The Alpine Sun's picks in
the upcoming election:
Vote for local candidates and take
the long view on propositions
Rural residents will have an opportunity on June 6 to vote for candidates who have a better understanding of rural affairs than some of those currently in office.
The Alpine Sun recommends that Alpine and Back Country voters choose their candidates from among those closest to home and take the long view on propositions that will have an impact on local quality of life.
Joel Anderson in Assembly District 77: Anderson is fiscal conservative, who has sometimes found himself at odds with his freer-spending peers on the Padre Dam board. Just this week, he found himself the lone vote against a rate increase passed by the board majority and due to show up shortly on district water bills. He is endorsed by Howard Jarvis Taxpayer’s Association and the California Republican Assembly, among many others.
A longtime resident of Alpine, Anderson has a strong understanding of border affairs — a good thing in a district that is adjacent to the U.S.-Mexico border — and he counts Minutemen organizer Chris Simcox among his endorsers.
For further information, visit Anderson’s website.
Bruce Ruff is opposing longtime incumbent William Kolender for the position of San Diego County Sheriff. We believe that the unincorporated region deserves a sheriff who lives in the unincorporated region.
We have long believed that Kolender’s understanding of the rural region is inadequate — proven on many occasions, including ignorance of local geography and stated hostility toward gun ownership and use by remote residents. Kolender has spent $4 billion dollars over the last 12 years and the sheriff’s department is 60 percent less capable of thwarting a terrorist attack today than before he was elected.
Bruce Ruff, on the other hand, is friendly toward gun ownership, holding several of his rallies at local gun stores, is a strong advocate of border control, and is a 30-year veteran of local law enforcement. Before that, he was a SDSU graduate and a high school teacher. He lives and works in semi-rural East County.
He is one of us and we are long overdue for a change. Learn more at
Ruff's website.
Yes on Prop G: Though it pains us to promote anything that significantly adds to tax bills, the continuing viability of the East County’s only remaining hospital makes the $19.89/per $100,000 assessed value a worthwhile expenditure. The money will help to complete the hospital’s emergency/critical care center, pay for seismic upgrades, and otherwise help the aging facility to serve a growing population.
We would add the proviso, however, that not one penny of this money will go to help improve the availability of emergency care in the Back Country. We cannot overstate the importance of resident activism to get the Grossmont Healthcare District to allocate some of our dollars into this area of vital concern.
Yes on Prop 81: The money from Prop 81 will help to complete a new library in Alpine — the prospect of which creates great excitement in nearly anyone who admires and promotes literacy in our communities. That includes
The Alpine Sun and the Alpine Library Friends Association.
And even if you don’t agree with our choices, go out and vote anyway!
Get to know
your candidates
Congressional District 51
Bob Filner (Democrat)
Jim Galley (Republican)
Dan Litwin (Libertarian)
Blake Miles (Republican)
Daniel Ramirez (Democrat)
Juan Vargas (Democrat)
Congressional District 52
Michael Benoit (Libertarian)
Derek Casady (Democrat)
Connie Frankowiak (Democrat)
Duncan Hunter (Republican)
Peter Moore-Kochlacs (Democrat)
Karen Otter (Democrat)
John Rinaldi (Democrat)
Assembly district 77
Joel Anderson (Republican)
Nancy Lee Beecham (Republican)
Rich Belitz (Libertarian)
Debbie M. Beyer (Republican)
Jack Dale (Republican)
William R. Jenkin (Republican)
Christopher R. Larkin (Democrat)
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