School Board Member Socorro Lopez Hanson is running for County Supervisor against Supervisor Kathy Long ( District 3).
She has a MySpace account where she is answering questions and a website that has a map of the districts the county supervisors represent.
Before the election I plan for her do do a Q and A with readers but being that this blog is mostly read by political insiders I have some questions for my readers.
1. Being that Kathy Long has been in the position for years and she has had opponents come after her unsuccessfully before does she have a chance of being forcefully retired? Before you answer too quickly remember that Supervisor Judy Mikels ( Simi Valley) was in a strong position according to most pundits before she finished 3rd in a three way primary.
2. What major county issues impact the 3rd district more than the other districts?
3. How much money would it take to make this a serious campaign? Both Jim Dantona and Peter Foy were well funded in the successful campaigns against Judy Mikels.
4. Read this article first and then answer: Who really won the battle over the ballot statements? I think Socorro Lopez Hanson did as she earned some media attention for her campaign on an issue that most voters don't care about. Do you agree?
5. What would you say the name ID of each candidate is at this point in the game? Does Socorro Lopez Hanson have wide name ID? I know that Kathy Long makes frequent appearances in Leisure Village and of course she has been in elective office for many years. But does she get her name in the paper enough so that the average voter recognizes her?
Do not click here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOU8GIRUd_g
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Here is advice for would be challengers:
To beat an incumbent, one needs to have an experienced and imaginative campaign guru at the helm and lots of "feet on the street" (a dedicated core of loyal and trustworthy volunteer workers). Beyond this, there are still three things are needed to guarantee for a successful campaign . . .
1.) Name recognition within the district;
and/or
2.) Adequate money to buy exposure for the candidate and message in key media; and/or
3.) Crucial issue(s) that reflect positively on the challenger and/or negatively on the incumbent.
Having two of these three can still provide a very good chance; having only one makes for a long shot against an incumbent. However, it can be done!
I would say Unification and the state of the K-8 schools and Board of Trustees is a MAJOR issue and I would like to hear from both candidates on this matter.
SHL takes the campaign directly to her ballot statement. Then she battles to keep that statement alive. She sounds like a fighter. The D3 race may be a lot more up in the air than most folk think.
So... is anyone familiar with D3 issues and willing to fill us in?
gs-
Traffic on 118
Heath care in Santa Paula
Newhall land & Development in Heritage Valley
Growth of CSUCI
The district is wide and encompasses many socio economic variances as well as geographic. Each area has widely different wants and needs. While KL has done a fine job showing up at ribbon cuttings it's time for someone who can take action and knows the workings of the county government system from the inside. Not the inside of the supervisiors chambers.
How many years has Kathy Long served for?
Here is an issue someone might want to grab: dramatic increase in trash trucks from L.A. County cities on Hwy. 101 and Hwy. 23 on their way to the WMI dump when it is trebled in size in a couple of years. (Clue this will be a county wide problem not just District 4.)
Q,
Kathy Long was first elected in November 1996, filling the seat after Maggie Kildee's retirement.