Election Tomorrow

I'm sure any of you readers who live in San Bernardino County's 3rd District are well aware of tomorrow's election. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been receiving numerous campaign fliers and attack ads, and multiple robocalls every day for the past week or so. Frankly, I am sick of both of the candidates, Neil Derry (currently on the San Bernardino city council) and Dennis Hansberger (the incumbent). Apparently Hansberger is running behind in the polls - in Yucaipa pollsters found 42% going for Derry, 21% going for Hansberger and 37% undecided - which could explain the desperate campaigning.

The Press-Enterprise endorses Derry:

Neil Derry is the better choice in this race. Derry, a San Bernardino city councilman, can provide a more professional approach and a better sense of ethics. Incumbent Dennis Hansberger, who has served a total of 24 years on the board, is unlikely to offer those badly needed improvements.

Derry understands the need for the county to impose development fees to fund roads, facilities and services. And he supports a more coordinated approach to planning. However, Derry will need to demonstrate independence from the public employee unions that back him, along with other special interests, to show voters he is serious about ethics.

The San Bernardino County Sun endorses Hansberger.

Personally, I'm not overly keen on either candidate, and I'll probably decide before I head out to vote tomorrow. Now if one of them had proposed extending the no call list to political campaigners, I'd give my endorsement in a second*.

Also on the ballot are two statewide propositions on eminent domain, Prop 98 and Prop 99. Prop 98 not only would prohibit government from taking private property for private use, but would also prohibit rent control. Prop 99 focuses on protecting owner-occupied homes.

I personally don't think either proposition is the best way to stop the potential for eminent domain abuse, so I'll be voting "no" on both. The Press-Enterprise agrees, endorsing "no" both, while the Sun says "no" on 98 and "yes" on 99. If you aren't sure, check out BallotPedia's article on California Proposition 98 versus California Proposition 99.

* According to this San Diego Union-Tribune article, California law requires that a "live" person has to come on line before the recording, but I don't think any of the calls I received has a "live" person at the beginning. Unfortunately to complain I'd have to figure out who was actually making the call, and I'd rather just hang up/erase the message without having to listen to it.

Tags: Yucaipa,election, San Bernardino County