Foe and Friend Join Fray Over State Sen. Lewis

* The Orange County Republican Majority Coalition fully supports the Times editorial (“It’s Time to Stop the Witch Hunts,” Feb. 20) asking state Sen. John Lewis (R-Orange) to work more diligently on county business and less on personal political battles. John Lewis’ behavior is an embarrassment to all Orange County Republicans. Lewis’ “ideological cleansing”--purging mainstream voices from the party--is indicative of an agenda pursued by Orange County’s GOP leadership.

Because the GOP leadership is headed away from mainstream Republican values, it is no wonder the normally strong Orange County Republican vote has split in recent elections. The county’s GOP leadership needs to distance itself from the vindictive, shallow and embarrassing behavior of politicians like Lewis. If not, the Democratic Party will be headed for even more election day victories.

MARK S. ISHIMATSU

Chairman, Orange County Republican

Majority Coalition

Seal Beach

* You criticize Sen. Lewis in paragraph one because he doesn’t engage in “the real work of a legislator: introducing bills, lobbying for their passage, getting them signed into law.” Then you spend the rest of the editorial complaining that he does. Which is it?

Could it not be that Sen. Lewis found it necessary to “win passage of a bill making it easier to remove (Henry W.) Wedaa from his post” (on the Air Quality Management District board) because it is nearly impossible to get these bureaucrats off commissions once they’re seated?

Couldn’t it also be true that Sen. Lewis’ opposition to Rosemary Thakar is based on the belief her ideological point of view is in opposition to the views of the constituency of Sen. Lewis’ district?

John Lewis has represented my area for many years. He consistently wins by landslide margins precisely because he acts as the majority of the district’s voters thinks he should. When the term limit kicks in and forces him out, our district will be impoverished to the extent his successor is not like him.

STEPHEN E. OLEAR

Orange