California State Senate Candidate Peg Pinard joined the Peace Corps after attending Santa Clara University, spending two years in the Philippines and meeting the man who became her husband
15th District candidates shell out for TV ads
By JOE LIVERNOIS
Herald Salinas Bureau
The race to replace state Sen. Bruce McPherson has evolved into one of the hottest political campaigns in California during this election cycle. It pits two well-financed candidates considered rising stars in state politics.
But for the average Monterey County voter in the 15th Senate District, the names Peg Pinard and Abel Maldonado are still little more than images on the television screen. From the many campaign commercials, voters can ascertain that Maldonado hangs out with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and that Pinard saved Avila Beach and plays the banjo. But other than that, they remain relative unknowns along the Monterey Bay because both candidates come from the southern half of a district that stretches some 200 miles from Santa Maria to Saratoga.
To quickly become better known in the northern reaches of the district, Maldonado and Pinard are spending fairly lavishly on TV advertising with the generous help of their political parties.
When the race began, the Republican Maldonado probably was the better known of the two because he is an Assemblyman, representing the 33rd District that takes in San Luis Obispo County and the north end of Santa Barbara County. He wants to step up to the Senate because term limits are ending his Assembly career.
Pinard, the candidate on the Democratic side, is a San Luis Obispo County supervisor and former mayor of San Luis Obispo.
So far, more than $3.5 million has been collected by the candidates. And with a huge infusion of cash from the Democratic Party, what had been expected to be a Maldonado cakewalk has turned into a real face-off.
The Democratic State Central Committee has given Pinard's campaign more than $1.7 million in cash and is providing campaigners and consultants.
In contrast, the latest campaign statements show Maldonado collected only $275,000 in contributions during the past three months and has generated $862,000 in donations throughout the year.
Maldonado's communications director, Tom Kise, said the Maldonado campaign expects to collect and spend about $1.4 million by election day Nov. 2.
As of Thursday, Maldonado was still contacting Republican power brokers in Sacramento, asking for more money to counteract the Democrats. Equally important, he anticipates Schwarzenegger will make an appearance on his behalf.
Maldonado was co-chairman of the Schwarzenegger campaign last year.
"The governor has endorsed me," Maldonado said. "Up until now, he's loaned me his name. I would like to see him come to the district soon. I haven't asked him yet, but I haven't heard from him either. He's been very busy."
Pinard said she doesn't believe a Schwarzenegger appearance will make much difference in the race.
"People like him, but I don't think his coattails are all that long," she said.
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Pinard raised in San Jose area|
Pinard, 59, said she has a slight advantage over Maldonado in the northern end of the district because she was raised in the San Jose area.
She joined the Peace Corps after attending Santa Clara University, spending two years in the Philippines and meeting the man who became her husband. Her husband took a position as a professor at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo while she took a job teaching high school equivalency classes for migrant farmworkers.
Pinard said she was never much interested in politics until she got involved in municipal issues because of problems she was encountering while she and her husband were trying to restore their 100-year-old house in San Luis Obispo.
She was first elected to the City Council in 1987 and was elected mayor in 1992. She took two years off from politics before running for the Board of Supervisors in 1996. Pinard has never lost an election.
Fully expecting to run for a third term as supervisor, Pinard said she was approached by state Democratic leaders after Cohn dropped out of the race.
"The question for me became why shouldn't I do it," she said.
On the campaign trail, she often discusses her ability to reach a settlement agreement with the Unocal oil company on behalf of residents in Avila Beach, where leaks from Unocal's oil transfer terminal created environmental problems.
Pinard said she was initially the lone vote for a settlement agreement on the Board of Supervisors, but she went to the state Attorney General's Office for help and organized Avila Beach residents.
In the end, Unocal agreed to pay up to $200 million to remove the oil spilled beneath the beach town, including $18 million to compensate 300 residents for business losses, housing expenses and other costs.
"I think my strength is my manner of operating with people," she said. "I bring issues back to the people in the communities and say, 'This is what we're dealing with; give me your ideas.' I'm very big on collaborative stuff."
Pinard said she believes Maldonado is a vulnerable candidate because of his voting record. She said her opponent has avoided votes on about 1,800 bills during his tenure as an Assembly member.
She also said Maldonado has a tendency of "voting one way in committee then another way on the floor."
