Moderate Assembly member looks at competitive seat in the Central Valley

by Brian Leubitz

Asm. Cathleen Galgiani has decided to enter the race for the new 5th Senate District.  The district voted slightly for Jerry Brown over Whitman, but voted in the opposite direction in favor of Fiorina over Boxer.  It is a winnable seat for either party.

Now, this is one of the curious odd senate districts that has changed rapidly.  Tom Berryhill currently represents much of this district in what is now SD-14, however that district is now a Dem leaning seat.  Scott Lay at Around the Capitol’s Nooner Email lays it out:

If it was only that simple, we’d grab our popcorn and settle for a great fight.  But, next year, few things are simple. Tom Berryhill currently serves in SD14, an even-numbered district.  SD14 isn’t up for election until 2014.  He won’t stay in the new SD14 after 2014, as it’s now a solid Dem majority-minority Latino district stretching from Fresno to Bakersfield.  

So, he has two choices if he wants to stay in the Senate.  He can run in SD05 against a strong moderate Dem Assemblywoman in a toss-up race or, relax for two years and then move to the conservative foothills-based SD08 in 2014.  He moved to run for SD14 originally, so that’s not out of the question.  However, if he skips a 2012 showdown against Galgiani, he will need to end his moderate ways to avoid a conservative showdown against Assemblymember Linda Halderman  or someone else in SD08.  (If Leland Yee wins the mayoral race in November, the voters of San Francisco will choose who represents the foothills through 2014.  Most likely, it will be Fiona Ma, although there would be something fun in sending Tom Ammiano to one of the havens for Prop. 8 for a couple of years.)

And beyond that, Berryhill could take a shot at the lean-Dem Central Valley Congressional district that Jerry McNerney plans to pursue next year. But as for Galgiani, she certainly is a known quantity in much of this district, and whether it is Berryhill or Asm. Kristin Olsen that she ultimately faces, she will be in a tough race.  She’s not somebody you would ever consider labeling progressive, but she has been a strong advocate of High Speed Rail and is probably a better vote than some of the other Mods currently in the Senate.

See the extended diary for the text of Galgiani’s press release.

Stockton, CA – After encouragement from area business leaders, community organizations

and members of both political parties, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani today announced her

candidacy for the 5th District State Senate seat.

“When the districts were finalized on Monday, it was clear that the new State Senate district

would include significant portions of my current Assembly district and presents an opportunity to

continue to work on the vital issues I’ve spent the last several years working on in the

Assembly,” said Galgiani.

Galgiani continues, “I am no stranger to the serious issues facing this region. We’ve been hit

hard by record unemployment and foreclosures, and I want to continue fighting to create good

paying jobs, excellent schools and safe communities.  In addition, I want to continue my work

with Congressman Dennis Cardoza to bring a school of Medicine to the Central Valley so we

can improve access to healthcare.  These are the reasons that I am declaring my candidacy to

represent California’s 5th Senate District.”

A 5th generation Stocktonian, Cathleen has lived and worked in the San Joaquin Valley her

entire life. She has become a recognized leader on a variety of issues ranging from protecting

the Valley’s agricultural base, Delta protection and water supply, a clean and healthy

environment, to high-speed rail, and securing funds for the Stanislaus Family Justice

Center. Galgiani was instrumental in securing funding and support for UC Merced as a

Legislative Committee consultant on the Development of UC Merced.

Cathleen Galgiani, a Democrat, currently represents the 17th

Assembly District (which reaches from Stockton to Los Banos, and Tracy to Merced) and serves as the Chair of the Committee on

Agriculture, and as a member of the committees on Higher Education, Transportation and

Governmental Organization. She is also a vice-chair of the California State Legislative Rural

Caucus and Outdoor Sporting Caucus.

The new 5th Senate District seat includes parts of Stanislaus, South Sacramento County and all

of San Joaquin county and encompasses Stockton, Tracy, Modesto, Lodi and Galt

The Dump Denham campaign came to life in the midst of last year’s budget wrangling, helped in no small part by Senator Don Perata.  Well Jeff Denham may or may not ultimately face recall, but he’ll be termed out in 2010 if he lasts that long, and it looks like Democrats have themselves a challenger ready.  It seems that Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani recently moved into Denham’s Senate district.

Galgiani, who succeeded the ever-popular Barbara Matthews in 2006, says she just wants to live closer to the center of her Assembly District, but it certainly is convenient that she also happens to enter SD-12.  Denham’s district is at or near the top of nearly every Dem-target list for the near future, especially as the 2/3 rule collides with the year’s budget crisis.

Just a hunch, but I’m guessing that budget flexibility is going to become a bigger issue over the course of the year, what with that whole budget shortfall thing.  And healthcare funding.  And Indian Gaming compacts.  Might just be that ambition is finding a place in all this.