Conroy Rejects Mediocre Rating, Says He ‘Hit Ground Running’

The Times has again treated its readers to a narrow and distorted left-wing assessment of Orange County’s Republican delegation to the state Assembly.

The effectiveness of lawmakers is not measured solely by how many more laws they put on the books. Above all, it is measured by how they vote.

Year after year, tens of billions of dollars in higher taxes for bigger government are stopped dead in their tracks by our county’s Republican Assembly members. That is what I call “effective,” and so do the voters.

Year after year, our delegation has, with a Republican governor’s help, defeated anti-business, job-killing laws that the majority party attempted to enact. That is what I call “effective,” and so do the voters.

The people of Orange County have shown that they want representatives who are committed to standing up to Willie Brown’s liberal majority and fighting for them. No one else does. In a very real sense, few others can. Because we have such solidly Republican districts, we are able to send conservative men and women to Sacramento to fight for a strong economy against those who seek constantly to expand job-killing regulation.

Our local Republican delegation to the state Assembly works hard for Orange County’s needs. It was particularly successful in securing our fair share of state gasoline tax revenue to fund most of the traffic relief projects now under way. And it has helped our school districts and public colleges in countless ways, including the block grant funds for K through 12, and land and buildings for most every college campus.

I challenge the Los Angeles Times to name any other county’s delegation which has better represented the people who have elected and repeatedly reelected them than has ours.

Orange County’s Republican men and women in Sacramento will not dance to The Times liberal tune. But then, neither do Orange County voters.

THOMAS A. FUENTES

Chairman, Republican Party of Orange County