In what can only be described as a surprising boost for Davis Mayor Joe Krovoza’s bid for the Assembly, he picked up a key endorsement from the Davis Enterprise on Monday. This marks the second major newspaper endorsement, following last month’s Sacramento Bee endorsement, that endorsed Bill Dodd as well.
In the meantime, not to be left behind, Bill Dodd further encroached into Yolo County, announcing the endorsement of former Woodland Mayor Art Pimentel and Yolo County Supervisor Matt Rexroad. Previously, Supervisor Duane Chamberlain had been his biggest Yolo County endorsement.
“Mayor Joe Krovoza likes to talk about ‘fiscally sustainable systems’ on the campaign trail. As a political catch phrase, it’s not exactly ‘yes we can,’” the Enterprise wrote. “But at a time when the state is beginning to turn the corner economically, and the temptation is to spend more rather than plan for the future, we appreciate the wonkish Krovoza’s focus on the long-term health of the budget, education and the environment, particularly water.”
Joe Krovoza told the Vanguard, “I’m honored to receive the unqualified endorsement of the Davis Enterprise. My record as mayor shows that I don’t shy away from tough decisions, and I have always put the community’s needs first. The Enterprise has been carefully watching, reporting, and evaluating my performance as mayor for the past three-plus years, so their endorsement is particularly meaningful to me.”
Bill Dodd, in the meantime, is looking more and more like the frontrunner in a race that seems to have changed dramatically from its inception.
“Looking at Bill’s record, it’s clear he uses his business experience watching the bottom line to ask tough questions about spending,” said Supervisor Rexroad, a Republican. “His fiscal responsibility shows with 14 straight balanced county budgets and active efforts to bring Napa County pension funding in line.”
“Bill’s family has an agricultural background and he’s done a lot of good preserving agriculture in Napa County, so he shares our values,” said Art Pimentel. “Bill will represent Yolo County well and always remember where he comes from.”
“I’ve gotten to know Art and Matt a lot better during this campaign,” said Bill Dodd. “They’re terrific public servants and have gone the extra mile, along with some other folks, to help me better understand the specific needs of Northern Yolo County, which I really appreciate. I’ll be a better representative for Woodland and the rest of Yolo County because of their support”
Meantime, for Joe Krovoza, he has now two newspaper endorsements, and this time, he is the only choice.
Writes the Enterprise, “We find him to be the best of three strong Democratic candidates for the 4th District seat in the California Assembly and we are pleased to recommend him to Davis voters.”
Naturally, it was the mayor’s work on the budget that made the case for the Enterprise.
They write, “Krovoza helped lead our city through difficult economic times, during which declining revenues forced a 22 percent reduction in the city workforce. He was resolute in trimming our Fire Department staffing levels from 12 to a more flexible 11 while actually improving service and response times. He also led a consolidation of upper fire management with UC Davis, which had been talked about since the 1990s. These efforts both put residents first, saving us hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
But they also look at his leadership on the water project, “Our mayor also played a key role in bringing to fruition the joint Woodland-Davis surface water project. And with his guidance, Davis also renewed its environmental leadership on several issues: increasing our diversion of waste from the landfill, banning single-use plastic bags and setting aggressive goals for reducing our community’s carbon footprint.”
They add, “His 17 years as a staff member at UC Davis — where he’s the senior director for development and external relations for the Institute of Transportation Studies and the Energy Efficiency Center — give Krovoza a unique grasp of both campus and community needs. He’s knowledgeable about clean transportation and energy efficiency but, better yet, he’s connected to experts who know even more.”
“Krovoza’s personal interests also are rooted in the environment. He studied natural resources and environmental law, with a focus on water law in particular. Representing the Putah Creek Council, he was the lead negotiator in the historic Putah Creek Accord, which brought seasonal flows back to the creek to sustain fish life. A founder of the advocacy group Davis Bicycles!, he restructured AYSO schedules to make it easier for families to bike to soccer games,” the paper continues.
The Enterprise acknowledges this is a tough race for Mayor Krovoza. They write, “It will be no easy task for Krovoza to win a place on the fall ballot by finishing in the top two in the open June 3 primary. Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd has staggering fundraising support in wine country and pro-business backing. Fellow Davisite Dan Wolk brings name recognition to some parts of the district and is the chosen candidate not just of the state party but of labor groups that are starting to pour money into the race.”
“Retired Marine Charlie Schaupp, meanwhile, likely will collect the votes of the Republican Party faithful — a significant percentage with so many candidates in the field,” the paper continues. “While it’s an oversimplification to say that Dodd is pro-business and Wolk pro-labor, we believe Krovoza strikes something of a happy medium — more fiscally prudent but with stances on many issues, be they social or environmental, that reflect his adopted hometown.”
They continue, “More than that, he brings a base of knowledge about key issues to not just be another ‘yes’ vote. He’ll be a contributor of ideas that could help shape the state’s future. And the immense courage he showed in tackling the tough issues in Davis will serve him well as he wrangles with the challenges that affect all of California.”
All of this leads to an interesting question: is Dan Wolk in trouble?
—David M. Greenwald reporting
dan’s lack of integrity on fiscal issues is now coming home to roost, first with the sac bee, then with the enterprise. what’s interesting is not seeing his union buddies coming to his rescue. is he taking this race for granted? he looks to be in trouble, but there is a month left.
“All of this leads to an interesting question: is Dan Wolk in trouble?”
I think he probably is. A lot will depend on three things:
1. Will the public employee unions who are backing Dan’s campaign bring out the vote for Dan outside of Davis and Woodland? There are a lot of potential votes for him in the other five counties. But it’s likely that those voters need to be roused to show up to vote in this primary;
2. With his massive campaign war chest–he has more than five times as much cash on hand as Wolk or Krovoza–will Bill Dodd take half or more of the votes in Napa County? And will Dodd beat the Davis Democrats in Lake, Sonoma and Colusa Counties, simply by having a lot more money to get his name known in those places?
3. Will the primary electorate be significantly older, whiter and more conservative and Republican than the registration stats show? This is important because I am convinced Charlie Schaupp is going to clean up with conservative Republicans and a lot of conservative independents.
What really hurts Wolk–and Krovoza–is that there are two liberal Democrats in the race, running as liberals, and they both come from Davis, which is on the eastern edge of AD4. They will divide up the same sort of voters. At the same time, there is one centrist Democrat running and he is the only person in the contest who is not from Yolo County, and he has a lot more money. So he has the middle of the road voters and the eastern district voters to himself.
http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/opinion-columns/handicapping-our-assembly-race/
Thanks for covering this on the DV before it comes out in print for those of us more loyal to the DV than the online version of the DE!
I think the endorsement (and especially the reasons given) by both regional newspapers for their endorsement say much about the credibility of Joe’s candidacy. The grassroots support of 700+ individuals should also not be lost when assessing his run.