Let us have the audacity of hope

8-11-11
The Record
Rep. Cardoza considering retirement…The Record
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110811/A_NEWS/108110318/-1/A_NEWS
STOCKTON - It seems certain that Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater, won't be representing Stockton after the completion of his current term, but it is not clear what his plans will be come the 2012 elections.
News reports have raised the possibility that Cardoza was considering retiring rather than running for a sixth term.
On Wednesday, his office said he hadn't yet made up his mind.
"Congressman Cardoza has not finalized his decision and will not for some time," Robin Roberts, his chief of staff, said in an email.
Maps of new political boundaries drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission won't be final until later this month, and they could face legal challenges. Nevertheless, the drastically different boundaries for state and federal offices have started to shift the state's political landscape.

One of San Joaquin County's two members of the House of Representatives, Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, already has announced plans to move to San Joaquin County to run for a newly drawn 9th Congressional District that contains many of the residents currently residing in McNerney's 11th District.
Cardoza's 18th District begins in Stockton and extends south, through his Merced County home. But the proposed new political maps put Cardoza in a district that begins farther south in the San Joaquin Valley. His office has said if he does run for office, he would run in the Merced-centric district.
The newly drawn district also encompasses the homes of Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and Jeff Denham, R-Fresno, according to the Modesto Bee, which reported that Cardoza's office wouldn't deny rumors that he would retire, which would clear the way for Costa. The article also reported that Denham expected to run in Stanislaus County.
That falls into the newly drawn 10th District, which includes the southern part of San Joaquin County, including the cities of Tracy and Manteca. Former astronaut Jose Hernandez has expressed interest in running for this seat.