3 Endorsements for the House

California has 52 seats in the House of Representatives--more than Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Iowa combined--but only a few are closely contested in the coming election or warrant special interest. In three Southern California districts, The Times endorses state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), Rep. Steven T. Kuykendall (R-Rancho Palos Verdes) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove).

The 27th Congressional District battle between Schiff and incumbent Rep. James E. Rogan (R-Glendale) has drawn national attention and millions of campaign dollars, largely because of Rogan’s bulldog role as one of the House managers of the impeachment case against President Clinton. Rogan insists he kept an open mind on the impeachment issue until just before the House vote, but he could have better used that time serving the needs of his district. Rogan also used poor judgment in an Oct. 5 Roll Call article by likening abortion among African Americans to genocide by the Ku Klux Klan. Schiff, his opponent, has been an able leader in Sacramento as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is more in tune with the needs of this Pasadena-Glendale-area district. We urge a vote for Schiff.

Another close battle is taking place in the 36th District between Kuykendall and Democrat Jane Harman, who represented this South Bay district for six years before giving up the seat to run for governor in 1998. Kuykendall, with long public service in the Palos Verdes Peninsula, is a moderate who supports gun control and abortion rights. Harman has the stronger position on some national issues, but that is not enough for her to reclaim a seat she forfeited to seek higher office. Kuykendall gets the edge.

Orange County’s 46th District has given the nation some of its most explosive and colorful politics in recent years. In 1996, Rep. Sanchez replaced the bombastic Republican Robert K. Dornan. Sanchez has been active in leading Latino fund-raising efforts but caused a stir last summer by scheduling an event at the Playboy Mansion during the party’s national convention. A defiant Sanchez moved the event to another venue, but it was an embarrassing moment for Democrats.

Still, Sanchez has been active on redevelopment, housing and transportation issues and is an asset to the region on the high-technology and defense industries. Her Republican opponent, Gloria Matta Tuchman, a co-sponsor of Proposition 227, the anti-bilingual education initiative, has not made a persuasive case. Voters should give Sanchez another term.