Readers React: An Election Day letdown

The results are in! I received a total of 93 pieces of mail — not to mention numerous campaign phone calls — during the course of this latest campaign. Thirteen candidates sent anywhere from one to 12 pieces each, plus another 15 pieces from various groups.

I understand that candidates need to get their names and messages out to voters, but I have to wonder if this is the best way to educate us. Many of the mailings were simply a repeat of the same photos and quotations.

Multiply what I received by the number of other folks getting those same mailings, and it translates into tons of recycling or garbage — definitely not a winning vote for the environment.

Joanna Ryder

Hermosa Beach

Gov. Jerry Brown notes that his promise to not raise taxes was one reason for his victory. Translation: He opposes an oil severance fee or any other tax on Big Oil or corporations.

It should come as no surprise that many GOP donors, therefore, gave to his campaign.

A vote for the Green Party candidate would have said “enough is enough” — but without the threat of a Ralph Nader spoiler effect, given the weakness of Brown’s GOP rivals.

The only vote for real change was in the 33rd Congressional District, where Marianne Williamson — who refused any corporate or PAC funding — got a respectable 13% of the vote.

Gene Rothman

Culver City

Some random, disheartening observations:

According to your vote tally, the top three candidates for Los Angeles County’s 3rd Supervisorial District received a combined total of 97,434 votes — in a district containing 2 million people.

Top vote-getter Sheila Kuehl’s 43,348 votes represent 2.16% of the 3rd District’s population. With The Times reporting that $3.5 million was raised and spent by these three candidates, that means the average cost per vote for these three was nearly $36.

This is more a disheartening reflection of our flawed political system than an indictment any of these individual candidates.

Ged Kenslea

Los Angeles