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Assemblyman Evan Low’s continuing disregard for the integrity of our election process reinforces the case for why former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is the best candidate for Congress.
Low and Liccardo are locked in a runoff to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo in the 16th Congressional District, encompassing parts of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
Developments since the primary election, including a new controversy this month, have not only buttressed the case that Liccardo is the far superior pick, they have also called into question whether Low has the ethical backbone needed for the job.
Endorsing Liccardo
As we noted in our February endorsement of Liccardo, he is well-prepared, willing to work in a bipartisan fashion, able to hit the ground running and likely to earn the respect of congressional colleagues.
In his 16 years as a member of the San Jose City Council and then as the city’s mayor, he demonstrated indefatigable energy and a long string of policy accomplishments pertaining to the environment, housing and gun regulations.
Liccardo helped lead efforts to strengthen police oversight and ended the city’s wars with its Police Department over public employee pension costs, establishing retirement system stability while bolstering law enforcement’s badly depleted ranks.
In contrast, Low, who has served effectively in the state Legislature for nearly 10 years, struggled to answer questions about issues that overlap the state and federal government, including the cost of California’s high-speed rail and water policy affecting the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Going into the March primary, we were clear on our choice. Developments since have fortified our recommendation that voters should elect Liccardo in the Nov. 5 election.
Low’s tactics
Recall that after the March primary ended with Low in an amazing tie for second place, he tried to stop a recount because it didn’t favor his strategy of a three-way runoff. For him, ballot-count accuracy took a back seat to his self-serving political objectives.
Fortunately for our election process, the recount proceeded. It showed Low solely the second-place finisher, putting him in the runoff with Liccardo, who finished first in the primary.
Now, in the final weeks of the campaign, with independent polling showing Liccardo with a sizable lead, Low has resorted to using, apparently illegally, $590,000 of his state campaign money on television advertising for his federal congressional race.
Defend the Vote, a political action committee working to protect democracy and the election process, has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging Low has broken federal campaign rules. Defend the Vote backed Liccardo’s campaign after Low attempted to block the recount.
Low’s lawyer counters that the video ad is not for his congressional campaign but is merely Low communicating with his Assembly district constituents about his legislative record.
Lawyers for the two sides might someday fight it out before the election commission, but not before the Nov. 5 election.
Failing the smell test
For us, the claim that Low’s …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
