I got my Santa Barbara County voter guide in the mail a couple of weeks ago; these guides are always informative, and I read each candidate statement carefully before I cast my vote. I know that many of you have already voted, but here are some things to consider.
I read the proposals carefully and don’t rely on the deluge of “voter information” that’s sent out to clutter my post office box, email, or cellphone because they can be misleading and designed to represent one point of view.
As I browsed through the booklet, I came upon the candidates for the 37th state Assembly District; only one of the two candidates, Mike Stoker, bothered to submit a ballot statement. To me this speaks volumes as to the commitment of his opponent to a transparent candidacy and is indicative of his disrespect for providing voters the information they need to make a choice.
Stoker says, “I’ve never been one to run from a challenge—it’s what called me to serve the people of Santa Barbara County more than three decades ago and inspired me to run for Assembly to represent our neighbors, families, and children.” He also says he “is an accomplished public servant who has represented the interests of Central Coast families, farmers, and small-business owners for more than three decades.”
I’ll cast my vote for the candidate who is willing to put an effort into submitting a candidate statement.
Following that line of thinking, there are two candidates for mayor in Lompoc; only one, Mayor Jenelle Osborne, used the allotted space to explain her accomplishments and future challenges. The other used his space to claim he could do better, even though the public record demonstrates the opposite. I’ll vote for Osborne; she tells the truth.
Another is the Lompoc Unified School District Bond Measure A2022; the LUSD spent four pages trying to sell this bond, but not one word was dedicated to establishing priorities based on the greatest need. Besides, the district superintendent and assistant district superintendent who were involved with creating this measure both abruptly resigned several weeks ago, so in my book this is a nonstarter.
Another, Measure X2022, is a transient occupancy tax increase that was proposed by the hotel industry in Lompoc. They realized that the folks staying in their accommodations use public safety services even though they don’t live here and don’t pay local taxes. This requires a two-thirds vote since it’s specifically designed to be used exclusively for police and fire services.
There were no arguments against this proposal. Why? Because it makes sense to the hotel owners that their customers should pay their fair share to support services that they might need while in the city, and it will have no pocketbook impact on the residents of Lompoc. This is a no-brainer for me, and a vote yes is the way to go.
Lastly is your vote for the U.S. House of Representatives, District 24. If you believe that you are better off economically than you were two years ago, then vote for the incumbent.
If you think that decision-making at the federal level has caused your retirement savings funds to lose value, your paycheck to shrink because of inflation, your weekly groceries to cost nearly twice what they did a couple of years ago, or filling your gas tank breaks the family budget, then you should not vote for the incumbent and/or vote for his opponent because he participated and voted for many of these faulty policies.
Please read your election guide carefully; try to understand what’s in all those propositions—the titles are often misleading, and you may think you are voting for one thing and a “yes” vote means the opposite of what you really think about what’s being proposed.
Voting is important; even votes for a national office can have a dramatic impact on you and your family. Think carefully before you mark your ballot, but, most importantly, cast your vote.
Ron Fink writes to the Sun from Lompoc. Send a letter for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2022.
