Editor’s Note: Candidate Questionnaire Update
[reporting: The Santanero Newsroom]
The deadline for The Santanero’s Candidate Questionnaire has been extended through Sunday, October 4.
Candidates were notified of the extension last Friday by email or direct message to their campaigns. The questionnaire was sent to candidates in the following races:
- Mayoral and City Council Wards 2, 4, and 6
- Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education Areas 4 and 5
- California State Assembly District 68
To make participation as accessible as possible, on Friday, candidates were given several ways to respond. In addition to completing the questionnaire online, candidates were offered the option of answering by phone or having The Santanero accompany them while canvassing so they could respond while continuing campaign activities.
As of this notice, three of the 15 candidates have submitted responses. The extended deadline has not yet passed, and additional responses may still be received.
Participation in the questionnaire is voluntary, and The Santanero cannot require any candidate to participate. The fact that responses have been received from some candidates and not yet from others should not be interpreted as selective coverage, favoritism, or an endorsement of any candidate. All candidates included in this questionnaire effort were provided an opportunity to participate, and any responses received before the deadline will be handled under the same editorial standards.
The Santanero’s questions are intentionally designed to invite detailed, substantive responses regarding issues affecting the community. The purpose of the questionnaire is to provide residents with another opportunity to hear directly from candidates about their positions, priorities, and proposed approaches.
This effort is especially important because not every resident is able to attend candidate forums, campaign events, or other public appearances. Likewise, not everyone has the time, access, or ability to individually contact candidates through social media or other forms of direct outreach.
Providing candidate responses in one accessible place allows residents to review those answers on their own time and make their own informed decisions.
The Santanero remains hopeful that additional candidates will participate before the extended deadline on Sunday, October 4.
