Assemblyman Guy Houston, who represents Pleasanton in the 15th State Assembly District, may seek the 11th District Congressional seat now held by U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton).
In an interview, the former mayor of Dublin and lone Bay Area Republican now in is third and final term in the Assembly, said he is meeting with GOP strategists and party officials here and in Washington, D.C. to plan his political future. He emerged as a front-runner for the Republican nomination last month after former Congressman Richard Pombo signed on with a Washington lobbying firm, which political analysts believe will end his chance of trying to recapture the seat he held for 14 years.
Pombo lost to McNerney last November. If the race is between McNerney and Houston, it would mark the first time the 11th District Congressional contest would involve two Tri-Valley candidates.
Having grown up in Pleasanton, where his parents still live, Houston hasnÃt forgotten his roots. Although the 15th District is the smallest of three that cover Pleasantonórepresenting only about 15 percent of the cityóHouston is considered by local politicians and business leaders as the most approachable and responsive. In fact, the former Dublin mayor likes to talk about how he set his goals when he was first elected to that cityÃs City Council at age 32 to make Dublin just like Pleasanton, and more, with the same excellent sports fields, swim center and economic advantages that he envied from across I-580.
“I remember telling (now former) Mayor Ken Mercer that we donÃt want anything more than Pleasanton has,” Houston recalled. “IÃm real proud that Dublin has been able to do that and to become a community with great amenities, growth and tax revenue to pay for all of them.”
Houston grew up in Highland Oaks and attended Lydiksen Elementary and Wells Junior High in Dublin, which then served that neighborhood. Since his father Fred was the football coach at San Ramon High School, Guy Houston was able to commute as a student to that school where he played varsity football, graduating in 1976. After earning undergraduate and MBA degrees at St. MaryÃs College, which he attended on football and basketball scholarships, Houston joined the familyÃs mortgage business in Dublin. He ran for City Council, winning on his first try, and then was elected mayor two years later.
While he was considering a run for the State Assembly, the Legislature redistricted the 15th out of Dublin, putting the city in the 18th Assembly District which historically is Democratic controlled. So Houston quit the mayorÃs post in his fourth term and the family moved to Livermore, and later to San Ramon, which is also in the 15th. In the redistricting that took effect in 2002, the 15th was downsized in Pleasanton with the 18th gaining about 60 percent of the city and the rest staying in the 20th.
Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi (D-Castro Valley) was just elected to serve the 18th; Assemblyman Alberto Torrico (D-Newark) was re-elected in the district, which is also historically a Democratic Party stronghold.
Pleasanton has been split into three Assembly districts since 1982. Up to then, the city was part of a single district that included Fremont, San Leandro and Hayward. When longtime Assemblyman Carlos Bee of Hayward died, Pleasanton City Councilman Floyd Mori was elected to fill his unexpired term.
Then, with the rapid growth of cities within the district, including Pleasanton, as shown in the 1980 Census, new districts were created and Pleasanton, with its largely Republican constituency, became part of others that had more Democrats in the mix. As a result, Mori was the first and last State Assemblyman from Pleasanton. Former Mayor Tom Pico ran three years ago for the Democratic nomination in the 20th, but was defeated by Torrico.
Many voters in Pleasanton are unaware that their Assembly district is only a part of the city since they vote only in one. Further, each of the three Assembly districts is controlled by the larger voter bases outside of Pleasanton, which means it really doesnÃt matter to the three representatives in the Assembly how Pleasanton votes except in very close races, which are more likely to occur in Houston’s 15th.
Still all three come to Pleasanton for political, social and, in HoustonÃs case, family events. And they all say they want to hear from their Pleasanton constituents.
As for the 15th, which Houston said was gerrymandered in its alignment to make sure nearby Democratic districts stayed “safe,” Houston has responsibility for cities from Walnut Creek to Livermore (except for Dublin and most of Pleasanton), Brentwood, Byron, Discovery Bay, and much of the I-5 corridor, including Galt, Elk Grove and South Sacramento County.
“WeÃll be talking about redistricting throughout the state this year, and I think weÃll see some positive changes,” Houston said. “Many in the Legislature want to see the responsibility for redistricting that will be based on the 2010 Census handled by an independent board of judges, not individual legislators as weÃve seen in the past. ThatÃs a better way to go although I donÃt know what it will mean for Pleasanton.”
Houston would like to see Pleasanton returned to the days when one legislative district represented the city.
“ItÃs crazy the way the city is split up,” he said. “ItÃs not good. I think residents here would be better represented by having only one Assembly district. The Assembly representative could then devote much more time to state issues that affect Pleasanton.”
None of this will affect Houston, who is now in his third and final two-year term of office in the Assembly as permitted under term limits. Besides McNerney’s congressional seat, he is considering running for the State Senate seat held by Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), who will also be termed-out in 2008. That district covers San Ramon, where Houston lives with his wife Inge and their three children: Bartlett, a seventh grade student; Sumner, a sixth grader; and Glynnis Rose, who is in the third grade. All attend Valley Christian School in Dublin and the two boys play on the Pleasanton Junior Football League teams.
Houston has joined Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who himself is termed out in 2008, in calling for changes in the voter-mandated term limit provisions. He said the days of politicians spending 30 years in the State Legislature are over, but there could be a “creative readjustment” so that elected officials would still be limited to 12 years in the Legislature, as they are now, but they could mix or match their service by staying in the Senate for three four-year terms or in the Assembly for six two-year terms, or a combination of those offices.
“Six years is just too short to accomplish major goals,” Houston said. “For example, I have focused on improving infrastructure funding and improvements. By the time we write the bond measures and get voter approval, these not enough time left to make sure the money for I-580 and other highway improvements is property earmarked. More time in the Assembly would give me an opportunity to see these major projects through.”
Houston, the only Bay Area legislator in the Republican Party Caucus in Sacramento, also has long-ongoing legal problems locally, where he has been sued by investors of a firm called Winning Action Investments, which his father operated and has since closed. The suit accuses of Guy Houston of being part of a Ponzi style scheme involving the firm and fraudulent investments. Houston said he had no part of the business and has asked an Alameda County court to dismiss the charges.
