South Bay voters should back Ravel, Lee and 4 Santa Clara challengers

The presidential election is the most consequential in decades, but Tuesday’s local elections are also very important for the future of our communities and the entire Bay Area.

If we want to begin closing the political divide, it’s imperative that we elect candidates who are independent and can craft solutions that work locally, regionally and statewide.

Here are the three most important decisions facing South Bay voters:

Ravel for state Senate

Ann Ravel stands head and shoulders above her opponent as the clear choice for voters in the District 15 race to fill the seat currently held by state Sen. Jim Beall. It’s hard to overstate how important it is to elect a woman with Ravel’s track record on speaking truth to power, supporting fair, clean elections and championing what is right over the interests of special interest groups. President Obama nominated her to the Federal Elections Commission for the very same reasons. And his endorsement of Ravel over her opponent, Dave Cortese, confirms his high regard for her work.

Labor groups hoping to send Cortese to Sacramento have gone to great lengths to attack Ravel. That includes the smear suggesting that because she opposed Judge Aaron Persky’s recall that she wouldn’t fight for sexual assault survivors. Ravel vehemently opposed Persky’s decision in the Brock Turner case. But she also opposed the recall because of her belief in the need for judicial independence. Labor’s attacks also fail to mention that in 2018, when the Legislature was working on legislation to deal with its own sexual misconduct issues, it was Ravel who was called on to testify and offer advice on how to make California safer for women.

Lee for supervisor

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors needs independent, intelligent thinkers who will help the county deal with the COVID-19 crisis and solve its social-safety-net challenges.

Otto Lee is far better suited to represent District 3 than his opponent, Assemblyman Kansen Chu, whose biggest accomplishment in Sacramento was passing daylight saving time legislation. Chu is also being investigated by the Fair Political Practices Commission for violating campaign laws by using his Assembly campaign committee bank account to pay for promoting his supervisor campaign.

Lee, a former Sunnyvale city councilman, has the backing of labor and business groups. He earned a Bronze Star while in the Navy reserves for helping bring home troops from Iraq. He has a solid record on the issues facing the Board of Supervisors and will put the public good before special interests.

Change in Santa Clara

It’s imperative that Santa Clara voters elect four new members to the City Council to end Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s stranglehold on the city. Voters should elect Harbir Bhatia in District 1, Kevin Park in District 4, Suds Jain in District 5 and Anthony Becker in District 6.