The ink is hardly dry on the proclamation signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointing John J. Benoit to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. Benoit was tapped to fill a vacancy created when the incumbent Supervisor vacated his seat due to an illness that shortly thereafter claimed his life. While I could devote an entire column to why a newly elected member of the California State Senate would seek to be appointed to county office instead, let’s just say for our purposes that this is exactly what happened.
Very soon, Governor Schwarzenegger will be signing yet another proclamation – this one calling 
for a special election to fill the vacancy created in the 37th Senate seat – open due to the departure of Senator Benoit. While trying to map out the date of the special election isn’t a precise science, in all likelihood there would be special primary election in mid-January, and if no one gets more than 50% of the vote, then a runoff general election a few weeks later. Senate District 37 is the 10th largest in the State of California and encompasses more than 4,800 square miles. It is located entirely within Riverside County and has over 846,000 residents. Spanning vastly from the Orange County border on the west all of the way to the state line to the East, it takes hours to drive the full distance. Cities or communities that are all or partially in the district include Anza, Banning, Beaumont, Bermuda Dunes, Cabazon, Calimesa, Canyon Lake, Cherry Valley, Corona, Desert Hot Springs, East Hemet, El Cerrito, Hemet, Home Gardens, Homeland, Idyllwild, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Lake Elsinore, Lakeland Village, Lakeview, March AFB, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Norco, Nuevo, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Perris, Rancho Mirage, San Jacinto, Valle Vista, Winchester, and Woodcrest.
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