Election 2020: See the complete list of SLO Tribune endorsements
Already voted?
Good for you.
If not, it isn’t too late to drop your ballot in the mail or at a drop box, or visit one of the 23 voter services centers that opened on Saturday. You can also register to vote there.
Here is a complete list of The Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements:
24th Congressional District
Salud Carbajal
Carbajal’s positions reflect the values and beliefs of the majority of his constituents in the 24th District, which includes all of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and a sliver of Ventura County. Plus, he’s a reliable lawmaker who advocates for his constituents.
Read more here: “Salud Carbajal is the moderate voice we need in Congress.”
State Senate District 17
John Laird
Laird has impressive credentials; he’s been mayor of Santa Cruz, served in the state Assembly for three terms, and was Natural Resources secretary for eight years under Gov. Jerry Brown.
Read more here: Tribune endorsement: John Laird is best choice for state Senate
State Assembly District 35
Jordan Cunningham
Jordan Cunningham has been an effective lawmaker over the past two terms — one who listens to his constituents and goes to bat for them.
Read more here: Jordan Cunningham or Dawn Addis for Assembly? It’s tough, but here’s our pick
Atascadero
Mayor: Heather Moreno
Council: Charles Bourbeau and Tori Keen
Moreno, the incumbent mayor, has a background in finance — she’s a CPA, which is an asset to the city. Bourbeau, who is seeking his second term on the council, is a true moderate and an independent thinker; Keen, a city planning commissioner, is a grassroots candidate who’s coached youth soccer, is a huge supporter of local businesses and keeps tabs on the little things, such as which streets are in bad shape.
Read more here: “Which candidates ares best suited to lead Atascadero? Here are The Tribune’s choices”
Ballot Measure D-20: Yes
The one-cent sales tax would generate an estimated $4.5 million per year for police and fire protection, parks, infrastructure, graffiti removal and other uses.
Read more here: 6 of 7 SLO County cities have tax measures on the ballot. Here’s how you should vote
Grover Beach
Mayor: Jeff Lee
City Council: Karen Bright, Anna Miller, Robert Robert
The two incumbents, Jeff Lee and Karen Bright, have helped transform Grover Beach from a bedroom community with potholed streets and a lackluster commercial zone into an up-and-coming beach town. Anna Miller is committed to working on affordable housing in Grover, which is something the city desperately needs. Robert Robert is strong on urban forestry and homeless services.
Read more here: This election could really shake up Grover Beach City Council. Here’s who we recommend
Measure F-20: Yes
Grover Beach is in the middle of a multi-year project to rebuild and repair the city’s deteriorated streets. A one-cent sales tax would generate $1.8 million annually to be used to maintain the newly refurbished streets, make the city more pedestrian friendly and expand emergency services, among other uses.
Morro Bay
Mayor: John Headding
Council: Robert “Red” Davis and Laurel Barton
All three are committed to moving forward with the wastewater treatment; their opponents are not, which puts the project in jeopardy.
Read more here: Morro Bay needs leaders who will move forward. Here are our picks for mayor and council
Measure E-20: Yes
Morro Bay, which relies heavily on tourism revenue, has been hard hit by the pandemic. The one-cent sales tax would prevent further lay-offs by raising an estimated $2 million per year.
Read more here: 6 of 7 SLO County cities have tax measures on the ballot. Here’s how you should vote
Paso Robles
Council: Jacob Allred
Allred is running against incumbent Fred Strong, who is seeking his fifth term. Either would be a good choice, but we picked Allred because he would be strong voice for younger people.
Read more here: This is a historic election in Paso Robles. Here’s our pick for City Council
Measure J-20: Yes
A one-cent sales tax increase would generate $10 million per year for public safety, street repair and other uses.
Read more here: Paso Robles will lose $10 million due to COVID-19 — should voters raise city’s sales tax?
Pismo Beach
Mayor: Ed Waage
City Council: Marcia Guthrie, Erik Howell
We recommend all three incumbents for reelection, based both on their experience and, more importantly, what they’ve helped achieve in Pismo.
Read more here: Should Pismo Beach voters stick with council incumbents? Here’s our recommendation
Measure B-20: Yes
Pismo Beach is asking voters to approve a 1% bed tax increase that would generate approximately $1 million per year, helping the city deal with tourism-related issues, such as increased calls for police and fire; wear and tear on streets; and upkeep of the pier, beaches and other high-use city facilities.
San Luis Obispo
Mayor: Heidi Harmon
Mayor Harmon, the only candidate who’s held an elected office, is in the best position to lead the city in these unprecedented times.
Read more here: Should SLO voters stick with Mayor Heidi Harmon: Yes — and here’s why
City Council: Jan Marx and Andy Pease
Council incumbent Andy Pease and former Mayor Jan Marx also have the experience the city needs right now. Both candidates have a strong commitment to increasing the supply of affordable housing, and Marx is proposing a citizens oversight committee to review police policies and procedures.
Read more here: Several strong candidates are running for SLO City Council. Here’s who we recommend
Measure G-20: Yes
The ballot measure does two things — it extends a half-cent sales tax increase due to expire in 2023, and asks for an additional 1 cent to generate an estimated $21 million per year. Measure G-20 revenue would allow the city to continue to provide and even enhance current services, as well as help local businesses survive.
Read more here: Here are 8 reasons SLO sales tax Measure G-20 is good for all city residents
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy do we endorse?
Making endorsements during election season is an important role for newspaper editorial boards, including The Tribune Editorial Board. Elections are key to determining the future of our Central Coast region, and through endorsements, we share our opinion of the qualifications of the candidates and recommend those who would best serve our communities.
Due to the large number of races on the 2024 General Election ballot, we are unable to issue endorsements in every race. We chose to focus on the most competitive contests.
For more about our process, click the arrow on the top right.
Who endorses?
Endorsement decisions are made by Editor Joe Tarica and Opinion Editor Stephanie Finucane.
How do we decide?
Candidates are invited to participate in an interview with The Editorial Board where they are asked a series questions about major issues. It’s our opportunity to learn the candidates’ positions and to gauge how well informed they are about issues they are likely to confront if elected.
We also research voting records of candidates who have held public office; we watch candidate forums; we look at back stories from The Tribune, as well as other publications that have covered the candidates; and we examine public documents. We also take a look at the candidates’ advertising and campaign statements. Are they overpromising, for example, or misrepresenting their opponent’s record?
In the case of ballot measures, we study the background of the issue, the pro and con arguments and consider who is supporting and opposing the measure.
Tell us what you think
If you disagree (or agree) with our endorsements, share your thoughts with us by writing a letter to the editor (200-word maximum). Email your submissions to letters@thetribunenews.com. Due to the volume of submissions we receive during campaign season, we do not publish Viewpoint-length pieces (600-800 words) in support or opposition to candidates.
Here are The Tribune’s recommendations on the 12 state propositions.
Proposition 14
A $5.5 billion bond measure that would allow continued research on stem cell treatments.
Our recommendation: Yes
Prop. 14 would expand research in diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke and epilepsy, and keep on track other work in ALS, heart and kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, HIV and much more. That’s worth every cent.
Proposition 15
The split-roll measure. This would end the Prop. 13 tax break for commercial and industrial properties.
Our recommendation: No
We believe the split roll makes sense for California, but this isn’t the right time. Property owners could simply pass on tax increases to their tenants, causing even more business closures and job losses when we’re already at a tipping point due to COVID-19.
Read more here: This is the wrong time to overhaul California’s property tax law. Vote no on Prop. 15.
Proposition 16
Ends the ban on affirmative action passed by California voters in 1996.
Our recommendation: Yes
While California is known as one of the most progressive states, it’s one of only around 10 states that ban affirmative action.
As a result, enrollment of Black and Latino students is lagging. At Cal Poly, less than 1 percent of students are Black, compared to 6% of the state’s population, despite the university’s efforts to recruit students of color.
Proposition 17
Allows parolees to vote.
Our recommendation: Yes
Parolees have served their time and should be encouraged to embrace the highest ideals of citizenship. Denying them the constitutional right to vote serves no purpose other than a punitive one.
Read more here: Two propositions let voters improve the fairness of California’s justice system.
Proposition 18
Allows 17-year-olds to vote in primaries and special elections, provided they are 18 by the time of the general election.
Our recommendation: Yes
As first-time voters, young people should have the opportunity to participate in the entire election cycle. Otherwise, we’re sending a message that primary elections don’t really matter, and it’s OK to just show up for the main event.
Read more here: Want to encourage young people to be lifelong voters? Say yes to Prop. 18
Proposition 19
Changes some provisions of Proposition 13.
Our recommendation: Yes
This would expand the tax break for older homeowners, people who are disabled and victims of a natural disaster by allowing them to sell a home and buy a new one without seeing their property taxes take a big leap. It also would close a Prop. 13 loophole that allows people who inherit homes to still receive a tax break, even if they don’t live there.
Proposition 20
Would roll back some of the recent criminal justice reforms passed by voters and the Legislature.
Our recommendation: 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.
Proposition 21
Rent control.
Our recommendation: No
In 2019, California lawmakers passed a rent control law that’s already among the toughest in the nation. More stringent rent controls could discourage construction of new rental housing, which California desperately needs.
Proposition 22
Would allow Uber, Lyft and other app drivers to remain private contractors, rather than employees.
Our recommendation: No
Drivers who want to work only occasionally may be fine with remaining contract employees. But those who are working full time deserve the salary, benefits and protections other full-time employees receive.
Proposition 23
Would require kidney dialysis clinics to have at least one licensed doctor on site during treatment.
Our recommendation: No
The requirement would increase health care costs by $320 million. That, in turn, could pressure the private companies that operate the clinics to cut back on facilities to save money, thus limiting where dialysis patients can go.
Read more here: Prop. 23 threatens treatments that keep kidney dialysis patients alive.
Proposition 24
Proposition 24, also known as the California Privacy Rights Act, would strengthen California’s landmark digital privacy law.
Our recommendation: Yes
While it’s not the last word in consumer protection, it will provide meaningful safeguards and, equally important, the means to enforce the rules.
Proposition 25
Would uphold bail reforms already passed by the Legislature by replacing cash bail with risk assessments.
Our recommendation: Yes
Bail reform was long overdue; the old system discriminated against poor people unable to pay thousands of dollars to stay out of jail while their cases went through the system. People of color were especially harmed by this unfair and archaic system.
Read more here: Two propositions let voters improve the fairness of California’s justice system.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 9:10 AM.