ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Reagan Removes ‘Partisan’ Alibi

Good for former President Reagan. He has endorsed a bill aimed at preventing legislators from forging his--or anyone else’s--signature on campaign materials. If passed and signed into law, the bill would make such forgeries crimes that could result in prison terms and fines.

That would close the loophole through which slipped 480,000 campaign letters--with Reagan’s forged signature--attacking Democratic legislators in 1986. In one district, an incumbent assemblyman was accused of giving in “to the powerful underworld drug industry.” Reagan learned of the letters when some were returned to the White House as undeliverable.

Assemblyman John R. Lewis (R-Orange), a key GOP legislative strategist, authorized sending the letters, even after the White House refused to let Reagan’s name be used, according to grand jury testimony. State Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp filed forgery charges against Lewis, which the assemblyman waved off as a partisan attack. The charges were dismissed when a state appeals court held that the forgery didn’t defraud voters of money or property and thus wasn’t a crime under current law. The proposed bill would change that.

A Reagan spokesman said the former President supports the bill because it would protect “the good name” of every citizen. He added, “The right to publicly endorse or oppose candidates or initiatives is as precious as the right to vote on them.”

It will be hard for Lewis to dismiss the views of fellow Republican Reagan as merely partisan.