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| Signs signal election season |
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| Written by John Saiz | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 04 October 2008 | |
 As the days tick down to Nov. 4, more and more campaign signs are popping up around the West Side, urging voters to take a side and select a candidate. Photos by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Candidates for mayor — challenger Luis Molina and incumbent Becky Campo — are leading the charge with signs along the main thoroughfares in and around Patterson. “You’re visible, you’re name is out there,” Molina said. City Council candidates have also followed the trend. “It bolsters the presence of those running,” council incumbent Dominic Farinha said. “It reinforces who is running and why.” Candidates anticipate closer races now than in 2006, the last time residents elected local officials. “Because of the competition this year, we have a lot more signs,” Campo said. However, not all candidates have opted to use signs. Council candidate Jeff Realini said he’ll go door-to-door to get his name out. “It’s a little more cost than I had in my budget,” Realini said of campaign signs.  Sign of campaign season: Political signs dominate the northern entrance to the city of Patterson along Highway 33. Photos by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Candidates face two major hurdles before they can put up signs. First, there are the costs of mass printing. On signs alone, Farinha estimated that he spent “a couple hundred,” while Campo paid $3,000. “These signs aren’t cheap,” Molina said. Then, candidates can only put their signs up with permission from property owners. Smaller signs are usually put up at the request of homeowners, candidates said. Ward Avenue north of M Street is a veritable campaign corridor, with dueling Campo and Molina signs in front of several homes. For certain high-traffic areas, the candidates seek out the property owner so their signs reach the most potential voters. Such was the case with Farinha. Political signs tend to travel in packs, but Farinha managed to get a lone sign along Sperry Avenue west of Park Center Drive after calling the property owner. Other times, a candidate has no idea where a sign will end up. “I was pleased and surprised,” Smith said about seeing her sign at the corner of Sperry and Ward avenues. She was pleased because of the high traffic volume there and surprised because a few years ago, while on the Patterson Planning Commission, she voted against a proposal to put a Walgreens on that property. Smith, along with the commission, required developers to provide preliminary plans for an entire shopping center before allowing them to move forward with a Walgreens. About a year later, when developers returned with the plans, she eventually gave her approval. Smith has received help from local resident Kenny Buehner in raising her signs, as did all the incumbents in this year’s races. “I’ve planted signs for 20 years,” Buehner said. Buehner is the man posting many of the signs residents now see around town. He does not live in Patterson, though his home is not far from the city limits. He also owns numerous properties in town and is a regular at the council’s twice-monthly meetings. “I’m just a volunteer,” Buehner said. With official campaign finance records not available until next week, figuring out who’s letting whom put up signs serves as an early indicator of which candidate landowners are supporting. Often, the large landowners make the meatiest campaign contributions. The local candidates aren’t the only ones who are in on the action. Assembly candidate Bill Berryhill has a handful of signs in the area, as does Rep. Dennis Cardoza. There are also placards up for local ballot measures V and S. Measure V is a school bond that seeks to spend millions on improving schools by taxing property owners. Though no large signs have popped up for Measure V, smaller versions have appeared. There’s an especially strong showing in downtown Patterson, where several business owners have the signs displayed in their windows. Measure S would increase the sales tax countywide by a half-cent to fund numerous road and transportation projects. There are a few signs around in support of the new tax. Buehner has also had a hand in getting many of those signs around town. “Somebody’s got to do it,” he said. “And I’ve got the tools and the truck.” To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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