Run for your lives

At a pair of forums in Oroville last week, the candidates running for the Butte County Board of Supervisors jockeyed for early positions with what could turn out to be two influential groups. Bob Beeler, Curt Josiassen and Kim Yamaguchi—the three incumbents from districts One, Four and Five—are all facing challengers who are more or less political unknowns. Those unknowns got a chance to lay out their platforms Jan. 8, first at a forum held by the Butte County Deputy District Attorneys Association and later that night at a meeting of the Butte County Republican Party.

In a nutshell, the election plot is as follows: The most contentious race pits two-term District One Supervisor Bob Beeler against contractor Bill Connelly. The most interesting race matches Ridge real-estate agent and infamous redistricter Kim Yamaguchi with Stirling City hotelier Charlotte Anne Hilgeman. The race that seems least likely to generate any controversy is in District Four, where Richvale rice farmer Curt Josiassen is calmly fending off challenger John Busch, a Biggs businessman who wants the county to be more business-friendly.

At the Deputy D.A.s’ forum, the question most asked of the candidates was how each of them would cope with what could be a $10 million hole in the county budget and, in particular, whether any Deputy D.A.s would likely lose their jobs. Not surprisingly (considering the audience), all of the candidates stressed their commitment to law enforcement without specifically saying where future cuts might be made.

When asked where the county could find additional revenue, most of the candidates mentioned increased tourism as an option, with Connelly and Hilgeman stressing it the most. Beeler noted his efforts to create a new business park in Oroville and said he was working to bring computer companies and plastic manufacturing firms to the area. Josiassen and Busch agreed that the county should encourage land development and business growth. None of the candidates expressed support for a raise in sales or parcel taxes during the forum, but afterward Connelly said he was open to slightly raising local sales taxes.

The biggest bombshell heard at the D.A.s’ forum was dropped by Charlotte Hilgeman, who told the audience that she was accepting no campaign donations and would not pay to advertise her campaign. Her opponent, Kim Yamaguchi revealed that he had collected about $30,000 so far, although he said he couldn’t remember the name of his biggest contributor. When asked after the meeting how she planned to win without raising any funds, Hilgeman said she wasn’t worried about it.

“You know when something just feels right? I just know this is right,” she said. “I’m going to win, I just know it.” Hilgeman said she had plenty of name recognition on the Ridge for serving on various local committees and for helping open Stirling City’s new museum and library. Hilgeman claims to have turned down donations from over 30 individuals and companies—including Sierra Pacific, which gave to Yamaguchi—simply because she believes there is too much money-grubbing in politics.

Despite his sizable war chest, Yamaguchi may be the most vulnerable candidate, based on the fact that he was the object of a failed recall campaign after he angered Ridge voters with an ill-advised redistricting scheme that ended up costing the county around $145,000 in legal fees.

The D.A.s’ forum was fairly tame compared to one held at Oroville City Council Chambers later that night, where local Republicans turned out to ask questions of candidates from Districts One and Four. District Five’s Yamaguchi and Hilgeman were apparently not asked to attend the sometimes raucous event, which was led off with a prayer, the flag salute and a statement by party Chairman Josh Cook that Republicans “don’t buy into the rhetoric that these seats are non-partisan. Butte County is a Republican county, [and] we want leadership we can be proud of.”

The barb of the night was launched by local party henchman John Gillander, who, waving a file folder above his head, asked Connelly why he had not voted in 10 recent elections. Connelly, after demanding to know where Gillander was from, replied that the question was a “typical political set-up by Mr. Beeler’s camp” and said that he was not always as politically active and informed as he had become lately.

Beeler denied “setting up” Connelly, saying, “I wish I had the power to orchestrate everything that happens in a campaign.” Whatever the case, Gillander is known to have performed similar work for other local Republicans, including Assemblyman Rick Keene, whose chief of staff, Cliff Wagner, is running Beeler’s campaign.

Fourth District Supervisor Curt Josiassen also drew some heat from the party faithful for his part in Yamaguchi’s redistricting scheme, as well as for changing his mind about running for re-election after making a pledge to serve only two terms. He replied to the accusations by blaming Democrats for gerrymandering county districts in the past and saying, “I am a firm believer in term limits [but] I’m not sure two terms is enough. I think three terms would be more adequate.”

Busch spent most of his time at the forum pledging to fight against new taxes and encourage business growth within the county.