California lawmakers not bragging about their jobs on this year's ballot
For the past three years, Ed Hernandez's day job has included serving as a state assemblyman representing the 57th District.
But voters in the East Los Angeles state Senate district he is seeking to represent will see a different occupation listed on the ballot when they head to the polls: "Doctor of Optometry."
Hernandez, a practicing optometrist, is one of a handful of current state legislators who, faced with dismal approval ratings from voters, are opting to emphasize occupations other than their elected duties when drafting the three-word job description that accompanies their name on the ballot.
While the secretary of state requires candidates to provide a basis for the jobs they list, the decision of what to include as their "principal" occupation – a job that takes "substantial involvement of time and effort" or a vocation they are currently licensed to practice – is largely left up to the candidate.
The word limit and broad guidelines allow candidates and their consultants to rely on generic job descriptions, such as businessman or educator, that might appeal more widely to voters disillusioned by gridlock in the Capitol.
"This is the first opportunity a candidate has to communicate with the voter, and sometimes their very first act is to try to confuse or mislead the voter," said California Target Book editor Allan Hoffenblum, who tracks state campaigns. "When you're dealing with the competitive races, a lot of thought goes into those three little words."
Many legislators don't leave off their elected titles completely, but instead list a second occupation first.
Attorney general candidates Pedro Nava and Ted Lieu are both Democrats serving in the Assembly, but set themselves apart as "Attorney/Assemblymember" and "Military Prosecutor/Lawmaker."
Sen. Gloria Romero and Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, two Democratic state lawmakers running for superintendent of public instruction, first list their education-related bona fides, "educator" and "teacher," respectively.
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/17/2612374/california-lawmakers-not-bragging.html#ixzz0iRBN8eT0