The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Making Contact: In an effort to step up his support in Willow Glen, Assemblyman Mike Honda has made it a priority to be visible at local events, including Founders Day and, here, the Willow Glen Sunrisers' early-morning meeting last week.

Assemblyman sets out to woo Willow Glen voters

After weak support in last year's election, Honda hits District 6

By Cecily Barnes

After Democratic Assemblyman Mike Honda stepped into the state Assembly in late January, his staff conducted a study that showed Willow Glen was the only section of San Jose that had not supported him in the primary election. Staffers say this is because the community didn't know Honda. Others speculate that Honda's opponent prevailed thanks to already established footholds in Willow Glen. Either way, Honda is now hitting Willow Glen hard to make himself known.

"If they had [known him]," Honda's aide Reuben Polito said, "they would know what a great, lovable guy he is. We want them to know him."

Polito, who broke down the results of the primary election, discovered that Honda held a majority in every area of San Jose except Council District 6. Opponent Ken Yeager took the district with 1,925 votes vs. Honda's 1,582 votes. David Cortese, who also ran in the primary, pulled in 613 votes. Now, with re-election a year away, Honda appears to be making progress in connecting with those District 6 constituents who didn't support him in the 1996 primary.

District 6 City Councilmember Frank Fiscalini's aide, Joe Guerra, speculates Honda didn't take a majority of District 6 votes in the race because of Yeager's strong support base in the area.

"I don't think it was as much voting patterns as it was who was on the ballot," Guerra said. "Yeager has a real strong base in the Rose Garden and Shasta-Hanchett area, and then Cortese has a connection with Willow Glen because of his dad," former state Assemblyman Dom Cortese.

Whatever the reason for Honda's second-place finish in District 6, it's clear he's out to make sure it won't happen again.

Besides rolling down Lincoln Avenue in a collector car on Founders Day, Honda has met with Willow Glen Neighborhood Association president Kris Cunningham and has spoken to the Willow Glen Sunrisers Kiwanis Club.

"I viewed it as an effort by Mike to make contact with his constituents. He asked me if there were things I wanted to discuss with him and asked about any new developments in Willow Glen," Cunningham said. "I think it's very positive and important for people who spend a lot of time in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., to get back and spend some time with people in their community. When you have personal contact with your representative, you're much more apt to bring problems or concerns to them. The whole atmosphere was very warm and welcoming."

In addition, personalized mailers and questionnaires were recently sent to voters by Honda's office. These mailers explain his position on recent legislation and ask for input and positions on bills that will be seen in the near future.

"What we're trying to do with the mailing is help people get familiarized with Mike," Polito said. "He does this in every community he represents, but Willow Glen will get the mailers first."

Honda's most recent legislative success was convincing the governor to sign the armories bill, which will allow the winter shelters to continue housing the homeless. At a recent Willow Glen Kiwanis Sunrisers' meeting, Honda told the crowd he hoped the reopening of the armories would help alleviate the transient problem in Willow Glen.

"We have to have that sense of being our brother's keeper at times," Honda said. "I couldn't see people living out in their cars or under bridges."

Last month Honda asked the governor for $1 million to contribute to the Upper Guadalupe Flood Control Project, allocating some money for flood prevention and some for the improvement and addition of bike trails. Governor Wilson did not approve this request.

Before his term in the Assembly, Honda sat on the county Board of Supervisors, the San Jose Unified School District board, the Santa Clara County Board of Education and the San Jose Planning Commission.

His long and active history in San Jose has made him popular among many constituents. According to Polito, adding Willow Glen to that support base would increase his viability as a leader.

There are simply more community leaders and outlets for connection in Willow Glen, he said, including the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association and the Willow Glen Sunrisers Kiwanis Club.

"In order for me to be able to respond to my constituents, I need to know how they feel," Honda said. "If you're not present, they don't know who you are and they can't connect with you."

While Honda has made a definite effort to connect with Willow Glen, he has done the same in other parts of San Jose. Among other events, Honda participated in the Shasta-Hanchett community festival and the Cinco De Mayo parade downtown.

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