Hunter Best Pick for 76th

Abortion was essentially the only issue in the primary campaign for the 76th Assembly District because it was the first state legislative race after the U. S. Supreme Court decision giving states more power to restrict abortions.

But voters from both parties in the San Diego-Riverside County district took a significant step toward resolving that issue when they nominated candidates who favor protecting a woman’s right to choose an abortion: Republican Tricia Hunter and Democrat Jeannine Correia.

Hunter is favored in Tuesday’s general election, given the heavy Republican registration in the district. But it’s no time for complacency by pro-choice voters because one of the five anti-abortion Republicans who lost in the primary, Dick Lyles, is running an active write-in campaign.

But, even ignoring the abortion issue, Hunter is the most qualified among the three to serve in the Assembly.

None of the candidates to replace the late Republican Bill Bradley has had any government experience. Hunter, a nurse, is chief of surgical services at Chula Vista Community Hospital, Correia has been an instructor with the Assn. for Retarded Citizens, and Lyles is a management consultant.

But Hunter seems to have the deepest understanding of statewide issues. And her background as a health-care professional and president of the state nursing board would be a welcome addition to the Legislature at a time when medical services are being cut and there is a growing number of uninsured residents. Hunter says she would push for more preventive care and more funds for AIDS research.

Hunter favors stiffer penalties for convicted criminals, but she also recognizes the need for more emphasis on rehabilitation for first offenders. She also would support a ban on lobbying by former legislators for one year after leaving office, one of the ethics reform proposals still being debated in Sacramento.

She deserves credit for her support of a ban on military assault weapons, but sadly, like a majority of legislators, she fails to see the obvious need for a 15-day waiting period for all gun purchases.

Residents of the southern part of the district, which stretches from Rancho Mirage to Chula Vista, will probably be pleased to have a representative from Bonita. They often complained that Bradley, who was from Escondido, ignored them. But Hunter will have to do some homework on at least one major North County issue. She showed an apparent lack of understanding of the extent of the problem of homeless migrant workers, saying that it should be solved at the community rather than at the state level. Even other Republican legislators have recognized that the problem goes beyond local resources and have helped secure state migrant housing funds.

But overall, Hunter has the potential to be an effective representative for the 76th District.