The race between Assemblyman Michael Allen and his challenger, San Rafael Councilman Marc Levine, for California’s 10th District seat in the State Assembly is a fractious Democrat-on- Democrat battle.

Allen’s assembly district was recently redrawn and he was forced to relocate to Marin County to stay within the new district. Consequently, most of his funding comes from Sacramento and outside the district, while most of Levine’s was donated by local residents and business owners.

After interviewing both candidates, the Oak Leaf is convinced that Levine has a better understanding of issues in the newly drawn district. Though he is a political underdog, the Oak Leaf thinks he is a more qualified candidate to represent Sonoma County students.

Levine, 38, grew up in the Bay Area and acquired firsthand knowledge necessary to accommodate the community’s needs. “I know how water is treated, how sewer lines connect to your house, how roads get paved. I know who budget cuts affect. Local service is valuable at this level,” he said.

After college, Levine traveled the world to develop humanitarian, award-winning software designed to encrypt sensitive information about human rights abuses. In 2008, he joined Hilary Clinton’s Nevada caucus and then Obama’s campaign in Illinois. He was elected to San Rafael’s City Council in 2009. As an assembly candidate, he advocates increasing the use of reusable energy and protecting and rebuilding K-12 and higher education in California.

Both candidates hold similar Democratic positions valuing education above other issues, and there is no debating that Allen has more political experience than Levine. But Allen was also fined for ethics violations, something the editorial board found disturbing.

The Oak Leaf was impressed with Levine’s sustainable and balanced approach toward revamping California’s schools on all levels. After graduating from Cal-State Northridge, it took Levine nearly three years to climb out of credit card debt due to student loans. The cost of higher education in California is increasing and he hopes voters will pass Prop 34 repealing the death penalty to return more funding to education.

“Since 1970, one UC has been built in California while 17 prisons were built in the same amount of time. We’re spending a lot of money on incarceration and not giving people the ability to pursue education,” Levine said.

Levine also s u p p o r t s Proposition 36, which if passed, would alter California’s three-strikes law allowing offenders whose third strike was neither serious nor violent to avoid being sentenced to 25 years or longer.

“We need to create programs that ensure people can be successful in life. We can take the money out of incarceration and put it into education,” Levine said.

Allen’s response to helping students finance college education was to reintroduce the Middle Class Scholarship Act, which would eliminate a corporate tax loophole allowing certain families to qualify for a two-thirds reduction in educational fees. The act is a great solution, however it does not focus on the broader problems of budget cuts.

Both candidates support California’s medical marijuana laws and oppose the federal government policing them. “We need to decriminalize marijuana. It’s a no-brainer for me; it’s not what law enforcement needs to be worried about,” Levine said.

Allen prefers drafting a letter to the federal government suggesting it get out of the way. He also supports the legalization and taxation of marijuana.

Both Allen and Levine support the California Dream Act. “We cannot turn our backs to California’s youth,” Levine said. Allen urges the federal government to provide a pathway to citizenship proclaiming all Americans immigrated at one time or another.

The Oak Leaf appreciates Mike Allen’s dedication to public service but believes Levine is more in touch with the needs of Sonoma County students, along with the agricultural community. While Levine may not have as many ties to Sacramento, the Oak Leaf believes he can forge bonds to untangle California’s budget deficit and rebuild our educational systems.