Voters in the 10th Assembly District – which stretches from Elk Grove to Rancho Cordova to Stockton and Amador County – will elect a new Assembly representative on Nov. 4.
They have a choice between a veteran politician, Republican Jack Sieglock of Lodi, and a newcomer, Alyson Huber, a Democrat from El Dorado Hills, who seek to replace the termed-out Alan Nakanishi.
Both parties are closely watching this race. The district has seen a surge of Democratic registration recently. The GOP now has an edge of just 2 percentage points.
Yet that is not the reason voters should pay attention. The 10th District, particularly in Elk Grove and Stockton, is bearing the brunt of the state's foreclosure meltdown. The district's residents will need a legislator who will fight for families in crisis while working to protect the state's education system, which could be ravaged by budget cuts.
Of the two candidates, Huber is clearly the superior choice. A graduate of Lodi High School, Huber grew up in poverty and put herself through college. She earned a law degree from UC Berkeley and now works as an attorney.
Because of her background, Huber is passionate about reforming foster care and protecting grants for college students. But she's hardly a doctrinaire Democrat. She supports the death penalty and, unlike many leaders of her party, supports the Proposition 11 ballot measure to prevent gerrymandering of legislative districts.
Sieglock, by contrast, offers talking points that seem straight from a GOP script book. A former Lodi mayor and a San Joaquin County supervisor, he opposes new taxes, even as he supports a new generation of reservoirs that will add to the state's debt payments. One of his big goals is to finish a border fence to "end illegal immigration once and for all," even though the legislature has little authority over such projects.
Huber has never held elected office, but her demeanor, and the energy and life lessons she brings to the table, will serve her well in the Assembly. The voters of the 10th District will need an effective legislator the next four years. Huber should be their choice.
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