In 37th State Senate primary race, Benoit plays up current Sacramento success

Assemblyman John Benoit of the 64th District sometimes has a disadvantage compared to former 65th District assemblyman Russ Bogh in their prickly GOP primary fight for the Inland Empire's open 37th State Senate district seat.

The on-the-ground primary action naturally is in Riverside County but Benoit must spend time each week up in Sacramento. His opponent Bogh is an ex-assemblyman working at his family's construction company, allowing Bogh to traverse the large district more than Benoit and that's helpful since the 37th is a Riverside County-only area stretching from the Arizona border to Corona/Norco, Palm Springs and Hemet.

"I'm out of the district four days a week - I've been busy doing what legislators do," Benoit said in a recent interview with Politickerca.com.

But the good side of running as an incumbent is that daily legislative successes add to the campaign portfolio. "While I'm doing that (work in Sacramento), I'm also getting the benefit of people hearing about that," Benoit said.

This week the state senate's public safety committee passed an elder abuse testimony bill crafted by the Bermuda Dunes legislator. Benoit's bill will allow usage of two-way video conferencing in court to examine aging witnesses who are either sick or infirm.

"Elder abuse, through financial and violent crimes, is on the rise as criminals exploit the vulnerabilities of our aging population," Benoit said in a statement after the bill's passage.

It's a small victory for the elderly and its relatively minor modification of penal code rules on witnesses resonates well with the 37th district's senior citizens, notably those in the Palm Springs resort cities.

The Coachella Valley's Desert Sun carried a digest item Wednesday plus a full story Tuesday on the legislation with the headline, "Benoit elder abuse bill clears Public Safety Committee."

The Sun also reported Tuesday in a smaller story that Benoit's rival Bogh received the endorsement from Republican Assemblyman Paul Cook of nearby Yucca Valley. Current 37th District State Senator Jim Battin (R-Palm Desert) is termed out and has endorsed Bogh.