70th District

Phyllis Badham--born into a political family and reared in Orange County--said Tuesday that she is on the verge of making her first run for elected office. Badham, daughter of former U.S. Rep. Robert Badham, said she has "been meeting with a lot of people, and getting a lot of encouragement" to run for the Republican nomination in the 70th Assembly District. That post is held by Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach), but he is vying for the state Senate seat in District 31.

Resident Ora Easley, an active volunteer on the local Republican Party scene, was honored Monday as "Woman of the Year" for the 70th Assembly District by Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach). Easley has held officer posts in the Orange County Black Republican Council, the California Republican Assembly and the Orange County Federated Republican Women.

As a thinking Republican, I emphatically applaud your endorsement against Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (May 28). I have been astounded by my neighbors of the 70th Assembly District who seem to remain true to him. How many more idiotic and unacceptable remarks should the people receive from Ferguson? It is tantamount to our democratic process that representative government remain reasonably objective to social concerns. Ferguson has not! For instance, Ferguson's labeling the homosexual community within his own district "faggots" or "sodomites" and concomitantly stirring homophobia is a good example of abusive representative government.

I've never understood what are true conservative Republican principles--lower taxes, fewer regulations and less government interference in our lives ("Intraparty Squabbles Aid GOP Rivals," Letter, Aug. 14). Does that mean the terrible taxes that provide us with highways, bridges, libraries, schools, child labor laws, meat inspection, consumer protection and product labeling on our food and drugs, just to mention a few "government on our backs" controls? Silent majority of the Republican Party 70th Assembly District: Who would you appeal to if you were out of a job, sick, hungry and homeless--your wealthy Republican friends or big business?

The Newport and Irvine chambers of commerce will sponsor a forum Friday for the crowded field of eight candidates for the 70th Assembly District. Greg Ricks, former local TV news anchor, will be the moderator for the 7:30 a.m. event at the Sutton Place Hotel, 4500 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach. The candidates are Republicans Cristi Cristich, Chuck DeVore, Chonchol D. Gupta, Long K. Pham, Don Wagner and Marianne Zippi; Democrat Carl Mariz; Libertarian Mark Baldwin.

Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Evelyn R. Hart, setting the stage for a June 7 primary battle within Orange County's Republican Party, is expected to announce today that she will challenge Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) to represent the 70th Assembly District. Hart is scheduled to speak before the Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting at Le Meridien Hotel.

Marian Bergeson, state secretary of child development and education, will receive the 70th Assembly District's Woman of the Year Award on March 16 in Sacramento. State Assemblywoman Marilyn C. Brewer (R-Newport Beach) announced Friday that her longtime friend would receive the award. Both women live in Newport Beach. "Marian is a real trailblazer in both politics and education and is more than deserving of this honor," Brewer said in a statement.

I don't know why The Times published two big articles on the Christian right's political contributions to Republicans ("Christian Right Tries to Take Over State GOP," Oct. 18, and "Ahmanson Heir Bankrolls Religious Right's Agenda," Oct. 19). Had the purpose been to inform, you would have published a series of articles examining the motives of Big Labor's and the liberal movie stars' huge contributions to Democrats. However, whatever the motive in examining the "evils" of Christians getting involved in politics, your article on Howard Ahmanson had, I'm sure, an unintended effect.

Not all political races are shown below--only those in which the newspaper is making an endorsement in today's election. Orange County Congressional Primary 46th District Judith M. Ryan (R) State Senate Primary 33rd District Todd Thakar (R) Assembly Primary 68th District: Rhonda McCune (R) 70th District: Mary Hornbuckle (R) Judges Harbor Municipal Court No. 1: Margaret R. Anderson Central Municipal Court No. 1: Jim Brooks Central Municipal Court No.

Re "Overtaxed? Check numbers," Column, Sept. 11 George Skelton's column on taxation in California accurately quoted me as having said California must "avoid tax increases because we already are among the highest-tax states in the country." Most of the rest of his column laid forth arguments as to why Californians may be merely severely overtaxed and not catastrophically overtaxed -- small comfort to the California families struggling to make ends meet in a time of economic slowdown and skyrocketing energy prices.