Becky Maze, one of four Republicans seeking the party nomination to run for state Assembly from the 34th Assembly District, was quick to send out a press release this week touting her endorsement by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Political Action Committee.

But for Maze, a Visalian who wants to replace her term-limited husband Bill in the Assembly, the endorsement appears to be a classic case of having the glass half-full. That's because Bob Smith, a retired deputy sheriff from the Barstow area of the sprawling Assembly district, is holding the other half of the glass.

Both candidates received the Jarvis endorsement, according to Kris Vosburgh, the director of the Los Angeles-based PAC.

"We don't usually dual-endorse," Vosburgh said today (Tuesday, April 1). "But all things being equal with multiple candidates putting on credible campaigns, we felt out of the group these two were the best qualified ... and we believe we could work with either of them."

Vosburgh said the endorsements were based the candidates' answers to questionnaires asking them about tax-related issues including Prop. 13, the landmark property-tax initiative spearheaded by the late Howard Jarvis in 1978, and requirements for a two-thirds vote for tax increases.

Vosburgh added that an endorsement in the primary makes sense in districts such as the 34th, which encompasses most of Tulare and San Bernardino counties, all of Inyo County and part of Kern County, because the June primary is widely expected to be more competitive than the general election in November. Districtwide, Republicans outnumber Democrats, 46% to 33%.

Tulare County Supervisor Connie Conway of Tulare and Jon Zellhoefer, an engineer and educator from Inyo County, are the other Republicans in the primary.
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