Support for Assembly candidates mixed

In Barry Groveman, I see the experience and character that can make a difference in state government. Barry has set specific community goals and worked tirelessly and selflessly to achieve these goals.

Clearly, I am not alone in my high regard for his abilities. Many leaders I respect support Barry Groveman for the 41st Assembly seat.

Recently, my husband and I hosted an event for Mr. Groveman's campaign, and at this event I met many of the leaders who, like me, support Mayor Groveman. From State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell to local school board members Terilyn Finders, Cindy Iser, Dave Moorman and Gordon Whitehead, people who have worked with Barry have confidence in his leadership.

Please join me in voting for Barry Groveman, a candidate who has experience writing legislation-a complicated task that demands experience.

I am confident in his ability to persevere in the political process in order to improve California's educational system and the environment. Shelley Ross Saxer Agoura Hills

I served for three years as the high school student representative on the Calabasas Environmental Commission. I was impressed with the way Mayor Groveman and the city council worked to protect our environment and improve the quality of our life in Calabasas.

I was especially impressed by the many things Barry Groveman has done to help our schools, improve the traffic situation, preserve open space and help our city government run more efficiently.

I attended the candidate forum that The Acorn hosted the other night. While I enjoyed hearing all the candidates give their views, Barry Groveman was clearly the most articulate and experienced. I liked the fact that he gave specific, concrete proposals on how to solve problems, not just platitudes.

I urge other young voters to exercise your right to vote on June 6. Your vote can affect the quality of life in our community. Eric Ronka Calabasas

Barry Groveman has been an outstanding councilman and mayor for Calabasas.

Nasty infighting and poor management in the city have been replaced with cooperation, fiscal integrity and the implementation of cutting edge programs. He is exactly what we need in Sacramento, and that's why I am supporting his bid for the Assembly. Fred Gaines Calabasas

Barry Groveman stands out as a true champion for our students.

One of his biggest contributions was his persistent effort in resolving differences among five separate interest groups in a complex school location matter. His ability to hear and consider contrasting views, then craft a compromise that worked was essential.

Barry's intense demeanor masks a thoughtful, caring leader who listens and works tirelessly at finding practical solutions. He has often demonstrated this capacity for resolving issues for the benefit of others.

Please vote for Barry Groveman for Assembly in the June 6 election. We need him in Sacramento working for us. This guy will get things done. Gordon Whitehead Agoura Hills

Can Barry Groveman be an effective Assembly member? Consider his character. He created a new zone for double-pole signs in a designated scenic corridor and he proposed that the Malibu Valley Inn be built on the Soka University site owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

Groveman prefers to make backroom deals, excluding citizen participation. He had his lawyers send letters threatening lawsuits against citizens who wanted to discuss his past voting record on tenants' issues.

Behind the slogan of "waste reduction," Groveman gutted the Calabasas Education Fund, the Calabasas Education Commission, the Calabasas Tree Board and the Calabasas Emergency Response Program. But he didn't let out a peep when Calabasas spent $250,000 just to paint two houses it owned.

At council meetings, when Groveman isn't grandstanding or browbeating, he's often buried in his computer or talking on his cellphone. As a council member, I sat next to Groveman on the dais as he chatted with friends online and spoke to his family on the phone.

Contrary to his campaign claims, Groveman didn't bring a new CFO to Calabasas, didn't raise a penny for the schools, didn't stand up to Big Tobacco. But he did give personal injury attorneys the right to sue business and property owners for punitive damages and attorneys' fees if someone is smoking outside in a parking lot. Michael Harrison Former Calabasas mayor

Editor's note: Groveman did not threaten citizens with lawsuits. It was the Calabasas city attorney who requested a disgruntled resident to stop sending harassing e-mails to Groveman and the city council.

It is important to elect an assemblymember for the 41st District who has proven abilities, energy, enterprising spirit, and experience in constituent services.

Our fellow Calabasas City Councilmember Barry Groveman works tirelessly to resolve problems and address the local issues critical to our quality of life such as education, traffic congestion relief, open space and the environment.

We recommend Barry Groveman for the 41st Assembly District where he will put his energy, experience and determination to work for our regional communities. Dennis Washburn, James Bozajian, Jonathan Wolfson, Mary Sue Maurer Calabasas City Council

I am supporting Barry Groveman because he did everything he said he was going to do as a councilman. Whether or not you agree with all of them, it is refreshing to have a politician with integrity uphold his campaign promises.

Barry is passionate in his beliefs and I believe he will continue to represent us well at the state level. Mark Shear Calabasas

It is crucial that we replace Assemblymember Fran Pavley with someone who can lead and represent us with the same leadership skills.

Julia Brownley has a long record of public service, from community activist to serving as board president of the Santa Monica-Malibu School Board for several terms. I trust her to represent us well, protect our environment and quality of life, as well as continue to be an advocate for our children's education.

Fran Pavley herself believes that Julia Brownley is best suited to present us in the Assembly.

I urge you to join me in voting for Julia Brownley for Assembly on June 6. Frances Alet Calabasas

The Sierra Club has endorsed only one candidate in the 41st Assembly District race: Kelly Hayes-Raitt.

Kelly has long fought the good fight for the conservation values that mean so much to us: clean air, clean water, alternative energy, open space, sustainable communities, coastal and wildlife protection.

Campaign promises are easily made, but these promises are not always kept. Voting for Kelly Hayes-Raitt is the only sure way to send a proven and trusted environmental leader to Sacramento. Carolyn Sue Palmer Westlake Village

I support Linda Parks for Ventura County supervisor. She has been good for the county and good for my community of Oak Park.

On local issues, she voted against raising our county-controlled trash pickup fees. She supports the formation of Volunteers in Policing for Oak Park. And Supervisor Parks consistently shows up for our Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council meetings, giving us the opportunity to talk to her in person about what concerns us.

On the Triunfo Sanitation Board, hers is a voice of sanity. Our supervisor has repeatedly asked that our approximately $12 million in reserve be moved back to a more conservative investment, instead of keeping it in a bond fund that has been loosing money.

For these reasons and more, I urge you to vote for Linda Parks for supervisor. Janna Orkney Oak Park

Thank you, Supervisor Linda Parks, for your 16-year effort resulting in the creation of a new state park at Ahmanson Ranch. Extra special thanks for the 45,000 vehicle trips saved on the 101 Freeway each and every day. That's 10 minutes less driving time to downtown L.A. everyday, each way.

Thank you for pushing for the funds to widen the 23 Freeway without any new taxes.

Thank you for supporting SOAR and creating measures to preserve agriculture and open space and stop urban sprawl.

Thank you for voting for increased police services, faster ambulance response times and for your support for our firefighters. In Oak Park, thanks to e-mails from you, we were put on notice that we were in harm's way within minutes of the fires breaking out in Bell Canyon. It is no wonder you have been endorsed by the Ventura County Firefighters Association and the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff's Association.

I will offer the best thanks I can by voting for your reelection on June 6 and I will encourage all my friends in your district to do the same. Jay Kapitz Oak Park

During her current term, Linda Parks has been instrumental in settling two lawsuits in which taxpayers were funding both sides as one government agency sued another government agency.

She was one of the leaders of the wildly successful Save Open Space and Agricultrual Resources (SOAR) initiative.

Supervisor Parks is an advocate for taxpayers and residents as well as the environment of Ventura County.

Please join me and vote for Linda Parks for supervisor. Sue Boecker Oak Park

Save Open Space/Santa Monica Mountains proudly endorses the very effective and successful leader, Supervisor Linda Parks, for Ventura County.

Supervisor Parks helped in the successful effort to preserve the Ahmanson Ranch as open space. SOS' new goal is to preserve the only two remaining wildlife corridors of our unique Santa Monica Mountains.

Supervisor Parks' successful record in supporting preservation demonstrates that she alone can best be trusted to preserve the far eastern boundaries of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Areas.

Besides her many accomplishments in the public safety arena, like pushing for paramedic firemen, Supervisor Parks actively helps Ventura County's needy. I proudly walked with Supervisor Parks at the NAMI event to raise funding for Ventura county's mentally ill.

We urge you to vote for Supervisor Linda Parks on June 6. Mary E. Wiesbrock Agoura Hills