This article was provided by Craig Moorhead with San Benito County Republican Party.

“The most important political office is that of the private citizen.”
                                                      Louis D. Brandeis

It has been just a couple of months since California citizens began paying out a larger percentage of their income to the state in the form of 12.5 cents-per-gallon gas tax increase. That of course includes us, the residents and voters of San Benito County who may carry a larger percentage of that tax burden than those who avoid the long drive distances to get to their jobs. It is against this backdrop that our upcoming state-wide elections will occur.

California citizens are just five months away from the June 5 primary and only 10 months away from the general election. Up for grabs are eight executive offices including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Controller, Insurance Commissioner and Superintendent of Public Instruction. In addition, 20 (out of 40) State Senate seats and all 80 State Assembly seats will be on the ballot.

All of these political races create a huge amount of information that needs to flow from the candidates to the voters. There will be plenty of web sites to visit and brochures to read, but there is no substitute for meeting the candidates face-to-face and shaking hands to learn their visions for shaping California’s future.

Voters in smaller communities like ours generally don’t have the appeal of large population densities to lure candidates running for state-wide offices.

However, on January 27 San Benito County voters will have the rare opportunity to have state-wide race candidates coming to meet and talk with us. Speaking will be Travis Allen -candidate for Governor, Judge Steven Bailey –candidate for Attorney General, Mark P Meuser –candidate for Secretary of State and Neil Kitchens -candidate for State Assembly.

The event will be held at the Veteran’s Hall from 11:30 am to 2 pm. and is sponsored by the San Benito County Republican Party.

“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”

                                                                                                                                                         John F. Kennedy