Voting Recommendations for November 8, 2016

Opinion
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Hilbert Morales

EL OBSERVADOR

Since 1986, as a Latino advocacy publication, EO has published its recommendations regarding how Latinos could vote in the best interests of themselves and their community. The November 8, 2016 ballot is massive. Is it that today’s elected officials have no fortitude and spine? Do not they realize that once ‘We, the People” vote them into their elected office, each is required to ‘do their job’…which is to craft legislation which does the most for the greatest number of Americans.

Since 1975 the middle class has not benefitted from the many public policy decisions promulgated by the top 0.1%; the trickle down theory of economics which benefits the top 1% has not been replaced; Corporate executives focus upon profits without taking into account their responsibility for “community stewardship”; and after President Barack Obama was installed, certain elected officials pledged to oppose any and all public policy proposals made by this first African-American President. Their bias, bigotry, prejudice and racism is evident.

These extreme conservatives along with ‘DARK MONEY’ have resulted in a ‘do-nothing’ Congress since 2008. Wall Street’s over-valued Derivatives were the cause of the 2008 Recession. It was ‘We, the People’ who stood behind the ‘full faith and credit’ of the American Treasury while under the leadership of Obama Administration, it took extraordinary actions to initiate economic recovery. During this period, America remained the world’s ‘superpower’. It is time to elect officials at all levels of America’s government who will refuse DARK MONEY and ‘do their job’ which is to craft legislation which accomplishes the ‘Greatest Good’ for all America’s residents.

It is time for the ‘Silent Majority’, especially ethnic communities of color, to speak up with their votes. The ‘Do-Nothing’ members of the U.S. Congress must be replaced by newly elected members who will look out for the basic needs of the American People whose consumer society has made this Democracy the greatest world power ever known in the history of humankind. It is especially essential that the Latino vote show up and be counted, thereby becoming full stakeholders who may hold elected officials accountable and responsible.

The following are EO’s Publisher-Emeritus’s recommendations for your consideration. EO is not asking you to blindly by following these voting recommendations. WE ARE ASKING YOU TO VOTE ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN VALUES AND DECISIONS.

Because EO advocates for RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP by Hispanic voters who are residents of under-represented and often exploited communities, EO asks you to make your vote count by actually voting in massive numbers (75% or more). Things change when your elected officials ate at the conference tables where policy decisions are crafted to allocate resources. Direct representation results in access to education, health care, housing, living wages, reasonable taxes, reasonable immigration laws, etc. The Latino community is responsible for $1.3 trillion in purchasing ;power which generates taxes which need to ‘come back’ to meet the urgent needs of our low income communities. MAKE YOUR VOTE COURT; DO YOUR BIT BY VOTING!

Your personal decisions reflected by your votes impact very complex matters, but they must be made by elected officials who listen to and abide by the expressed will of “We, the People’ as the primary stakeholders. That means that “THE ESTABLISHMENT”, both Democratic and Republican must be replaced with reasonable elected officials who will agree to take essential actions, negotiate, compromise, and do what is possible for the ‘Greater Good of this American Nation’ which, despite all its flaws, is still the single nation which is the ‘Home of the Brave and Land of the Free”.

Do not listen only to mainstream media (press, radio and TV). Use only official information available online at <sccvote.org>; go to “Home Page”; click on “Candidates and Measures”. Another source is “League of Women Voters, Palo Alto” whose motto is “Making Democracy Work” (Their information is non-partisan; factual, truthful and very high integrity).

What follows are ‘EO’s Publisher-Emeritus’” recommendations. If you disagree, use your ballot to COMMUNICATE YOUR OPINION AND DECISIONS:

FOR PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:  Hillary Clinton

FOR VICE-PRESIDENT OF THESE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Tim Kaine

FOR U.S. SENATOR, REPRESENTING CALIFORNIA:  Loretta Sanchez

CALIFORNIA’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION:

17th District: Mike Honda

18th Districrt: Anna G. Eshoo

19th Districdt: Zoe Lofgren

20th District: Sam Farr

FOR CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE:

13th District: Jerry Hill

15th District: Jim Beall

17th District: Bill Monning

FOR CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY:

24th District: Marc Berman

25th District: Kansen Chu

27th District: Ash Kalra

28th District: Evan Low

29th District: Mark Stone

30th District: Anna Caballero

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, BOARD OF EDUCATION:

Trustee, Area 1: Grace H. Mah

Trustee Area 3: Rosemary Kamei

FOOTHILL-DEANZA CCD, GOVERNING BOARD:

Laura Casas, Peter Landsberger, and Orrin Mahoney

GAVILAN JOINT CCD, GOVERNING BOARD:

Trustee Area 6,  Rachel Perez

San Jose/Evergreen CCD, GOVERNING BOARD:

Trustee Area #1: Rudy Nasol

Trustee Area #3: Craig Mann

Trustee Area #7: Anthony Macias

WEST VALLEY-MISSION CCD, GOVERNING BOARD:

Trustee Area #2: ROBERT T. “BOB” OWENS

GILROY UNIFIED SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Fred Tovar, James E. Pace, and Mark W. Good

MORGAN HILL UNIFIED SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Trustee Area #5: Angelica Diaz

Trustee Area #6; Albert Beltran, jr.

SAN JOSE UNIFIED SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Trustee Area #3: Olivia Navarro

Trustee Area #5: Kimberly Meek

SANTA CLARA UNIFIED SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Trustee Area #2: Albert Gonzalez

Trustee Area #3: Anna E. Welsh

EAST SIDE UNION SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Pattie Cortese and Lorena Chavez

FREMONT UNION HIGH SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Jeff Moe and Roy Rocklin

LOS GATOS-SARATOGA JOINT UNION HSD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Kyle Park and Rosemary Rossi

SAN BENITO HIGH SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Mary Encinias and Ray Rodriguez

LUTHER BURBANK SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Lorraine Garza and Guadalupe Reyes

WHISMAN SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER: 

Jose Gutierrez, Jr., Tamara Wilson, and Laurel Blakely.

MOUNT PLEASANT SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER: 

Antonio Perez and Peter Ortiz.

OAK GROVE SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:

Trustee Area #1: Andrew Nguyen Pham
Trustee Area #4: Steve Guerrero

SARATOGA UNION SD, GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER: 

Sophia Kao and Rui (Rita) Cao.

CITY OF GILROY

MAYOR: Roland Velasco; FOR CITY COUNCIL: Fred Tovar and J. Brennan.

CITY OF MILPITAS

MAYOR: Carmen Montano; FOR CITY COUNCIL: Bob Nuñez and Jennifer Strohful.

CITY OF MORGAN HILL

MAYOR: Joseph Carillo; FOR CITY COUNCIL: Armando Benevides and Mario Banuelos; FOR CITY CLERK: Irma Torrez.

CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW

FOR CITY COUNCIL:  Lucas Ramirez, Kusa-Matichak, Margaret Abe-Koga, and Thida Cornes.

CITY OF PALO ALTO
FOR CITY COUNCIL:
Liz Kniss, Lydia Kou, Greg Tanaka and Stewart Carl.

CITY OF SAN JOSE

FOR CITY COUNCIL: DISTRICT 2: SERGIO JIMENEZ; DISTRICT 6: Devora “Dev” Joan Smith; DISTRICT 8: Silvia Arenas

CITY OF SANTA CLARA

FOR CITY COUNCIL: Seat 3: John McLemore; Seat 4: Tina Silva; Seat 6: Mario Bouza; Seat 7: Kevin Park; FOR CITY CLERK: Rod Diridon, Jr., Chief of Police: Pat Nikolai

SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT: DISTRICT 1: John L. Varela

SANTA CLARA VALLEY OPEN SPACE AUTHORITY: DISTRICT 4 DIRECTOR: Pierluigi Oliverio

LOCAL MEASURES:

COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA:

MEASURE A: Vote ‘yes’ ($950 million bond issue for affordable housing)

MEASURE B: Vote ‘yes’ (to improve roads; extend BART, and more)

IN GENERAL, VOTE YES FOR ALL LOCAL MEASURES:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, AA, BB, CC, EE, GG and HH.

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