Unauthorized by White House : 1 Campaign Letter for Longshore Was Phony

Assemblyman Richard E. Longshore (R-Santa Ana) emerged Wednesday as the fifth Republican Assembly candidate in the Nov. 4 election who was endorsed in letters purportedly signed by President Reagan, letters that had never been approved by the White House.

Longshore expressed shock Wednesday that his endorsement letter was phony, saying he had been so proud of the presidential praise that he “even asked for a copy so I could frame it.”

Longshore, who defeated Santa Ana Mayor Dan Griset in the Nov. 4 election for the 72nd Assembly District seat, said he had not seen news accounts questioning the authenticity of the Reagan letter. Like candidates in at least four other races in which letters bearing a reproduction of Reagan’s signature were mailed, Longshore said he was under the impression that the letter had White House approval.

“This comes as something of a shock. I was told that we requested it, and it was approved,” Longshore said.

Presidential aides say no one had even sought approval for the endorsements. State GOP officials say it was a “legitimate mistake” and they are still trying to explain “the glitch” that allowed the unauthorized mass mailers.

“Once we answer that, the case is closed, and everybody will be wondering why we were so interested in it,” said William Saracino, a top political lieutenant of Assembly Republican Leader Patrick J. Nolan of Glendale and head of the Assembly Office of Minority Services.

White House aides said an investigation by the President’s legal counsel to determine responsibility for the mailings is winding to a close. While “very serious,” the matter does not appear to merit criminal prosecution, said a presidential adviser who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that he not be identified.

“I think the letters resulted more from negligence than from any kind of deliberate attempt to misrepresent the views of the President,” the White House official said. “It is just that this is not a criminal problem, and it is one we believe will be remedied by tighter procedures out in the field.”

But some Democrats in California say they are weighing legal action.

Democrat Tom Fallgatter of Bakersfield, who lost a bitter race to Republican Assemblyman Trice Harvey (R-Bakersfield), said he will file a complaint with the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

“I definitely will be filing a complaint with the FPPC about the letter,” said Fallgatter, a lawyer. “In addition, I’m making some contacts at the federal level to see if there has been a violation of federal law. I’m also going to look outside the FPPC at state law in general.”

Said Griset: “If there is conclusive evidence that the Reagan letter was a fraud, then I will explore remedies that could prevent this from happening again.”

No Applicable Laws Found

But spokeswomen for the FPPC and Secretary of State March Fong Eu said Wednesday that there appears to be nothing in the state Elections Code or the Political Reform Act that specifically addresses unauthorized endorsement letters.

Harvey and Longshore were the only Republican Assembly winners identified so far as candidates on whose behalf the unauthorized presidential endorsement letters were mailed.

But voters also received unauthorized presidential endorsement letters on behalf of Matt Webb, who lost a close race to Democratic Assemblyman Steve Clute of Riverside; Henry Velasco, who lost to Assemblywoman Sally Tanner of El Monte, and Roger Fiola, who lost decisively to veteran Assemblyman Richard E. Floyd of Hawthorne.

Assemblyman John R. Lewis (R-Orange), elections chairman for the Assembly Republican caucus, oversaw three of the five campaigns--those of Longshore, Webb and Velasco. Assemblyman Dennis Brown (R-Signal Hill), who attended the University of Southern California at the same time as Lewis and Nolan, managed the Fiola campaign.

Sources said, however, that the Republican caucus took a subordinate role in running Harvey’s race, partly because the relationship between Nolan and Harvey was strained after the GOP leader switched sides and backed Harvey’s GOP opponent in the primary.

Fiola Letter Raises Stir

It was the Fiola letter that did the most to raise the ire of White House officials because it bore no resemblance to any letter White House aides had approved, or even seen. While the others generally praised the Republican candidates’ character and commitment to conservative principles, the Fiola endorsement attacked Floyd, saying he “chose to give in to the powerful underworld drug industry.”

Presidential aides say that in some instances the endorsement letters closely resembled a general endorsement that had been tentatively approved for use in congressional campaigns.

Nolan issued a written statement last week saying the unauthorized mailing had been a mistake. Brown said last week that Tim Macy at Computer Caging, a Sacramento-based mailing house, had drafted the letter for Fiola and mailed it, thinking it had been approved. Longshore said Wednesday that Computer Caging also handled all the details of his mailing.