East Bay State Senate Race Gets Dirty, Signs Vandalized, Stolen
WALNUT CREEK (KPIX 5) – An already heated and expensive race for the State Senate in the East Bay has gotten dirty, with campaign signs for candidate Steve Glazer being vandalized. Meanwhile, supporters of opponent Susan Bonilla say their signs are being stolen.
In a sign of just how contentious this race has become, dozens of signs supporting Glazer have been spray painted with the word "No" this week.
"Dozens and dozens of my signs have been stolen and vandalized throughout the entire Senate district," Glazer told KPIX 5.
Glazer has become a political lightning rod, largely because of his controversial stance opposing the right of BART workers to strike.
"The problem with our politics today is that everybody's too timid and scared of these powerful interests and they don't speak up when it's required," Glazer said. "I have no regrets on stepping up on the BART issue. Transit can't strike in most places in the country, even San Francisco."
While that stance has made him a turncoat in the eyes of many die-hard Democrats, it has also made him a darling of conservatives, who have spent millions of dollars to help get him elected.
Barbara Diskowski, who supports Glazer's opponent Bonilla, said it's not only Glazer's yard signs that have been targeted. "It's kind of disturbing that some people would just take them," Diskowki said.
"I would go to the headquarters, get maybe five or 10 posters, yard signs, and put them around and they would start disappearing systematically," Diskowski said.
Diskowski says she worries that basic civility will become a casualty of the bare-knuckle battle for the state's 7th senate seat.
"My concern is that people would be so turned off, that they will not vote," Diskowski said.
The special election between Glazer and Bonilla takes place on May 19th.
