Cortese to join state Senate

Democrat Dave Cortese will represent the South Bay in the state Senate after winning a pricey battle that attracted more outside spending than any legislative race in California this fall.

In the 15th Senate District, which covers most of San Jose, Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga, Cortese led fellow Democrat Ann Ravel 55% to 45% on Tuesday, with county elections officials estimating that more than 90% of votes had been counted.

Cortese, a Santa Clara County supervisor, said he planned to focus on several key issues in the Legislature, including boosting housing production, overhauling policing practices and modifying building codes to promote green construction.

“I’m actually embarking on a new adventure, so I just want to take a deep breath and enjoy that fact,” he said Tuesday.

The campaign was marked by more than $ 5 million from independent committees that poured into the race in the final weeks of the election, as business groups and organized labor clashed over the two Democrats vying to replace termedout Sen. Jim Beall.

Cortese, 64, campaigned on his experience — nearly 30 years in public office in San Jose — but was criticized for his close relationship to unions.

Ravel, 71, an attorney who served on the state and federal election watchdog commissions, touted her independence during the campaign, though a California Chamber of Commercesponsored committee that advertised on her behalf led some opponents to question her Democratic credentials.

“This race was a very competitive race. At times, the tension was palpable for both campaigns,” Cortese said. “I think it’s important, just like we’re seeing at the national stage, for me to be a healing, a unifying force here in my district.”

Ravel, who was running for elected office for the first time and pledged to work on campaign finance issues in the Legislature, said Tuesday that she struggled to counter misinformation spread about her in mailers and television ads and the experience left her concerned about the influence of money on politics.

“It’s even more disconcerting than I thought about the power of an unbelievable amount of independent expenditures that can say just misleading things,” she said.