Contra Costa County, Calif., Candidates Make Promises for "Smart Growth".

Byline: Denis Cuff

Nov. 3--Too many new homes. Too much freeway gridlock. Too many fields and farms paved over. Too high prices for houses.

You've heard the lament from Contra Costa County residents. Now the complaint is becoming a rallying cry for the four candidates in two Contra Costa County supervisor races in the fast growing East County and San Ramon Valley-Walnut Creek areas.

More than in past supervisor races, candidates say they're getting fed up with the side effects of sprawl and propose to do something about it.

The candidates -- Donna Gerber and Curt Kinney in one race and Federal Glover and Mary Rocha in another -- say they have plans to ease gridlock and sprawl without pouring fuel on the red-hot housing market.

All embrace some form of compact growth --_also known as "smart growth" -- to correct the jobs-homes imbalance that fosters long commutes, increases housing costs and strains public services.

But the candidates don't agree on the solutions.

Their ideas range from building multi-story parking garages and housing …