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We are lucky to have Rep. Jimmy Panetta representing us on the Central Coast. We live in a bubble in Santa Cruz, but his district also includes portions of Monterey, Santa Clara and San Luis Obispo counties. Just as his father, Leon Panetta, and his predecessor in office, Sam Farr, Jimmy Panetta is from here and is fighting for what he thinks is best for the district.
Nevertheless, there appears to be a coordinated effort by extremists to tarnish his name. They don’t like the idea that he sometimes votes with Republicans or rejects support for Hamas. We need someone who understands that a member of the minority party has to work with the majority to find common ground.
Professors who have maligned him in the Sentinel should know this and appreciate what it takes to be a leader. The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board has an extremist member who brags about being a disrupter and a supporter of Panetta’s Green Party opponent. We can see the damage that he has done to the PVUSD in just a few months. We do not need a disrupter representing us in Congress. We need Jimmy Panetta.
Jimmy Panetta is fighting to protect our coast, improve health care and other services for veterans and to minimize the harm done by the Trump administration. While I do not agree with all of the votes he has taken, I believe Panetta voted based on what he thinks is best for the district and the country. We need leaders like Panetta to get us through these difficult times.
Gil Stein
Aptos