Pacheco Replaced

Re “Pacheco Loses Top Assembly Post to Baugh,” April 7: Following November’s dismal election performance it appeared, however briefly, that California’s Republican Party was finally getting the message. As a lifelong, devout Republican, I breathed a sigh of relief when the party chose Rod Pacheco to lead the GOP Assembly caucus. The message seemed to validate everything that I had been trying to convey to my all-too-liberal cadre of friends and family for years. Namely, that the Republican Party is not the cell of right-wing monsters that the media have made it out to be, and that the Republican Party is a colorblind model of inclusion that is not leery of the state’s growing Hispanic population.

By replacing Pacheco with conservative samurai Scott Baugh, the GOP leaders have effectively spit in the eye of every moderate voter in the state. At least this should relieve the party of the onerous responsibility of having to govern. Its current direction will ensure that it’ll never be returned to power. It pains me to say that they deserve it.

TODD CONGER

Studio City