Four Republicans are competing for the 39th district state senate seat, but only one deserves the nomination: Ralph Denney. Denney faces stiff competition from Larry Stirling, who has spent tens of thousands more on his campaign than the rest of the candidates and whose endorsements include two former California governors and UC Regent Ward Connerly, but Denney’s priorities speak higher than Stirling’s friends and funding.

Denney understands the importance of public education and hopes to promote an understanding of the correlation between a strong educational system and winning the fights against drugs, violence and poverty in California. He stands for spending more money per student by capping noninstructional administrative expenses.

To address California’s water needs, Denney also supports developing inexpensive desalination technologies in Southern California while pressuring Sacramento to encourage conservation by ending wasteful flood irrigation practices.

Denney looks at long-term solutions for health care problems, which he says are only worsened by trimming important programs, such as infant and child health care, to save money in the short term. He advocates re-establishing more inexpensive public health clinics to provide basic health care and treatment so that underprivileged Californians are kept healthy.

Republicans from the 39th district should elect Denney to give a regular citizen with practical ideas a chance to champion greater efficiency in the core responsibilities of California’s government — public education, public safety and public health.