Sanchez Deserves Reelection

Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s surprising 984-vote victory over Robert K. Dornan two years ago propelled a political newcomer into the national spotlight. Sanchez has handled the challenge well, paid attention to the needs of her constituents, and should be reelected.

Soon after the 1996 election, Times reporters found a number of people who said they voted or registered to vote in the 46th Congressional District before they were citizens. That’s illegal and should not have occurred.

Sanchez was never linked to those votes. Several extensive investigations found no indications that any illegal votes would have provided her margin of victory. A county grand jury refused to indict anyone in the matter.

Sanchez now merits a second term free of such distractions. Her record has been pro-environment, pro-abortion rights and pro-labor, but she also has won occasional praise from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Indeed, Sanchez has taken care to appeal to various groups, tailoring her speeches to support education, small businesses, senior citizens and public safety.

On one trip back to the district, she arranged a Santa Ana seminar for dozens of local entrepreneurs seeking contracts with the aerospace industry. She saw to it that NASA and Boeing representatives were on hand.

Also worth applause has been her fighting to keep federal funds coming for the Prado Dam, a centerpiece of flood control on the Santa Ana River. Sanchez also helped secure money for a countywide Head Start program and the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, and restitution for South Vietnamese commandos who were captured while fighting for the United States during the Vietnam War.

Sanchez, the child of immigrants, went through the Head Start program herself, and credits the preschool classes with transforming her from a shy person who seldom spoke into one who did well in school. She has been a frequent visitor to schools in her district, which includes parts of Garden Grove, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Tustin, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Fullerton and Orange. The congresswoman says it’s important for her to get a firsthand look at the problems in schools and for minority children to meet role models. The efforts she has made to get to know her community’s needs have paid off.

Sanchez tried unsuccessfully this year to win passage of legislation to help less affluent communities build schools by selling bonds to buyers who then could have received an income tax deduction. That’s an expansion of current law that deserves reconsideration.

Sanchez also has identified affordable housing as a need in her district. She has promised to solicit suggestions from developers, builders, city officials and others in an effort to find a plan to provide more housing for working men and women who are unable to come up with the money to buy homes.

The congresswoman has done a good job during her first term. Officials in the cities in her district say she listens to their needs and tries to help them.

Sanchez deserves reelection in her closely watched rematch with Dornan.