Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

So what do I have to do, throw on a feather boa and sing a chorus of “It’s
Raining Men”?!

In regard to your article (Capitol Weekly, June 22) that there are only two
gay Democratic candidates running for election in California, I would like
to inform you that there are at least three, including me.

Furthermore, if you count the federal campaign of Cynthia Matthews in the
26th Congressional District, there are four. Matthews and I share the same
region of the Inland Empire, where Matthews is running against incumbent
Rep. David Dreier.

I am proud of all my LGBT peers and their families, and the great work and
the strides they have accomplished in the last two decades. The fact that
there are also GOP LGBT candidates further demonstrates these facts.

We should not allow discrimination against our LGBT families. When we deny
the same-gender marriage of two people who love each other, we also place
many children of LGBT families in peril who are part of these families.

We must draw the line and not allow notions of this manner to go any further
forward. That line starts with people who stand up and be counted. Part of
that line is also drawn through a place Californians know as the Inland
Empire–not just San Francisco and West Hollywood.

Mark Westwood,
Candidate, 63rd Assembly District

Dear Editor,

Re gay Assembly candidates (Capitol Weekly, June 22), Assemblyman Mark Leno
said, “What is cynical is Republicans running gay candidates specifically
and only running in districts where they will not have a possibility of
winning.”

What is cynical is a Democratic legislator criticizing Republicans running
in gerrymandered districts while refusing to support redistricting reform.

Luis Buhler,
Bay Area vice chairman, California Republican Party

Dear Editor,

Let me see if I understand Mr. Spence of the CRA.

He said, “I have never met a social liberal who is a fiscal conservative.” I
guess he believes that all Log Cabin Republicans are social liberals and
have no regard for fiscal conservatism.

Isn’t Mr. Spence a supporter of having his hands extended toward the
government to fund private schools? That’s a “real” conservative.

Or support sodomy laws that would have police barge into a private home if
the “suspects” are gay and in bed together? That’s a “real” conservative.

Or support a Dick Mountjoy, the U.S. Senate candidate, when Mr. Mountjoy,
who was formerly a California Republican Assembly chairman, was also the
state chairman for Pat Buchanan, who ran against Republican President Bush?

That’s a “real” Republican.

The CRA was the “pusher” of the term RINO, “Republicans In Name Only.” How
can they support a RINO like Mountjoy after he did not support our
President? Sounds like a RINO to me.

Mr. Spence should come to some Log Cabin meetings to meet many of our
members who would make him look like a “flaming liberal.”

Frank Ricchiazzi
Co-founder, Log Cabin Republicans

Dear Editor,

Regarding the story on Proposition 36, (Capitol Weekly, June 22): Some years
ago, I authored a short memo called “FIX-36.” Much of that memo is embodied
in SB 803 as originally drafted. As a drug court professional, I have
identified several flaws in the original initiative that harms successful
completion of the program. Here in Butte County, we have had some of the
best outcomes in the state on our Proposition 36 program. We use the best
research we can to achieve success. Sadly, because the initiative was
originally written based on polling rather than on evidence based treatment
practices, we have lower outcomes than we should. This is not just a “law
enforcement vs. treatment” issue. Many treatment providers support fixing
36.

Helen Harberts,
Co-founder, Log Cabin Republicans