District 1 Councilwoman Linda LeZotte, District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager, Santa Clara Mayor Patricia Mahan and 24th District Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn are in the beginning stages of fundraising. Each hopes to replace District 4 Supervisor James Beall, who is termed out.

The primary election is June 6, and the run-off election is scheduled for Nov. 7, 2006. The deadline for official candidacy announcements is December 2005.

Along with Campbell and Santa Clara, District 4 includes the neighborhoods of Willow Glen, Rose Garden, Cambrian Park, Cory, Hamann Park, Burbank and Sherman Oaks.

Yeager said he decided to run because he was interested in health and transportation issues at the county level. In particular, Yeager said he wanted to make sure Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is adequately funded. State and federal agencies reimburse the county hospital but not always at the levels it should, Yeager said.

"We just want to make sure Valley Medical has resources it needs to operate so it can provide quality services for anyone in the county."

Yeager also wants to focus on bringing BART to San Jose and on such public health issues as childhood obesity and diabetes. In the area of recreation, he wants to develop more trails, one of the causes he has championed as a council member.

If Yeager is elected, he would leave his council seat midterm.

"I've tried very hard to communicate to people what issues the city focuses on," he said. "As for the county's role, I would hope that I could communicate what it does and why there's a need to pay attention to the county."

For LeZotte, the supervisor's seat appealed to her because of the opportunities to work on regional issues. Cooperation with other civic leaders is key, she said.

"The bottom line is that our air quality, water problems don't stop at the borders of our respective cities or county. What I do as a city council member affects other cities, and they affect me. If something is important to your city, don't do it at the complete expense of your neighbor."

LeZotte's council district covers west San Jose. She is in her second term and faces term limits. If she does file for official candidacy, she will have to go against her colleague Yeager, but so far, she is thinking only about how residents can get to know her better.

"My primary goal is to get my name out there to point out my pluses," she said. "Ken and I are colleagues. He has the understanding that I have no intention of raining on his parade."

Yeager similarly said he wasn't bothered by the prospect of a contest. "We get along very well," he said. "I know we will continue to work as well throughout the campaign."

Mahan said she is the right candidate for the seat because she can serve as an advocate for smaller cities. "It's just important for small cities to have a true voice on the board," she said.

She said she counts the Rivermark development as her biggest accomplishment as a council member. The Rivermark community near Montague Expressway includes a police substation, restaurants and retail stores. A library and a fire station are planned.

Mahan said many people have used county services, from the court system to medical aid, without being aware those services are made available by the county government.

"The majority of people don't truly understand what a county supervisor does," she said. "They don't have an appreciation of what the county government delivers. It delivers basic social services, and it runs the court facilities."

Cohn said she sees the job of the supervisor as an extension of the work she does as a state representative. To her, the concerns of the people living in District 24 include public health, public safety and education, which are many of the same issues she worked on in Sacramento.

"Much of my work has come out of relationships that have been voiced out of this county," she said. "The short answer is, the work is not done yet, and I enjoy it.

Cohn is a three-term state representative whose assembly district covers Campbell and Saratoga, parts of Santa Clara and San Jose, including Blossom Valley, Cambrian, Santa Teresa and portions of Willow Glen, and small sections of Cupertino and Los Gatos. Her term expires in 2006, and she is unable to run again because of term limits.

Cohn has already billed this race as a competitive election.

"This county has excellent choices in terms of candidates," she said. "I'm used to tough races. This one will be no different."