Gray Davis’ War Chest Provokes Calls to Battle

Re “Davis’ Filing Reveals $32-Million War Chest,” July 17: In the last several months, while the state struggles to deal with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, Gov. Gray Davis has been bringing in an average of $1,800 an hour in campaign donations, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

If Davis governed with as much energy as he employs in fund-raising, our state might not be in its current predicament. The recent budget shortfall and energy crisis have exposed the governor’s ineffectiveness. When Californians go to the polls, they will show Davis that voters, not donors, determine the results of our elections.

Michael Craig Hirshman

San Diego

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Why is Davis so good at raising funds? There can be only one reason: his reputation as a politician who takes care of his contributors. That $32 million is a frightening measure of how many people own a piece of our governor.

Jim Houghton

Encino

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It has frequently been written by political commentators around California, including George Skelton in his July 18 column, that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon’s campaign is lost and ineffective. That may be true, for who am I to disagree with professional political commentators.

However, I do know that Davis’ governing has been lost and ineffective as well. California is now three weeks past its deadline on a budget and Davis does not seem to be leading the Legislature to a resolution of its budget disagreements.

I care more about our government’s budget problems than about who is leading in the polls.

Lance Iverson

Calabasas

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The Times would do a better service to readers if it spent less ink on how Simon saves on his personal taxes (July 16) and more on why Davis spends so much of everyone’s personal taxes.

Robert L. Rosebrock

Brentwood