COUNTYWIDE : Lewis Loses Bid for Dismissal of Charge

A Sacramento County Superior Court judge Friday again refused to dismiss a charge that Assemblyman John R. Lewis (R-Orange) forged then-President Ronald Reagan’s signature on 1986 campaign mailers. But no trial date was set.

The latest court action in the lengthy case stemmed from a defense contention that the Democratic attorney general, John Van de Kamp, had singled out Lewis for prosecution because he is a Republican.

The crux of the defense argument rested on an internal prosecution memorandum that spelled out the reasons for and against prosecution, including the suggestion that Lewis could lose office because of the case.

But Judge James I. Morris disagreed with the defense interpretation.

“Prosecution was not brought on political grounds,” Morris concluded. “That’s not to say that the attorney general wasn’t aware of the political ramifications. I don’t think the attorney general could help but be aware of the political ramifications.”