Tuesday May 6

Four Dems vie for Lieber's seat

Winner will replace the termed-out Assembly member

By Denis C. Theriault / Bay Area News Group

For the past six years, the 22nd Assembly District, straddling a high-tech slice of the South Bay from San Jose to Mountain View, has reliably provided one of the most liberal voices in Sacramento: Sally Lieber's.

But Lieber is termed out. Next month, voters will decide which of four Democrats will vie to replace her in November. And while it's mostly certain that whoever wins the June 3 primary will go on to claim her seat in the fall, it's less sure whether the victor also will assume Lieber's place of honor on Republican dartboards.

If the winner is Santa Clara Councilman Dominic Caserta, who had raised more than twice as much as any other candidate as of March, expect a move toward the center. The 33-year-old high school civics teacher, who turned his back on his Republican roots eight years ago, has won support from dozens of local politicos across the spectrum as well as from business and labor groups.

"I want to transcend the politics of division in Sacramento," said Caserta, who is stressing green technology, schools and the creation of a state-regulated private health care provider.

Among the endorsements Caserta has not received is that of the state's Democratic Party. That laurel has gone to Paul Fong, a 55-year-old Foothill-De Anza Community College trustee and professor with deep ties to the valley's political establishment.

Fong, considered a liberal, also has the backing of Lieber. And he has amassed his own sizable list of supporters, including U.S. Reps. Mike Honda of Campbell, Zoe Lofgren of San Jose and Anna Eshoo of Palo Alto, and state Sen. Joe Simitian of Palo Alto.

"I will promote education, fight against social inequities, fight for working families and protect our environment," Fong said.

Also running in next month's Democratic primary are Kris Wang, a Cupertino councilwoman, and Anna Song, a Santa Clara County Board of Education trustee.

Wang, a 56-year-old software engineer, has made ending the state's deep cuts to education spending her top priority.

She also wants to harness - and boost - the valley's entrepreneurial spirit to improve both California's economy and the environment.

"Education is the best investment we have for the future of California," Wang said. As of March, the last financial reporting deadline, she had raised almost as much money as Fong.

Song, 39, a youth counselor and longtime Democratic activist, has put her focus on helping working families, promoting affordable health care and ending cuts to the state's education budget. She also believes the state's wealthiest residents should pay more taxes to help balance the books.

"Gas prices are up. Housing is expensive. Money's tight," she said. "As the mom of two young sons, I know it's tough to raise a family in this valley."

Whoever wins next month will match up against Republican Brent Oya, a 27-year-old bank manager from Santa Clara.

Oya, who has no previous elected experience, is focused on the economy, education and the valley's infrastructure and wants "to promote change and reform in Sacramento."

That four of the five candidates in the race are of Asian descent should be no surprise in a district where Asian-Americans have claimed a growing share of the political power.

According to the 2000 census, Asians make up one-third of the district's eligible voters - second only to whites, who make up 50 percent.

What, come November, may be a more telling number for the district: Registered Democrats outnumber their Republican counterparts by a wide margin, 44 percent to 30 percent.