PD Editorial: Press Democrat recommendations

PRESS DEMOCRAT RECOMMENDATIONS

Here is a list of PD recommendations to date for the

Nov. 4 election. It will be updated in the coming days.

NATIONAL

U.S. representative, 1st District -- Mike Thompson

U.S. representative, 6th District -- Lynn Woolsey

STATE

Proposition 1A: High-speed rail -- YES

Imagine getting from San Francisco to Los Angeles by train in 2½ hours for about $50. High-speed rail is efficient, environmentally friendly and less expensive than air travel. It also will help get the state's economy going by creating jobs and creating new business opportunities.

Proposition 2: Farming practices -- NO

This issue is too complex to be settled via campaign sloganeering. It should be reviewed by the state Legislature. Meantime, those opposed to battery cages already have alternatives.

Proposition 3: Hospital bonds -- NO

Though the purpose is noble, this is another example of ballot-box budgeting -- and that's a big contributor to the state's fiscal mess.

Proposition 5: Drug treatment -- NO

This would eliminate successful drug courts, replacing them with an untested treatment system and a new commission. Other provisions have little to do with drug treatment and should be debated on their own merits.

Proposition 6: Prison sentences -- NO

Yet another example of ballot-box budgeting, this includes no funding or spending cuts to pay for its many new mandates.

Proposition 7: Renewable energy -- NO

This is overloaded with good intentions, poor wording and loopholes. It would drive up utility bills while actually disrupting the development of renewable energy sources. It also could put the state at risk of another energy crisis.

Proposition 8: Same-sex marriage -- NO

It's time to put this issue to rest. The court ruled that the state constitution does not tolerate a distinction between unions of opposite-sex couples and those of same-sex couples. And we don't believe that voters should go out of their way to rewrite the constitution to create such a distinction.

Proposition 9: Criminal justice -- NO

This would strip away one option for reducing prison expenses, such as the cost of caring for terminally-ill and geriatric inmates.

Proposition 10: Energy bonds -- NO

The state has no money for this kind of investment, and just ordering the state to have the funds doesn't make it so. This measure also primarily benefits its sponsor, Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens.

Proposition 11: Reapportionment -- YES

The prospect of Election Day competition might make legislators more accountable to voters and less so to interest groups.

Proposition 12: Cal-Vet bonds -- YES

Since 1922, the program has helped more than 400,000 California veterans buy farms, houses and mobile homes. And in those 87 years, Cal-Vet hasn't cost taxpayers a dime.

SONOMA COUNTY

County supervisor, 1st District -- Valerie Brown

County supervisor, 3rd District -- Sharon Wright

County supervisor, 5th District -- Efren Carrillo

Measure J: Bellevue school bond -- YES

This is one of the largest elementary school districts in the county, and enrollment is projected to grow along with its south Santa Rosa neighborhood. Bonds would upgrade older schools and add needed classrooms in newer schools.

Measure K: Petaluma rate rollback -- NO

No one likes paying more, but Petaluma's rates are in the middle of the pack for Sonoma County, and that money will pay for a new treatment plant to serve residents well for years to come.

Measure L: Rohnert Park rate rollback -- NO

With annual revenue from sewer fees dropping from about $11.5 million to $7.8 million, the city wouldn't have enough to cover its $8.2 million-a-year share of the cost of running the regional treatment system.

Measure M: Sebastopol utility tax -- YES

As a result of revenue lost to the state, officials say, Sebastopol put off street repairs and other maintenance projects. A utility tax will allow the city to catch up on deferred maintenance without cutting services such as police and fire.

Measure N: Windsor hotel tax -- YES

Visitors use local roads and sometimes need police, an ambulance ride or another public service. Transient-occupancy taxes help pay for those services.

Measure O: Gold Ridge fire tax -- YES

Few services are more vital to rural residents than those provided by the firefighters at such agencies as the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District, which hasn't had a tax increase since 1987.

Measure P: Sonoma hospital bond -- YES

The emergency room at Sonoma Valley Hospital handles about 10,000 patient visits annually. And after two failed efforts to secure funding for a new hospital, officials have produced a plan to fix the existing facility to save that crucial emergency service.

Measure Q: SMART train -- YES

It's time to put the North Bay's railroad tracks to good use. Creating a 70-mile train line and bike path makes sense for environmental reasons, planning reasons and economic development reasons. What doesn't make sense is depending on cars and congested highways to meet all of the region's future transportation needs.

SANTA ROSA

Santa Rosa City Council, four-year seats -- Ernesto Olivares, Lee Pierce, John Sawyer, Gary Wysocky

Santa Rosa City Council, two-year seat: Jane Bender

PETALUMA

Petaluma City Council -- Samantha Freitas, David Glass, Michael Healy

ROHNERT PARK

Rohnert Park City Council -- Jake Mackenzie,

Tim Smith, Vicki Vidak-Martinez

ELECTION EDITORIALS

To read the full versions of these election recommendations,

go to pressdemocrat.com and click on "Opinion." This list also

is posted online and will be updated with other recommendations before the election. You also will find letters, cartoons,

columns, local commentaries and the "Inside Opinion" blog on our Web site.