To the Editor:
Griffin Industries, Newhall Ranch, now “Communities Building Together”. Is there anything that Roger Campbell won’t stoop to in his efforts to steamroller Fillmore?
Instead of a slanted polling on how residents regard our current City Council, perhaps a poll should be conducted on how many residents have a positive opinion of Roger Campbell. I’ve lived here since 1974 and have yet to hear a single favorable comment about the man. Outside the Chamber of Concrete his activities seems to be held in very low regard.
Ed Hopkins
Fillmore

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To the Editor:
Tony Strickland: Devoted Husband, Family Man
The recent healthcare bills both on the national stage and here in California have yet again brought women's issues to the forefront of public debate. In this time of heated conversation on these issues it's easy to get bogged down in the small things. But let's not forget the forest for all the trees: women's rights are important, especially for families.
Tony Strickland is the right candidate to make decisions on these issues. He co-authored legislation this summer to reinstate and fund Healthy Families, a California program that provides health, dental, and vision coverage to low-income children throughout the state; his opponent preferred funding a high speed rail initiative.
A loving father and devoted husband, Tony also believes in the strength and independence of women. He relies steadily on his wife Audra for support and guidance in his daily life and on key decisions for himself and his family. He takes these words of wisdom everywhere he goes, and will surely take them with him on his way to Washington.
This is yet another reason to join me, thousands of women, and families in our effort to elect Tony Strickland for Congress.
Cameron Petty
Simi Valley

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To the Editor:
Strickland for Women
Here’s a story you won’t hear from the partisans trying to convince us Tony Strickland is against women’s rights.
On January 13 of this year, Strickland’s bill to protect victims of sexual abuse was introduced in the California State Senate. The bill, SB 966, fixed a glaring loophole by providing that victims couldn’t be ordered to make payments to spouses who had abused them. It’s just common sense: no woman (or man, for that matter) should have to pay the expenses of her abuser.
It was just such a case that motivated Strickland to write the bill. Strickland explained he was “outraged” when he heard that a California woman, whose husband was convicted of sexually assaulting her, had been ordered to pay spousal support to her abusive husband. SB 966 would have prevented cases like hers from ever happening again.
Strickland’s fight to protect this woman, and others like her, tells a different story than the vicious attacks being pushed by some. Along with his efforts to ensure coverage of digital mammograms and protect the Healthy Families Program, it’s just another example of Strickland’s commitment to women’s issues.
Andrew Murcia
Simi Valley

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To the Editor:
While it is easy to characterize an individual’s values based on the party line that they draw, we must be careful not to associate every belief expressed by every Republican and Democrat to every individual within each respective party. In Patty Bellasalma’s attempt to make a case for the progression of women, she fails to legitimize said case by extending the radical comments by Missouri Rep. Todd Akin regarding cases of “legitimate rape” to all House GOP members, as well as CA-26 GOP candidate Tony Strickland. As Bellasalma points out, without a doubt, Akin’s comments were inexcusable, and it is undeniable that rape, in any form, should be considered a heinous crime. However, as a woman from State Senator Strickland’s district, I have taken it upon myself to invest in the candidate that would best serve me in that capacity.
While one Republican representative has failed to further the cause for women, the sentiments expressed by Akin could not find themselves more falsely attributed to congressional candidate Strickland. Beyond that, her sentiments regarding House GOP members as a whole, find themselves without firm standing, especially since the passage of H.R. 4970 in 2012, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, introduced by Florida GOP Rep. Sandy Adams. As Adams stated upon passage through the Republican dominated House, “Today’s vote by my House colleagues sends a strong message that the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) should leave politics at the door and focus on the victims who need our help.” With its passage, it is evident GOP members are furthering efforts for women, rather than holding them back. GOP members, and especially Strickland, are not to blame for lack of advancement, and should not be characterized as a whole by one member’s questionable comments regarding the issues at hand.
Thank you for your time,
Molly Lowe
Thousand Oaks