VOTE TUESDAY. We all have a very important duty on Tuesday. It’s Election Day on the West Side and everywhere else in California. The ballot is sparse this time around, but nevertheless, some very important decisions will be made that day. First, it’s important to vote NO on the recall of Senator Jeff Denham. Former chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Denham has worked tirelessly for agriculture, open space and issues that affect West Siders. He was instrumental in fighting for Gustine during the battle over the “Redskins” mascot. He was also an influential voice when the vote to eliminate the “tractor tax” passed a couple of years ago. In addition, his offices work very hard in supporting constituents when they have problems and/or concerns with state offices, regardless of party affiliation. When you call Denham’s offices for assistance, they are usually on top of your issue, regardless if you are a Republican or a Democrat. He deserves our support on Tuesday, which means you must vote NO on the recall!

DEMARTINI DESERVES OUR SUPPORT. More than a year ago, I told Supervisor Jim DeMartini that I would endorse him for supervisor, and I still do. At the time, I had no idea that Newman Mayor John Fantazia would be running. I was disappointed that our mayor decided to enter the race at a time when DeMartini was doing so many good things for the West Side. While I believe Fantazia has served all of us relatively well as mayor, his entry into this race was not a good political move. Sometimes it’s best to wait your turn and run for office when the time is right. It’s difficult to get traction in a political race like supervisor against a guy who has done so much and worked so hard. DeMartini is everywhere; he attends every city council meeting in Newman, Patterson and Ceres and he is relentless in his support of our issues.

DeMartini certainly doesn’t play nice all the time, and he can be caustic with some of his discussions at meetings. But frankly, I find much of his approach refreshing. Political correctness gets old after a while, and many people like to hear what a politician is thinking, even though his remarks may come out blatantly offensive. With DeMartini what you see and hear is what you get. There are no agendas and no grandstanding; when he talks he says what he thinks.

You won’t find a better friend of West Side residents than DeMartini. While he opposes the West Park project, he certainly isn’t opposed to job creation and industrial growth. He believes that business and agriculture will help our county grow and prosper; he just wants to see that happen without raising havoc with communities, the environment and agriculture. Supporting growth only because it brings jobs to an area is ludicrous; it needs to offer more than that, and it also needs to guarantee that the “extras” coming with trains and development will really happen. We can bet that DeMartini will be fighting for the West Side in his second term, and he has earned our vote over and over again.

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