two candidates offer a clear choice and differ in opinion on most issues that impact the northern precincts. The reapportionment has created a complex election dynamic in which neither the Monterey Bay area voters nor the candidates share a common political history, and Latino voters are particularly negatively impacted by this change. Without doubt, the candidates' positions will be integral to determining the outcome of the Senate election in this area and a non-partisan program that provides opportunity for pre-election voter education is imperative.
District 15 can be logically divided into three zones: the northern Monterey Bay communities, the Santa Clara region, and the southern district (which includes San Luis Obispo and four communities in Santa Barbara County).
Within the northern Monterey Bay area there are 12 communities with Latino populations greater than the average (24.4%) for the entire district. Further, there are 17 communities with proportionately more Latino voters than San Luis Obispo, the home of both senate candidates. In the southern area, there are only two communities with Latino voter populations greater than 24.4%; 76% of the Latino voters in this area reside in Santa Maria. Similarly, in the Santa Clara area, there are only two communities with more than the district average Latino voters. In summary, the northern Monterey Bay communities include more Latino voters, and they are dispersed throughout many communities. A diffuse distribution of Latino voters dilutes the communication among these citizens, and in the Monterey Bay area these voters are particularly disadvantaged by the separation from the Hispanic leadership of the Salinas community.
To inform voters in the District 15 northern communities, the LWVMP is sponsoring a candidate debate. A $9800 Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grant proposed by the LWVMP requested funds for a large central location, extensive publicity, taping for public rebroadcast, and multilingual concurrent interpretation. The overall goal of the HAVA proposal was to enfranchise the diverse voter population of northern District 15 through direct candidate contact, open discussion, and debate of issues central to Monterey Bay representation in the California State Senate.
To date, the State Finance Department has not released the HAVA funds. However, our Voters Service Director has found additional cosponsors to enable the LWVMP to host the debate. The sponsors currently are the LWV of the Monterey Peninsula, The Monterey County Herald, and the Best Western Beach Hotel. While some arrangements remain to be resolved, the Debate will be Sunday, October 3, 2004, at the Best Western Beach Hotel. There will be a Sunset Candidates Reception at 6:30 P.M., followed by the debate at 7:00 P.M.
PLEASE NOTE: The Voters Service Committee meets monthly in the evening on the fourth Monday. Join them for idea exchange and project planning. For the venue of the next meeting, contact us. If you can help but cannot attend the meetings, there are still many opportunities to help.
