From Monterey County to Washington, D.C., you decide who works for you. Here are the Weekly’s picks in 21 primary elections.

FEDERAL

Kevin de León for U.S. Senate

The stodgy, increasingly conservative 84-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstein has served in the U.S. Senate since 1992. Thank you for your service, Dianne, but we desperately need bolder leadership to make a dent in this baffling Trump armor. Kevin de León is the clear pick here. He represents the diversity of California; his parents were Guatemalan, and his mother of Chinese descent. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school, and later attended UC Santa Barbara. He taught citizenship classes to immigrants, has been a community organizer, and seems to understand sensitive (California) immigration issues well – he’s noted that his family would have been deported under Trump’s latest policies. De León himself is a shining example of why this land is a beacon for all of us who have immigrated: He was elected to California’s Assembly (representing part of L.A.), then the State Senate where he served as President Pro Tem from 2014-18. He’s led on environmental issues, authoring SB 350 which requires utilities in California to purchase 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and 50 percent by 2030. He’s written laws to strengthen gun control measures, signed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s the embodiment of the American Dream, and he is ready for Washington, D.C.

Jimmy Panetta for U.S. Congress, District 20

Panetta is likable, warm and sincere, and deserves to be sent back to Washington as our congressman for term two. As much as we like Jimmy, this is 2018, with an unpredictable and California-hating liar in the White House, and we need our representative to take the gloves off and call out Trump more directly. In his rookie term, Jimmy was too inclined to be affable and liked – a strategy that may have worked for his father’s (Leon) generation, but this administration is at war with California, attacking our immigration policies, fuel-efficiency standards and core economy. Panetta tells us he wants to “keep working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get to ‘yes.’” That sounds to us like an old-school approach when you’re negotiating with a group of radicals who don’t believe climate change (or most science) is real, want to open up more oil drilling off the coast and think the court of law is rigged. We want our congressman to be forthright and less safe in his politicking. Fight, Jimmy. We’re behind you.

STATE

Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor

We’ll miss the iconic Jerry Brown, the longest-serving governor in the history of California, who terms out this year. He is a formidable politician and bright light in these dark times. His successor? Well, in this nonpartisan primary race, all 28 candidates for governor run against each other at once, regardless of their political parties, and the top two vote-getters will face off in November. Yes, that’s a tad crazy-making, but we’re hoping former San Francisco mayor and current Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor and Assembly majority leader Antonio Villaraigosa make it the top two, giving us all a respectable general election choice come November. Since Newsom is leading in the polls, we’d urge you to vote for Villaraigosa, an independent thinker who went from a union organizer to a union target after voting against the state teachers union and LAUSD, claiming that city schools needed to be dramatically overhauled because teachers were getting a better deal than the neediest students. He helped dramatically shift the city’s energy from renewable sources, launched a program to get a million trees planted, and has proven he’s a shill for no one.

Jeff Bleich for Lieutenant Governor

Jeff Bleich is uniquely suited to achieve things from a seat often derided as “Lite Governor.” True, the Lieutenant Governor does not wield much in the way of authority. But the position involves leadership roles in education and economic development. As the Obama administration’s ambassador to Australia, Bleich helped quadruple America’s defense sales in the Pacific region and double non-defense trade, no trade wars necessary. He also observed how Australia embraced reforms that improved education, while cutting costs. Bleich said he intends to streamline higher education in the state, looking not only for efficiency, but also for programs that engage with industry and prepare students in a rapidly changing economy – one that he believes California should lead.

Xavier Becerra for Attorney General

Xavier Becerra has already established that he will fight for California. He has filed 32 lawsuits to date against the Trump administration, holding the line on state policy as the president assailed sanctuary for immigrants and children referred to as “dreamers,” challenging the border wall and travel ban and, most recently, the White House’s effort to weaken auto emissions standards. Entertaining? Certainly. Effective? Becerra’s batting 11-0, and counting. Even before he was appointed in 2016 to fill the Attorney General seat vacated by Kamala Harris, who was elected as a U.S. senator, former congressman Becerra championed the working classes, saying “Who here makes a living working with your hands, making this country better?” If this is the resistance, we’re behind it.

Alex Padilla for Secretary of State

As Secretary of State, Alex Padilla made national headlines when he took on the Trump administration’s commission on “election integrity,” refusing to hand over voter information. “California’s participation would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive voter fraud made by the president,” he said. More quietly, Padilla has been diligent in efforts to increase the state’s voter registration numbers. Because of a program that started in 2016, 100,000 California teenagers will be automatically registered once they turn 18. Residents can now be enrolled as they apply for a driver’s license. He is an advocate for making access to voting locations easier and educating youth about civic engagement. If he continues in this role, it can only turn out well for California.

Ricardo Lara for Insurance Commissioner

The Insurance Commissioner seat doesn’t attract public excitement. Yet decisions made by this office affect all Californians. As a state senator, Ricardo Lara supported measures to protect homeowners in fire-prone areas from attempts by insurance companies to jack up rates or refuse coverage altogether. That’s a good start when it comes to proving he has what it takes for this job. Lara has indicated he wishes to continue outgoing commissioner Dave Jones’ efforts to broaden the affordable insurance market for cannabis-related businesses. He intends to work with insurers on ways to combat the financial effects of disasters caused by climate change while limiting costs for the state. Tackling emerging needs, like insurance for autonomous vehicles, is also on his radar.

Fiona Ma for Treasurer

The state treasurer will inherit some tricky challenges. Poor investment policies have left communities on the hook for a larger chunk of the state pension system, for one. A banking system for cannabis-related tax income must be improvised. The treasurer also helps steer committees involved in affordable housing and infrastructure projects. Fiona Ma has shown a commitment to transparency, fiscal responsibility and the general welfare of California residents that makes her suited to manage the state’s capital and debt. As a member of the state’s Board of Equalization, she demanded audits targeting mismanagement and championed reforms that led to legislative action. We expect her to continue in that vein as treasurer.

Betty Yee for Controller

Controller Betty Yee is seeking a second term as the state’s top fiscal officer, after terming out in 2014 from a decade serving on the State Board of Equalization. She chairs the Franchise Tax Board and is on the boards of CalPERS and CalSTRS, overseeing a combined portfolio of nearly $500 billion. But numbers aside, she’s the right kind of nitpicker for detail when it comes to managing the public’s money: She understands the ins and outs of fractional taxes (three-eighths-cent transportation tax, anyone?). After more than 30 years in public finance, she’s invested in bringing up a new and diverse generation of public officials, as a cofounder of the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project, which aims to get high-schoolers exposed to public service and public policy.

Tony Thurmond and Marshall Tuck for Superintendent of Public Instruction

The state superintendent is more manager than executive. It is the governor, not the superintendent, who appoints the 11 members of the California Board of Education, who in turn set policy on local control and accountability, as well state funding levels. In a position without much inherent juice, the bully pulpit is the most powerful when its occupant is aligned with the governor.

Tony Thurmond is a Democratic Assemblymember from the East Bay, a former social worker who understands firsthand the needs of some of the state’s most vulnerable students. He is backed by teachers unions.

Marshall Tuck is a charter school executive from Los Angeles who worked successfully to administer a huge collection of schools while Antonio Villaraigosa was mayor. Tuck has said he wants to change the threshold at which teacher tenure is earned, from where it is now (two years) to five years.

Of those two top candidates, it makes sense to vote for an alignment with who you want as the next governor. If you like Newsom's staunch pro-union position, then Thurmond is your candidate. If you think Villaraigosa can shake up entrenched teachers unions, vote Tuck.

Malia Cohen for State Board of Equalization, District 2

The Board of Equalization is the only publicly elected tax commission in the country, with authority over sales and use taxes, property taxes, special taxes like electronic waste recycling fees, beverage taxes, fuel taxes and cannabis taxes. (The BOE’s job is to ensure that various taxes are collected fairly. The idea is that an elected board is more sensitive to customers than civil servants.)

Malia Cohen has served on the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors since 2010, where she’s shown impressive leadership and independence. She helped pass laws to make it illegal to sell firearms in SF with magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, and championed a neighborhood preference provision for new development in the city, giving residents within a half-mile of the units first preference.

Anna Caballero for State Senate, District 12

Anna Caballero is the Jim Harbaugh of Central Coast politics. For those not steeped in sports trivia, Harbaugh was the football coach at Stanford who rode a good reputation to an enormous contract as head coach of the 49ers, only to swap that out four years later for an even bigger payday as coach at his alma mater, University of Michigan. Along the way he’s made headlines, millions of dollars and talked the talk, but he has yet to win a championship at any level.

Caballero served on City Council and as mayor of Salinas, then two terms in the state Assembly, then in Gov. Brown’s cabinet as Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. Yet when she’s given the opportunity to tell about her accomplishments, there's not a lot of there, there. She often cites progress in crime prevention and housing in Salinas, but most would be hard-pressed to call those wins.

She returned to the Assembly in 2016 for a third and final term, in what observers saw as a means to position herself to run for State Senate in 2018; it's now an open seat with Republican Anthony Cannella terming out – after he beat Caballero eight years ago.

One initiative in her last term in the Assembly: AB 425. This is a bill that will entirely strip environmental review of timber harvesting in regard to water quality, wildlife impacts and road building, and turn responsibility entirely over to CalFire, ostensibly to lessen wildfire risk.

In the last election cycle, Caballero made headlines when charter school advocates dumped a quarter-million dollars into her campaign.

In spite of it all, Caballero is getting huge support from Democrats statewide, who see the open seat as an opportunity to hold onto their two-thirds majority in the Senate. While we don’t think the three other candidates contending for District 12 Senate seat are worthy – nor do they hail from this side of the Gabilans, and we'd love to see a local representing a vast district that includes part of the Central Valley – we feel Caballero has too long gotten by on a reputation and other people’s money. It’s time for her to start winning for the constituents.

Robert Rivas for Assembly, District 30

With Anna Caballero terming out, there's a crowded five-way race for this seat. And with new term limit rules, whoever gets elected can serve up to 12 years.

Rivas is smart and ambitious. He recalls growing up in farmworker housing at Almaden Vineyards in Paicines and learning from his grandfather that hard work and going to college would be enough to get ahead. That formula worked for Rivas, who overcame a debilitating stutter through extensive speech therapy and earned a master's degree in public administration from San Jose State. He knows it's not a formula that works for Californians today, and says he will advocate for free education, and that he would tackle the housing crisis starting by creating an inventory of infill opportunities in every city.

He started his career in government in the clerk's office of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, and took a significant pay cut when he was elected as a San Benito county supervisor in 2010. He boldly took a stance to stand up to Big Oil, supporting a citizens' initiative to ban fracking in San Benito County. We hope he'll do the same at the state level.

Mark Stone for Assembly, District 29

Principled, check. Environmental champion, check. An advocate for some of California’s most marginalized, specifically foster children, check. Stone is the kind of representative you want to re-elect. Previously a Santa Cruz county supervisor, Stone is seeking a fourth term for his seat on the Assembly. We encourage you to send him back to Sacramento.

He's been relentless in his attack on ocean pollution, most recently introducing a bill that would require bottle caps be leashed to the bottle. He's also behind a law that will create transparency for student loans, the beginning of what could be even more serious reforms for indebted college grads.

His challenger, Vicki Nohrden, wants to overturn California’s sanctuary state law and repeal the much-needed gas tax, positions that are not only out of step with district voters, but backward for California.

MONTEREY COUNTY

Jeannine Pacioni for District Attorney

For the first time in 28 years, Dean Flippo is not running for District Attorney. Even if she were not running unopposed, Jeannine Pacioni would be a formidable candidate. She’s experienced – she has over 20 years in the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, where she is currently an assistant DA. She’s a classic tough-on-crime, law-and-order type – which is kind of what you’d expect in the DA’s chair. She’s invested in bringing victims’ perspectives to the forefront, and 20 years ago she helped develop Monterey County’s sexual assault response team, still in effect today. She wants to crack down on what she says are under-addressed issues of labor trafficking and sex worker trafficking, and renew the focus on gangs and youth violence.

She’s like Dean Flippo, only different.

No Endorsement, County Sheriff

There are things to like about both of the candidates in this particularly vicious race. And while we don’t expect perfection out of a candidate, both Sheriff Steve Bernal and Deputy Scott Davis are too flawed to earn our endorsement.

Four years ago, then-deputy Bernal was elected with support from Davis and the Deputy Sheriffs Association. He’s surprised us with his openness to talk to the media. He churned through his top leadership, but seems to have finally settled on some good advisers who will hopefully stick around. He has changed the staffing structure in the Monterey County Jail to comply with the terms of a settlement ordering better medical attention and accessibility for inmates with disabilities. But he falls short on one key issue: immigration. Bernal has taken a hard-line stance in lockstep with Republican thinking, and launched a program to put a federal ICE agent inside the jail. It was only after Gov. Brown signed California’s sanctuary state law – a law Bernal opposed – that he was forced to remove ICE from the jail, to comply with state law.

His opponent, Davis, was elected to Salinas City Council in 2016, where he has been an outspoken and progressive leader on, among other issues, embracing the city’s immigrant community. Davis, a Democrat, has rallied endorsements from many progressive groups, hailing what would be a historic victory for California’s first Asian-American sheriff and first openly gay sheriff.

But those milestones don’t make up for what’s been a remarkably shady campaign. Command staff in the Deputy Sheriffs Association blew the whistle on what they said was questionable spending – including on a Davis campaign consultant – by the union, and were promptly kicked out of the union. Their findings are the fodder for an ongoing investigation by the state Fair Political Practices Commission. Instead of explaining the payments and coming clean, Davis has deflected questions and denied ever signing a check from the DSA to his campaign team, effectively accusing someone of forging his signature – but hasn't asked law enforcement to investigate. It’s too bad that law and order doesn’t seem to apply to the campaign of someone who’s running for sheriff.

Steve Vagnini for County Assessor

Seeking his fifth term, Steve Vagnini is known throughout the county as an innovator in money and personnel management. His is a streamlined office that is responsible for 70 percent of the county’s discretionary money. The Assessor’s Office has utilized technology to make certain all residences and commercial spaces are taxed fairly and equitably. Vagnini's opponent, Larry Tack, is the supervising appraiser in the Assessor’s Office, but doesn’t have the experience or perspective to manage the top job.

Vagnini is the definition of a competent public servant who is mindful that the mission of his office is to work for the county, and with property owners, to determine the fair market value of each parcel. During his tenure, Vagnini has chaired the county's cost-savings committee and GIS committee, bringing new technology to bear. A certified property appraiser for over 30 years, he is also known for his work with arts organizations and youth advocacy nonprofits, such as a local chapter of nonprofit Guitars Not Guns, which he founded in 2010.

Rupa Shah for County Auditor-Controller

Outgoing Monterey County Auditor Mike Miller might be the least popular person in county government right now, so whoever inherits this important position will have some damage control to attend to. Rupa Shah, Miller’s second-in-command with 18-plus years of experience in the department, knows what happened that led a $4.5 million payroll upgrade project to end up costing $18.5 million, and though she says she sees good reasons for the expense, she says she would depart from her boss in one key way: She would've put the project out to bid. “I would not go into this without an RFP,” Shah says. “The project is too big.”

The biggest problem, she says, was communication; outside of the auditor’s office, no one knew what was happening and why it cost so much. Considering her proudest accomplishment since assuming the position of assistant auditor two years ago is improving communication – making sure non-CPA county officials understand the numbers – that bodes well.

Her opponent, Darren Huber, would be brand-new to government. He commutes to Orange County for a private-sector asset management job all week, and since Shah entered the race, Huber seems to have abandoned running himself; his campaign shows zero signs of life, and he did not respond to our questions about his goals.

John Phillips for County Supervisor, District 2

Four years ago, this newspaper endorsed John Phillips’ opponent. This year, we are offering our (mixed) support for his candidacy, with a clear and direct plea: Supervisor, you can do better.

Phillips has been a strong supervisor in many regards for the residents of North Monterey County. His take is that District 2 gets short shrift on many county projects and he’s been effective trying to reverse that pattern. He’s gotten transportation money to build a pedestrian overpass in Castroville and improve the dangerous Highway 156 intersection. He is working with the Nunes Company, Ocean Mist Farms and CHISPA on three new private workforce housing developments. He lobbied San Luis Obispo County to deny a rail project that would have transported crude oil through Moss Landing by train. And by virtue of his swing vote in support of Monterey Bay Community Power, he has helped all county residents opt out of PG&E electricity and into renewables instead.

However, when it comes to land use, Phillips’ votes are troubling to us. He has exhibited a willingness to approve projects without the needed water or infrastructure, even going so far as to skip some local meetings to lobby on behalf of a developer at a Coastal Commission meeting, for a project he’d already voted in favor of at the supervisor level. That was wrong (the staff of the Coastal Commission recommended denial of the 54-unit Rancho Los Robles subdivision in Las Lomas, citing concerns about water supply). Perhaps thanks to Phillips’ lobbying, that controversial project was approved 7-5, a sad example of the wrong kind of development (no water, no roads, not enough affordable housing).

Regina Gage has an impressive list of endorsements from unions, progressive groups and the Democratic Party, but comes across as unprepared for the job of county supervisor. Given multiple opportunities to outline the initiatives she would champion as a supervisor, she says she wants more accessibility and to tackle hunger in the county. Those are authentic and noble goals, but it seems she is better positioned for that cause from her current position as executive director of Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley.

Phillips says that at 76, he's ready to retire, but couldn't find a successor he would endorse. It would be nice if he'd taken Gage under his wing to help her learn the issues, but given the choices voters have, Phillips is better prepared to lead.

Alejandro Chavez for County Supervisor, District 3

There are three passionate and smart people running for this South County seat with Supervisor Simon Salinas retiring after three consecutive terms. One is Edgar Alcantara, a truck driver with a serious desire to make his community a better place; he’s not ready for the responsibilities of a countywide job, but we hope he considers getting into politics at a city council level. One is Chris Lopez, who is currently Salinas’ chief of staff, meaning his job is know the district and how county government works. Lopez has never held elected office but seems to have the qualifications. So does Alejandro Chavez, who brings similar professional experience to bear. He worked for 16 years for former county supervisor Fernando Armenta, so he too knows the ins and outs of Monterey County government, and he’s gotten some impressive things accomplished as a member of Soledad City Council, like improvements to athletic fields and staff restructuring to get through recession-era budget cuts.

Chavez also has some clear-headed ideas: He wants to see urban-centered growth instead of sprawl to deal with the housing crisis. He says he’ll work to uphold Measure Z, a ban on fracking and the expansion of the oil industry that voters approved in 2016. Chavez is also a true champion of South County, with a vision to bolster tourism – not just to generate revenue, but to bring some love to a region that deserves it.

MPUSD

Yes on Measure I

This bond measure in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District seeks to raise $213 million to improve the facilities in the district’s 22 schools to bring the learning environment into the 21st century. None of the money can be used for teacher or administrator salaries. MPUSD's newest school is over 50 years old, there are 100 portable classrooms dotting the various campuses. Many classrooms have a single electrical outlet; according to a district inventory of its infrastructure, there is a $700 million backlog of needed repairs and upgrades. This bond measure will not fund all of those, but it will dramatically enhance the ability of the district to offer its students an educational environment that more closely resembles those available in Pacific Grove and Carmel. The bond will cost the owner of a median-priced home about $20 per month. Aside from a social justice component – giving kids access to basic amenities – there is plenty of economic justification to vote yes: To attract and retain excellent workers, the community needs to provide its residents with modern schools. That those arguments overlap might explain why there is no serious opposition to the bond measure, which is endorsed by all three mayors and both supervisors in MPUSD’s area.