Nurses on strike at eight Bay Area hospitals are wrapping up their ten-day action as their union makes plans to support two Democrats vying for open state seats in moderate Republican districts.

The California Nurses Association has had 4,000 of their 80,000 members picketing the Sutter Health medical facilities since March 21. This is CNA’s third strike against Sutter since November and it ends Sunday. The CNA is known for aggressive public actions like this and over the years it also has protested Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger when he’s appeared at various women or health-related events, loudly promoting bills he has opposed such as single-payer health care.

This year the nurses union also is backing two Democrats vying for open seats which are being vacated by Republicans:

• Up north, longtime San Ramon Valley School Board trustee Joan Buchanan seeks the East Bay’s open 15th Assembly District being vacated by termed-out Assemblyman Guy Houston. In January she reported a $166,000 war chest and most likely will face off against San Ramon Mayor Abram Wilson.

• Down south, former Santa Barbara Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson wants to fill Ventura County’s open 19th District state Senate seat being surrendered by termed-out Tom McClintock, who’s heading north to run for an open congressional seat near Sacramento. Ex-Assemblyman Tony Strickland is the GOP’s anointed successor.

“We only need two more Democrats in the senate and six more in the assembly to have a two-thirds Democratic majority,” said CNA legislative director Donna Gerber, who spent six years as a Contra Costa County supervisor.

“When there are budget cuts those budget cuts pretty much happen in health care and education. So for sure we are supporting Hannah-Beth Jackson and Joan Buchanan. Those are two that we’re putting a lot of our energy into.”

The CNA plans what Gerber called, “traditional actions of notifying our membership,” about the candidates and other grassroots help from local nurses.

“What’s special to us about these races is that currently they’re Republican-held seats,” she said. “These are districts where if a good candidate runs a really good race and has a lot of support, they have a very good chance of winning.”