Font ResizeSally Lieber received fewer than half as many votes as Jerry Hill in the June primary, but in her assessment she did pretty well.
With her campaign trailing badly in fundraising, her strategy under the state's new open primary system was to secure one of the top two spots and advance to the Nov. 6 general election while spending as little money as possible.
Mission accomplished.
"We were outspent more than 10-to-1, but only outvoted 2-to-1," said Lieber, a former three-term assemblywoman in the South Bay's old 22nd district. "We did zero mail, no campaign signs. and we still got an OK amount of votes."
But Hill remains the heavy favorite to take the newly redrawn 13th Senate District. He out-polled Lieber 51 percent to 22 percent in the primary and has dominated her in fundraising. Hill raised $902,738 this year through Sept. 30, at which point he still had $426,460 in the bank. Lieber had $187,570 left by the end of September out of a total of $254,542, much of it her own money.
Despite the 13th district campaign's coming down to two Democrats, the candidates present a stark contrast. Hill the moderate is comfortable in Sacramento -- too comfortable, Lieber argues, and unwilling to buck a system driven by money from special interests. From Hill's perspective, Lieber the liberal may not be comfortable enough. She's not as effective at getting laws passed, he says, or building relationships.
Broad support
"The uniqueness of this district is you have to balance those areas," he said. "That's the balance that I think I've been successfully able to achieve and what voters are looking for."
Hill points to his endorsements and fundraising as evidence that people in his current district and the new 13th Senate District respond to his leadership. His vast slate of endorsements includes almost every top Democrat on the Peninsula; business, labor and environmental groups; and nine of 10 supervisors in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Hill's campaign has received contributions from just about every corner of the economy, including unions, developers, high-tech firms and pharmaceutical companies.
Hill has been an active lawmaker since arriving in Sacramento. Among 18 bills he has signed into law this year, he's most fond of legislation cracking down on underage drinking on party buses, restricting tobacco sales to minors, and requiring the California Public Utilities Commission to respond quickly to new federal gas safety regulations and explain its decisions in writing. Hill has fought public battles with the CPUC and PG&E to hold them accountable after the deadly San Bruno pipeline blast in 2010.
Though Hill is to the right of Lieber, he says his voting record supports progressive values. He has a lifetime score of 96 out of 100 from the California League of Conservation Voters, a prominent environmental group.
The underdog
Lieber, 51, spent six years in the Assembly representing a swath of northwestern Santa Clara County, including Sunnyvale and Cupertino. But she never grew accustomed to the daily sausage-making in the Capitol, something she regards as a virtue.
The former Mountain View city councilwoman touts herself as an independent voice who will fight the influence of money and lobbyists. She contrasts her stance with that of Hill, whose campaign this year has taken more than $20,000 from tribal casinos, card rooms and horse-racing tracks, plus a few modest contributions from payday lenders.
"I'm not a win-at-any-cost candidate," she said. "I'm not willing to take tainted money that represents the suffering of the community to try to win political office."
Hill counters that he didn't seek out the money and doesn't give donors special treatment. And he points out that Lieber took money from tribal gaming and horse-racing tracks, among other special interests, during her time in the Assembly.
Lieber lists the environment and education among her top priorities as a legislator. She admits to being less friendly to business than Hill, preferring to focus on helping those without power. Her signature achievements in the Assembly included a bill to raise the minimum wage by $1.25 and laws to protect victims of sexual assault and human trafficking.
Distinctions
The candidates differ on two key issues on the Peninsula: the Cargill salt flats and high-speed rail. Lieber has been an outspoken opponent of any development on the environmentally sensitive former Saltworks site in Redwood City. Hill, who in previous campaigns took contributions from the developer, DMB Associates, has been quiet on the matter, though he claims he opposed DMB's initial housing plan for the 1,400-acre site as too big. He said he does not support filling in the bay under any circumstances.
On the state's proposed bullet train, Lieber is critical of the $8 billion funding bill the state Legislature passed in July with Hill's support. She isn't confident the measure will prevent the California High-Speed Rail Authority from going outside the Caltrain right of way, possibly resulting in seizures of property through eminent domain when the Peninsula section is built.
Hill takes credit for helping to secure $706 million to begin the electrification of Caltrain as part of the funding plan. He supports the so-called blended approach to high-speed rail on the Peninsula -- that is, confining the bullet trains to the existing Caltrain path -- and said he helped tweak the language of the bill to hold the rail authority to that course.
Though she's outgunned, Lieber hopes the distinctions between the candidates on these and other issues, along with her opposition to the influence of money in Sacramento, will bring enough voters over to her side.
"It's definitely still a David and Goliath battle," she said, "but I feel that it's the right thing to challenge big money winning out."
Contact Aaron Kinney at 650-348-4357. Follow him at Twitter.com/kinneytimes.
