On behalf of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, I am writing to respectfully oppose Assembly Bill 1696 (AB 1696) and Assembly Constitutional Amendment 12 (ACA l2),by Assembly Member Lee, which would require candidates for certain local offices to designate their political party preference upon filing nomination papers with their local elections official. AB 1696 and ACA 12 unnecessarily alter the nature of local elections where partisan politics are largely irrelevant to the execution of the office.
Nonpartisan elections were first held during the Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) in response to the stranglehold corrupt political party machines had on elections at the local level. Removing partisan politics from local elections produced two key benefits: 1) it freed candidates seeking office from the obligations associated with partisan political organizations, and 2) it increased competition for local offices by welcoming civic-minded individuals, across the ideological spectrum, as opposed to only politically-minded individuals within the two-party system. Reverting nonpartisan local elections to partisan elections eliminates these critical benefits associated with nonpartisan offices.
Nonpartisan offices work particularly well at the local level because local government issues are largely centered around the delivery of government services, not on issues of national political concern. Politicizing the duties and responsibilities of local elected officials compromises local interests and distracts from the immediate concerns of the members of the community. Providing access to quality schools, clean drinking water, public safety services, and well-paved roads will only be complicated by injecting partisan politics into the managerial policies and procedures associated with executing these nonpartisan duties.
In order to preserve the efficiency and practicality of local government, we must respectfully oppose AB 1696, and its counterpart ACA 12. We firmly believe nonpartisan local elections are the best way to ensure the needs of our diverse community are met, without bias or impartiality.
Sincerely,
Eddie Valero, Chairman
Tulare County Board of Supervisors
cc: Assembly Member Bryan, Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lang, Tulare State Delegation