Election 2020: The Fresno Bee Editorial Board’s local and state recommendations
The Fresno Bee Editorial Board recommends the following candidates and choices for local measures and California state propositions.
Recommendations, like editorials, represent the collective opinion of The Bee’s Editorial Board. The Bee’s opinion section operates independently from the news editors and reporters.
»» Access The Fresno Bee’s Voter Guide here.
Congress & Assembly
District 4: Brynne Kennedy
Incumbent Republican Tom McClintock does not live in his own district and is better known for naked obstruction, disinformation and goofy stunts. He is a career politician who does little to help his district. Democratic challenger Brynne Kennedy is a Yale graduate and MBA graduate from the London Business School who lives in Roseville and is committed to serving District 4’s constituents.
Read the full recommendation here.
District 16: Jim Costa.
The veteran legislator continues to have the best pulse of what this Democrat-majority district needs. Chances are Democrats will retain control of the House, keeping him on key committees, like Agriculture, and giving him the best chance to make a difference. Read the full recommendation here.
District 21: David Valadao.
The Republican represented the district until TJ Cox eked out a win two years ago. Valadao is the rare Republican today who can work with Democrats to improve conditions for constituents; witness his many attempts to forge immigration reform in a previous Congress.
Read the full recommendation here.
District 22: Phil Arballo.
It is time for Rep. Devin Nunes to retire. He does not meet constituents, preferring to remain in the Beltway and appear on Fox News and call in to friendly Fresno radio shows. Arballo will remain close to the people of the district and have a better understanding of what they need.
Read the full recommendation here.
Assembly 31: Joaquin Arambula.
The Democrat is the best choice over Republican and newcomer Fernando Baneulos. It is good to have Arambula in the statehouse at the time of the coronavirus pandemic, as he is an emergency room physician and offers valuable perspective to fellow lawmakers.
Read the full recommendation here.
Schools: Clovis, Fresno and measures
Clovis Unified school board trustees:
David DeFrank (Area 2), Noha Elbaz (Area 4) and Chris Casado (Area 7). Read the full recommendations here.
Fresno Unified school board trustees:
Carol Mills (Area 5) and Claudia Cazares (Area 6). Read the full recommendations here.
Measures A and D school bonds:
Yes on both. Read the full recommendations here.
California state propositions
Prop. 14: Yes
Stem-cell research is making a difference in finding cures and treatments for tough diseases. The previous funding is ending. This would provide $5.5 billion to keep California on the cutting edge of research. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 15: No
California’s taxing process is unfair and in need of a long-overdue overhaul. But with the economic carnage created by the coronavirus pandemic, this is not the right time to begin the process. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 16: Yes
Passage would allow state universities like Fresno State, along with government agencies, to consider race and gender in recruitment, admissions, hiring and contracting. California is known as one of the most progressive states, yet it’s one of only 10 states that ban affirmative action. It is time to change that. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 17: Yes
Lots of lip service is given to rehabilitating prisoners for life outside the bars. This measure is a good step toward that goal. Allowing parolees to vote once they are released puts them on the path of good citizenship. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 18: Yes
Anything that would encourage voting is good, and that’s what this does. Anyone turning 18 by the time a November election occurs can go ahead and vote in the primary and special elections as 17 year olds. Young voters have the most at stake in elections. This gets them involved. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 19: Yes
Seniors who want to downsize from the homes they raised their children in can do so and keep their current property tax rate under this measure. Plus a portion of the proceeds would be dedicated to firefighting agencies. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 20: No
California embraced criminal justice reform because the state’s prisons had become humanitarian disaster zones that cost billions of dollars a year to maintain. That’s working; last year, in fact, crime in California fell to its lowest level in recorded state history. Any necessary improvements can be handled without Prop. 20’s attempt to scare voters and restore the ghastly prison industrial complex. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 21: No
The measure would allow cities to limit rental increases. But California desperately needs more housing, not measures that discourage building. Besides, the state last year enacted the nation’s toughest rent-control law. It should have a chance to work first. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 22: No
The gig economy offers new ways for people to work, and the services they provide are wonderful. But this is special-interest legislation for a weighty issue: what labor protections and benefits should gig workers receive? That is a matter for the Legislature. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 23: No
This would require kidney dialysis clinics to have licensed physicians on-site when treatments are given. But the current system uses specially trained technicians and nurses, and works well. Clinics could close because Prop. 23 will create higher costs. This is a special-interest fix for what’s not broken. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 24: Yes
Would strengthen consumer privacy law by giving online consumers more rights to limit use of their data. It would also create a new state agency to enforce privacy laws at an estimated cost of $10 million year; set new fines; and close loopholes in the existing state law that took effect this year. This is an effort to play catch-up. While it’s not the last word in consumer protection, it will provide meaningful safeguards and, equally important, the means to enforce the rules. Read the full recommendation here.
Prop. 25: Yes
Outdated, unfair and racist are words to describe California’s cash-bail system. This measure would uphold reforms launched in Senate Bill 10 by replacing cash bail with risk assessments made by law officers and judges. In so doing, poor people would not be unfairly kept behind bars before their cases are considered. Read the full recommendation here.
Access The Fresno Bee’s Voter Guide here.
This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.