Jordan Cunningham or Dawn Addis for Assembly? It’s tough, but here’s our pick

Jordan Cunningham has been an effective lawmaker over the past two terms — one who listens to his constituents and goes to bat for them.

He’s been able to balance the needs of his district and all of California in ways that achieve solutions to pressing problems.

That’s not to say his opponent, Morro Bay Councilwoman Dawn Addis, wouldn’t be up to that task if she were elected, which makes this a tough call.

Addis is an inspirational leader; she cofounded the SLO County Women’s March in 2016, which earned her the title of a 24th Congressional District Woman of the Year in 2017.

She continues to lead and to challenge; she’s a strong voice for social justice and, as an educator, she would take the fight for public education to Sacramento.

She also knows the struggle local governments face on account of the coronavirus pandemic — the city of Morro Bay has laid off several employees and instituted pay cuts — which often gets overlooked in the Legislature.

In the final analysis, though, Cunningham’s record of delivering for his constituents gives him the edge.

We’ve been especially impressed by these accomplishments:

• When the COVID-19 shutdown suddenly left thousands of Central Coast residents unemployed and unable to get through to the Employment Development Department for their benefits, Cunningham reached out and offered to help them navigate a broken system. He also petitioned for an audit of EDD.
• Cunningham was among the local leaders who successfully lobbied to save $10 million in state funds needed to complete improvements on Highway 46’s Blood Alley. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to pour more money into public transportation had put the funds in jeopardy. We’re all for mass transit, but stealing money from highway projects literally puts lives in danger, and Cunningham would have none of that.
• He authored legislation to close a loophole in a police transparency law that requires departments to make public records of verified police dishonesty, criminal conduct, and certain use-of-force incidents. As originally written, the law does not require release of records when investigations remain incomplete because the officer involved resigned from the force. Cunningham’s bill, which passed the Assembly and is now in the Senate, was inspired, in part, by a case involving a Paso Robles police officer who was accused of rape.

There are other examples as well that highlight Cunningham’s ability to get things done, even in a Legislature dominated by Democrats.

He promises to do more of the same in the future, including pressing for funding to create an additional lane on Highway 101 through the infamous Shell Beach Straits — a project that’s been languishing for years.

But is he a moderate?

Addis challenges Cunningham’s reputation as a moderate Republican — her campaign calls Cunningham a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” — so it’s worth examining those concerns.

Here are a few of the examples raised by the Addis campaign:

• Cunningham joined Republicans in voting against SB 276, the school vaccine law written in response to allegations that doctors were writing fraudulent exemptions. The law requires the state Department of Public Health to conduct reviews of schools with immunization rates below 95% and of doctors who write more than five exemptions in a calendar year. Republicans objected that the bill would “interfere with a family’s relationship with their child’s doctor.”
• He also voted against AB 424, which deals with guns in schools. The law did away with a provision that allowed school district superintendents to authorize people to carry guns on campus. There are several exceptions for peace officers, security guards, gun safety classes, etc.
• And he again joined Republicans in voting no on SB 320, which requires public university health centers to stock abortion medication, but only if it’s funded by private contributions. The Addis campaign cites that as evidence that Cunningham is anti-choice.

We’ve had our share of disagreements with Cunningham, and it’s especially disappointing that he voted against the vaccine legislation, given the outbreaks of childhood diseases that were occurring at the time.

But that should be balanced against those instances when he crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats on important issues, such as the cap-and-trade program that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

It’s also worth noting that on an “ideological scale” based on software developed by political scientists at several universities, including UCLA and USC, Cunningham scored as one of the most moderate Assembly members: 67.68 on a scale of 0 (most liberal) to 100 (most conservative).

The Donald Trump dilemma

Separate and apart from issues raised by the Addis campaign, some moderate Democrats who have voted for Cunningham in the past are raising a different issue: his silence on national politics, especially when it comes to Donald Trump.

Cunningham has made it clear that presidential politics are not up for discussion in this campaign; here’s a statement released by his office in October 2019:

“The assemblymember is focused on addressing the state issues that affect the Central Coast. He has a record of legislating and advocating in an independent and bipartisan manner. He puts his constituents first, and has not hesitated to respectfully disagree with the governor and/or the president when necessary to best serve the interests of the 35th District. That is what the voters deserve and expect him to do.

“The voters will have an opportunity to express their opinion of the president and his policies 13 months from now in the next election. The assemblymember trusts that the voters can make up their own minds without his input.”

We agree that presidential politics shouldn’t play a role in local elections such as City Council or Board of Supervisors.

But President Trump has made it clear that he’s an enemy of California — most recently by threatening to withhold federal help with the state’s devastating wildfires — and it would mean something if California’s top Republicans had the political will to call him out for that.

In fact, Cunningham did exactly that back in 2018, when he introduced a resolution supporting California’s tougher fuel emission standards after the Trump administration threatened to revoke them.

While we would like to see Cunningham take a stronger position against Trump’s theatrics and his actions that actually hurt California, we do know why he hasn’t. It’s a losing proposition, with almost no political gain for him.

Negative campaigning

One remaining issue to address here is the overall nastiness of the campaign, which is a pitfall into which Cunningham seems to tumble each time an election rolls around.

He runs his campaigns with a clear negative slant, the likes of which we hate to see in any local race. That leads his opponents — Addis, this time around — to respond in kind. And the dialogue devolves from there into an exchange of insults and allegations.

But the thing is, it’s completely unnecessary.

Cunningham has a record he can run on that doesn’t require him to fear-monger tired tropes about “tax-and-spend Democrats,” especially in an extraordinary year where COVID-19 has devastated city budgets.

We believe Jordan Cunningham can serve San Luis Obispo County well in Sacramento and provide an even-keeled Republican voice in a state dominated by Democrats.

We have appreciated his ability to rise above the fray and not play to his base like other elected leaders — District Attorney Dan Dow and Sheriff Ian Parkinson, namely — who have gone out of their way to inflame division and actively work against state and local health directives while simultaneously downplaying and exacerbating the very real danger systemic racism presents in our community.

He can be the kind of state representative who works across the aisle, listens to all sides and takes a pragmatic and reasonable approach to issues that should be of concern to all Californians.

For those reasons, The Tribune supports Jordan Cunningham for reelection — while challenging him to live up to his reputation as a moderate lawmaker who represents all constituents.

This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 5:30 AM.