Perez needs to stay put in 5th District seat
By The Bakersfield Californian
Blind ambition is not so much blind as it is unconscionably self-serving. I am more than disappointed that newly elected 5th District Supervisor Leticia Perez is even considering running for the state Senate seat just vacated by the disappointing Michael Rubio. Perez has less than three months in office and she is already letting personal ambitions motivate her.
I enthusiastically supported Perez's campaign. I had two good reasons. One: I was offended that a Republican governor would appoint a Republican (Karen Goh) to finish the term of the departing Rubio, who had been elected to the Senate. Two: I believed that Perez was a very qualified candidate. Now, the citizens of the 5th District are faced with the potential of having another appointee represent them if Perez departs. This would result in four people -- Rubio, Goh, Perez and a new appointee -- all serving in a four-year period, which is the normal term for one supervisor. This is unfair to the citizens of the 5th District.
Public office should not be just a platform for ambitious politicians to move up the ladder. I've always believed that politicians need to do a good job in one position before they ask voters to help them move up. Perez is young enough to work her way up to the Assembly or Senate. She should think less of her political future and more of the needs of those who enthusiastically supported her. I encourage other residents of the 5th District to express their views on this issue.
Raymond Gonzales
Bakersfield
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