READERS RESPOND -- What should Chris Steel do?

My own personal feeling about what Chris Steel should do is he should

take the plea where he would be declared guilty of misdemeanors as

opposed to felonies. If that automatically means that he has to resign

his post, so be it. He then -- at a future time not too far off -- could

come back and run again and see how the voters felt about it.

So it seems to me it would be better for him even though he wants to

fight every principle. I don’t think the turf is very good right now for

that, so I would recommend that he take the plea bargain and the

misdemeanor charge and go from that point. As I say, if he has to give up

his City Council position now, so be it if he can come back and run

again. I wish him well.

MILENA THOMPSON

Santa Ana Heights

He should take the plea bargain and get off the City Council. The

reason I say this is because it looks from your paper that he’s admitted

to committing a felony, although he says it was in ignorance, which is a

little bit scary for someone representing us.

Since he [said he] did do it and he now knows it’s a felony, he should

know that he needs to at least try again, maybe the next four years or

whatever. Or if he did do it and he knew it was a felony, then he really

should not be on the City Council. Either way, ignorance or knowing, he

committed a felony; he should be off. I know it’s alleged, but he

admitted it so I think he should quit.

DIANE GOMEZ

Costa Mesa

Whether Chris Steel realized he was breaking the law or whether he

thought he was just kind of bending it is beside the point. How many of

us citizens would even be offered a plea bargain if we broke the same

law?

Our elected officials need to be held to a higher standard, not a

lower one. How many of us would have voted for Steel if we had known he

had broken the election laws? I know I wouldn’t have. I think as long as

it’s offered, he should take the plea bargain and resign.

ALAN REMINGTON

Costa Mesa

As an honorable man, Steel must apologize to his constituents. Steel

must take responsibility in court for the fact that he “made a mistake”

and “was sloppy” in gathering nomination signatures. Steel must plead

guilty to a misdemeanor and step down from the City Council.

In my book, “sloppy mistakes” in falsifying signed legal documents is

a criminal act. In my book, claiming innocence and trying for a hung jury

in criminal proceedings is the act of a dishonorable man. If Steel tries

to whitewash his crime by going to trial, he is not an honorable man. And

he better hope I’m not on his jury.FLO MARTIN

Costa Mesa