t may be fashionable these days to yawn at the coming election and parse the style of the two presidential contenders as if they were Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
Yet from the top of the ballot to the bottom, from the presidential race to the Atherton City Council, there are big issues at stake, and important differences between candidates.
Vice President Al Gore and Governor George Bush may be fighting for the center, but everyone knows they will bring strikingly different scenarios to the White House -- from Supreme Court appointments and the future of abortion rights, to potential drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and the revamping of Social Security, taxes and health care.
In the middle of the ballot, California voters are being asked to shake the foundations of public education through the voucher proposal of Proposition 38. Locally, lively races will shape the councils that guide Menlo Park and Atherton into the millennium.
Including the offices of president, vice president and U.S. senator, as many as 15 different public officials in 11 races -- federal, state and local -- will be selected by south San Mateo County residents. They will also vote on 10 ballot measures -- eight at the state level and two at the county level.
County Assessor-Clerk-Recorder Warren Slocum sees positive signs that may indicate a higher turnout November 7 than the public mood would seem to predict. Voter registration will set an all-time record in California, he said, and San Mateo County is pushing its 1996 record of 340,000 registered voters, with new registrations still being counted.
Furthermore, requests for absentee ballots are running high. More than 56,000 have already been requested, compared with 35,000 in 1996; and 85 to 90 percent of people return them. "On the surface it appears quiet, but we may yet be surprised," he said.
Many incumbents running
Only a few of the local races involve seats not currently occupied by someone seeking re-election.
Notably in Atherton, four residents are seeking to fill the two seats vacated by long-term council members Malcolm Dudley and Nan Chapman. Kathy McKeithen, Bob Jenkins, Jim Janz and Charles Marsala want to straighten out the town in the wake of recent upheavals that eliminated a city manager and a police chief, and the defeat -- not once but twice -- of a parcel tax that supported key city services.
In the 21st Assembly District, three candidates are running for the seat now held by Assemblyman Ted Lempert, who must give up his office due to term limits. They are Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, Democrat; Foster City mayor and business owner Deborah Wilder, Republican; and Belmont Planning Commissioner Gloria Purcell, Green.
The only other vacant seat is on the Woodside School Board, where Pam Roberts and Wendy Burger are competing to fill the unexpired term of Abby Wilder, who resigned with one year of service still remaining.
Mr. Lempert, in turn, is running for a vacant seat on the county Board of Education against perennial candidate Jack Hickey, who is also running for state Senate. Another vacant seat on the Board of Education is contested by Memo Morantes of Menlo Park and taxpayer advocate Howard Van Jepmond. For the third seat, incumbent Fred Leonard has three challengers.
In Menlo Park, three candidates are trying to unseat one-term council members Chuck Kinney and Paul Collacchi. Most active and best funded of the challengers is Christina Angell-Atchison, who is backed by the Menlo Community Association and some business interests. Steven Eichler, grandson of legendary Peninsula builder Joseph Eichler, and Greg Spalasso are also running.
In the 14th Congressional District and the 11th State Senate District, two strong incumbents are facing opponents of much less visibility. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Democrat, is challenged by Bill Quraishi, a Republican and frequent candidate, from El Granada; Libertarian Joseph W. Dehn Jr.; and John Black of the Natural Law Party. Sen. Byron Sher is running against economist and teacher Gloria Hom, Republican; and Mr. Hickey, Libertarian.
Ballot measures important locally
Among the state's eight ballot measures, some could have important effects locally.
Proposition 36 would shift drug offenders from prison to probation and treatment. The proposition has split county officialdom, with the supervisors in favor and law enforcement agencies opposed.
Proposition 37 could significantly affect local government finances by reclassifying many fees as taxes. Fees imposed on products or activities that cause environmental or health damage would require a two-thirds vote.
Propositions 38 and 39 could change the face of education both locally and statewide. Proposition 38 would allow any student between kindergarten and 12th grade to obtain a $4,000 voucher to be used in private schools. Proposition 39 would make it easier to pass school bonds by reducing the margin for adoption from two-thirds to 55 percent of the votes.
In addition, county Measure A would allow the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to raise its salaries from the present $71,386 to 80 percent of a superior court judge's salary. This measure would allow supervisors' salaries to be has high as $106,000 per year, starting in January.
Measure B would authorize a $13 million bond issue to replace the county's 1929-vintage crime laboratory with a state-of-the-art facility to meet criminal investigation needs of the 21st century.
Citizen involvement
With the economy buzzing along and no pressing issues, Rich Gordon, president of the county Board of Supervisors, worries that people won't bother to vote.
"For all the hype about personality -- or lack thereof -- there really are some very important issues," he said. "The future of health care, I believe, will be decided by the next president and the next Congress."
Locally, public officials will be confronting issues ranging from housing and transportation to education, welfare and the environment. Said Supervisor Gordon: "These public decisions demand citizen involvement so we get things right."
