Week in Review : MAJOR EVENTS, IMAGES AND PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEWS : MISCELLANY / NEWSMAKERS AND MILESTONES

As if the White House didn’t have enough on its hands this week, yet another investigation has been launched to find out who signed President Reagan’s name to five California political endorsement letters, including one for newly elected Assemblyman Richard E. Longshore (R-Santa Ana).

Longshore, who defeated Santa Ana Councilman Dan Griset in the Nov. 4 election, expressed shock that the endorsement letter was phony, saying he had been so proud of the presidential praise he “even asked for a copy so I could frame it.”

The phony endorsement letters appeared to have been sent on White House stationery, but all included the name and address of the local campaign committee in small type.

“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.

On Thursday, the Assembly Republican Caucus took responsibility for the endorsement letters, saying the problem all “boils down to human error.” A spokesman for the caucus, Mike Pottage, said all of the campaigns believed that the letters of endorsement had White House approval when they sent them out.

White House aides said an investigation by the president’s legal counsel is winding to a close. Although the matter was described as “very serious,” it does not appear to merit criminal prosecution, said a presidential adviser, who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that he not be identified.