U.S. House of Representatives, District 8
Recommendation: John Garamendi
John Garamendi has the most direct record on Mare Island of anyone on this ballot. He secured a $1.09 million federal grant for Mare Island sewer repairs, which ties directly to the infrastructure problems holding back development there. He hosted a maritime industry summit at Cal Poly Maritime Academy in September, and he pushed back publicly when the Coast Guard gave a major repair contract to an out-of-state company instead of Mare Island Dry Docks, even though the Mare Island bid was lower.
His challenger, Vallejo resident Rudy Recile, is right that the region has lost major employers and that the sewer grant is small compared to the need. But he has not offered a specific plan of his own. Garamendi has delivered concrete results for Mare Island and is positioned to deliver more.