L.A. County Sheriff’s Race

Re “Sheriff Block Undergoes 4-Hour Brain Surgery,” Oct. 27: I pray that Sheriff Sherman Block recovers, but I can understand why some people believe that it was a foregone conclusion that all he was doing was running to “set things up” for his chosen replacement. Already one hears and reads that in effect it is irrelevant if he wins the election and is unable or unavailable to fulfill his duties, because the important thing is to keep [opponent] Lee Baca from winning.

It would be another victory for the unprincipled good-old politicos who have plotted with some to put their boy into the position, if the sheriff would win but be unable to serve. And the shame is that voices decrying that shenanigan are not heard. When are we going to get the principled leadership we deserve?

EDWARD R. TORRES

Glendora

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Re “No Endorsement in Sheriff Race,” editorial, Oct. 25: As an everyday reader of The Times, I find your editorial puzzling. You cite compelling reasons for your lack of faith in Sheriff Block. However, you cite Baca’s denials of “on-the-record” statements to reporters as indicative of a lack of character. You stingingly wrote, “This is called lying.”

As I have followed the controversy surrounding these “statements” and “denials,” it has appeared to me that any “deals” Baca offered to Block were more for Block’s benefit than Baca’s. Baca’s “waffling” on his statements could be attributed more to a lack of political savvy with reporters than a lack of character. He offered a man who presumably has dedicated his life to public service a more dignified way to leave office. Block’s subsequent personal attacks on Baca, a man he promoted to the rank of chief, have left me questioning whether Block has ever truly held the public’s interest above his own while he has been in office.

DeANN FLORES

Manhattan Beach