Cut Through the Smokescreen Around Beilenson, Sybert Camp Urges

* I strongly suggest that Marc Litchman have third thoughts about conventional wisdom. His piece “Second Thoughts About Conventional Wisdom” (Valley Commentary, Sept. 11) shows little of what one might expect of a political consultant and a lot of what would come from someone on Rep. Anthony Beilenson’s staff.

He needs to go beyond his “second thoughts” in these areas:

* The race in the 24th Congressional District is not about the relative numbers of Republicans and Democrats. It is about whether Rich Sybert or Mr. Beilenson more accurately represents the views of the residents of the district. Since Mr. Beilenson was gerrymandered into “representing” Thousand Oaks, his typical tax-and-spend liberal votes have convincingly demonstrated his lack of appreciation for how the voters at the west end of the district want to be represented in Washington. Party labels have very little to do with it.

* He’s right. There is no solid “Reagan coalition” any more. The whole population has swung decidedly to the right, now understanding that the Beilenson approach of having the central government solve all our problems does not, and never has, worked in this country. Most Democrats up for election are running as fast as they can, away from any association with that philosophy or with the President who clings dearly to it.

* Mr. Sybert is not going to lose significant Republican votes because of his views on abortion. Most women are not “vehemently opposed” to restrictions on abortion, and most “hard right” folks have accepted that limited access to abortion will be with us for the foreseeable future--regardless of what Mr. Sybert thinks about the subject.

* If Mr. Beilenson really has been in the “forefront” of the effort to stop illegal immigration, it is quite obvious that his efforts have been grossly ineffectual. If the current state is really the best he can come up with, it’s obviously time to give someone else a shot at it!

* Finally, let’s not talk about needing road maps for the district. Mr. Beilenson absolutely relies on his to find his way to Thousand Oaks, where he’s not often seen.

PETER WELLS

Thousand Oaks

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* The Sept. 11 article by Democrat consultant Marc Litchman which attacked my congressional campaign contained numerous factual errors and several out-and-out fabrications.

1. It is not true that I support federal restrictions on abortion. I oppose government involvement in such personal matters.

2. My opponent in this race, Anthony Beilenson, is the carpetbagger in the Valley, not me. I live here; Beilenson never has, and has to rent a car when he comes into the district.

3. The fact that I have spent my own money in the race merely means that I’m not beholden to special interests, unlike Beilenson, who raises most of his money from trial lawyers and from outside the district.

4. I want to avoid partisan politics, but it is not true that the Republican Party is “fractured.” I have unified support from the rank and file and from virtually every elected official in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

5. Mr. Beilenson has not been a “leader on illegal immigration for 10 years.” Rather, he has introduced bills copied from other people’s positions, including my own. I was chief immigration analyst for Gov. Pete Wilson for three years. Then he has politely waited for them to die while he votes the other way. He opposes Proposition 187 (Save Our State), voted against requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration or a residency requirement for federal programs, and opposed a tracking center for illegal alien felons.

6. I think it is I who have the incumbent neutralized on environmental issues, not the other way around. I was environmental chairman for two statewide campaigns, authored the state’s growth management policies and now sit as the Valley’s public member in the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Mr. Beilenson’s past accomplishments are just that--in the past.

7. Finally, as far as association with Pete Wilson being a handicap, our latest polling shows Wilson beating his opponent by 17 percentage points in the 24th District. And it shows me beating mine by nearly 10.

Litchman’s article has a lot more wishful thinking than facts. Pretty clearly the Democrat strategists in the 24th District are getting nervous. This is the first time the incumbent has faced a competitive challenger in a competitive district. I also would not count on Mr. Beilenson moving “back” to the Valley when he loses.

RICH SYBERT

Calabasas