Perhaps the members of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) got more out of the recent state assembly candidates forum than I did. But even after listening to the 45 minute Q&A, I had difficulty finding differences among the four Democratic hopefuls aiming to fill Sally Leiber's state assembly seat -- Dominic Caserta, Paul Fong, Anna Song and Kris Wang.

 

They're all from Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Cupertino – three cities sharing borders and a similar character. Three of the four are in education. All have deep roots in their communities.

 

They all agree we need to keep jobs in Silicon Valley, we have a housing problem, medical insurance is a growing problem, educational opportunity needs to be supported and expanded, and they all support the California EPA's Green Chemistry Initiative.

 

The only question that elicited a meat-and-potatoes policy answer was on health care. But even there, only Fong and Caserta provided policy details.

 

Fong endorses single-payer medical insurance and promises to work for it. Caserta called for universal coverage for children, as well as preventive care and electronic medical records to reduce costs (artfully avoiding red flags to supporters at both ends of the political spectrum). Song said she would support any plan for improving access and Wang agreed the issue required effort.

 

Of the four, Dominic Caserta (www.dominiccaserta.com) is the best known to Santa Clara residents. Currently serving his second term on the Santa Clara City Council, the lifelong Santa Claran and high school history teacher is known for his affable, energetic style.

 

Dubbed a "new economy moderate" by the Silicon Valley Metro (March 5, 2008), Caserta's business-friendly positions have earned him the endorsements of Silicon Valley giants Intel and Hewlett-Packard. One of his keynote issues is building "clean-tech" industry.

 

When it comes to endorsements, Caserta leads the pack.

 

With about 450 endorsements, Caserta enjoys support across the spectrum, including local public safety unions, the California Nurses Association, the Teamsters, Santa Clara County Supervisor Pete McHugh, former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery and a long list of former and current area mayors and city council members that includes most of Santa Clara's City Council. He reports that he has $400,000 in the bank for the campaign.

 

If Caserta is the Barack Obama of the assembly race, De Anza Community College District Trustee and political science professor Paul Fong is its Hillary Clinton.

 

An "old school Silicon Valley progressive," as the March 5 Metro article describes him, the soft-spoken Fong has deep roots in the Asian community – he founded Asian Americans for Community Involvement -- and a long history of local activism. Equality and environmental issues are top priorities for Fong.

 

While Caserta's endorsement list is long, Fong's is heavy.

 

A virtual who's who of Bay Area politics, it includes current office holder Sally Lieber, Congresswomen Anna Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren, State Senators Carole Migden and Joe Simitian, Congressman Mike Honda and Former State Senator John Vasconcellos. Fong enjoys wide support from educators and has received the endorsement of Santa Clara Council Member Jamie McLeod.

 

While the Metro is positioning the race as a Caserta-Fong dogfight, candidates Anna Song and Kris Wang bring valuable perspectives and experience to the table and should not be discounted.

 

Santa Clara resident Anna Song (www.annasong.org) entered the race just a month ago. Finishing her second term as a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Education, in 2004 she served as Board president and also currently serves on the Joint Legislative Advocacy Committee. Song has a background in social work, domestic violence intervention and fair housing enforcement.

 

Former Cupertino Mayor and Council Member Kris Wang (www.kriswang.com) brings a high-tech resume to the race. With software engineering and management experience at Sun Microsystems, HP and Portal Software, she likes to point out that is the only candidate in the race who is not part of the educational establishment, and the only with experience as a mayor.

 

According to a Feb.18, 2008 story in the Palo Alto Daily News, Wang has received about $200,000 in donations.

 

The winner of the June primary will face Republican Carol Percent, a retired physical therapist, in the November election.

 

Carolyn Schuk can be reached at cschuk@earthlink.net.