Readers React: Wait and see on Kevin McCarthy

It’s optimistic to think that as the new House majority leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) will promote California’s mind-set on the environment. He hasn’t so far as a Washington politician. (“Can Kevin McCarthy instill a California mind-set in his House GOP colleagues?,” Editorial, June 20)

As a California Assembly member, he introduced legislation to encourage companies to produce power that does not release pollution into the atmosphere. “California must continue to invest in cleaner and healthier energy technology that will enable us to meet growing demand while protecting the environment,” McCarthy said in 2006.

In Washington, however, he voted to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases. And he voted against enforcing limits on carbon dioxide emissions.

We’ll see.

Lynn Smith, Newport Beach

Given that McCarthy is faced with a growing Latino population in his district, a demand by both farmers and Latinos for sensible immigration reform and some of the worst air quality in the nation (not to mention obvious climate change impacts), I don’t see how he will be reelected unless he takes the courageous step of speaking truth to power and meets the needs of his constituents.

We are really looking at the next Eric Cantor, the outgoing majority leader who was defeated in his district’s Republican Party primary, unless McCarthy uses his new position to break the choke-hold the tea party has on the GOP and our great country.

Good luck to McCarthy; he is going to need it.

Jim B. Parsons, Carpinteria