Michael Wilson came unexpectedly close to upsetting Michael Allen in the Democratic primary in the 7th Assembly District, and it looks like the tight race may have caught the attention of the Republicans. A fingers-in-the-cookie-jar mailer arrived over the weekend blasting Allen for the Sonoma County Water Agency contract that [...]
The first indications that District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua’s re-election bid was in trouble may have come in early February when he attributed Jill Ravitch’s fundraising success to “sweetheart deals” with defense attorneys. The backlash was swift and strong. We immediately started receiving letters challenging Passalaqua to prove his allegation, some [...]
With about 25 percent of precincts reporting, it looks as if Measure E, the half-cent sales tax measure in Rohnert Park, may be headed for victory. Right now it's leading 55 percent to 45 percent. If that holds, expect to see a number of other local tax measures on the next ballot. Elected [...]
Without public polling, you’re left to look for signals about how contested races are shaping up. Well, in the 7th Assembly District, there were signs in the mail box over the weekend that Santa Rosa Democrat Michael Allen’s supporters thought this race was going to be close And they may [...]
Less than an hour to go before the polls close in California . . . So, I'm wondering, how will the anti-incumbent wave that’s sweeping the nation manifest itself in Sonoma County tonight, if at all? I could be wrong. But it seems to me one of the biggest mistakes North [...]
Here are more results from our latest Editorial Board survey conducted Sunday and Monday: Statewide polls show California voters are split on Propositions 16 and 17, but not so here on the North Coast. Proposition 16, the PG&E-funded campaign to make it more difficult for cities to get into the power utility [...]
Here are the results of our final Press Democrat Editorial Board survey on today’s elections. The informal survey of letter writers and other readers suggests: Jill Ravitch has a substantial lead over incumbent Stephan Passalacqua in the race for Sonoma County District Attorney. Out of 186 respondents, 60 percent say [...]
Had I forgotten that today is Election Day, all I needed to do was check the e-mail this morning. On Monday, we received 28 letters to the editor. Today, there was … one. Obviously, we didn’t come close to running every election letter we received. In case you’re wondering (and [...]
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Having just traversed the state on a quick four-day family trip to Yosemite - passing dozens of polarizing election signs, scanning various newspapers and listening to too much talk radio along the way - I've come to one conclusion: Despite all the talk, the only hope for any real change [...]
Paul Gullixson
Jim Sweeney
This blog is written by Press Democrat editorial writers Paul Gullixson and Jim Sweeney.