[GPSCC-chat] Santa Clara County Supervisor Race

[Wes Rolley]

With the Supervisor's election set for June, and with signs going up all 
around the area, it is time to do some hard thinking about who Greens 
should vote for in the County Supervisor's races, especially for 
District 1.  District 1 includes Gilroy, San Martin,  Morgan Hill, Los 
Gatos, the Blossom Valley, Santa Teresa & Almaden Valley sections of San 
Jose and all the hill country (Santa Cruz and Hamilton ranges).  There 
are 5 candidates and controlling health care costs figures very high on 
the list of issues.

Two of the candidates (Mike Wasserman - Los Gatos and Forrest Williams - 
San Jose) make a very big issue of the privatization of the Valley 
Medical Center.  Also high on their list (as well as that of Gilroy 
vintner Tom Kruise)  is the cost of health insurance for county 
employees... asking them to contribute more per month - now $37 / 
month.  I would not vote for any of these three.  Of the other 2, 
(Teresa Alvarado - daughter of recent supervisor Bianca Alvarado & Dr. 
Peter Arellano) I would favor Arellano, partly because he is my personal 
physician at Kaiser - Gilroy and I trust him.  I have also dealt with 
his wife in meetings on freedom of speech vs. porn blocking software at 
public libraries and she also has a good head on her shoulders.

Dr. Arellano says that he would use his experience with medical services 
at Kaiser to look for ways to reduce costs, but does not talk of 
privatizing Valley Medical Center in the manner that Wasserman and 
Williams do.  He also points to his experience as a Gilroy City 
Councilman as learning how to balance a budget.  For those who follow 
South County news, whenever there is a 4 - 1 vote in the Gilroy City 
Council the 1 is most often Arellano holding out for more progressive 
policies. He has my personal endorsement.

In District 4, Ken Yeager is un-opposed.  So, you know the results of 
that one already.  Are you satisfied with it?

-- 
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better
  and you don't,
  then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente

Wes Rolley
17211 Quail Court, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
http://www.refpub.com/ -- Tel: 408.778.3024