Commentary: There are many stories behind all those letters to the editor

Denny Freidenrich is one of the most prolific writers in Southern California. Clearly, with more than 1,200 letters to the editor and commentaries to his credit, the longtime Laguna Beach resident may be one of the most ardent.

According to a Jan. 21, 2016 profile in the Orange County Register, “He has more bylines than some journalists.”

Unlike his politically conservative cousin, Shari Freidenrich of Huntington Beach, Orange County’s elected treasurer-tax collector, this self-taught, 69-year-old writer is a private citizen and an unabashed Democrat. Freidenrich’s pieces are routinely published in the New York Times, The Hill, USA Today and the Boston Globe, as well as in the Daily Pilot/Los Angeles Times, Register, Long Beach Press-Telegram and every paper serving Laguna in the last four decades.

Why does he do it? A look at his family’s political DNA provides a clue.

Freidenrich’s paternal grandfather served in the Assembly in the 1870s. His father was a lifelong friend of former Gov. Edmund G. “Pat” Brown and a delegate to the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Democratic National Conventions. His older brother served on the staff of late Sen. Clair Engle (D-Calif.) in the early 1960s and was a federal elector in 2000 and 2008.

For his part, Freidenrich came of age during the Vietnam War and served as a congressional staff assistant on Capitol Hill to the late Rep. Don Edwards (D-San Jose) in 1972.

When he returned to his native California in late 1974, he created the nonprofit California Voter Group. A predecessor of Rock the Vote, the Voter Group’s goal was to encourage high school students, ages 16 and 17, to become active voters when they turned 18.

He also had learned to write. In 1982, that skill helped Freidenrich market Andy Warhol’s celebrity portrait of Jane Fonda and elect Bill Honig state superintendent of public instruction. Three years later, he was retained by four beach cities and the Orange County Board of Supervisors to direct the No on Offshore Oil Drilling campaign.

Two decades later, he organized the first public event to help the victims of the devastating 2005 landslide in Laguna Beach. Finally, he was part of a group that raised $1.2 million for Barack Obama one summer afternoon at the Balboa Bay Club in 2008.

But back to writing. Between the early 1970s and 2000, Freidenrich estimates 100 of his letters and op-eds were published coast to coast.

“In those days, writing was just a hobby,” he says.

After the 9/11, Freidenrich began writing nearly every day.

“I can’t explain it, but I felt the urge to express myself on a daily basis,” he said. “I also decided it was time to step into the light as a proud Democrat, especially in Orange County.”

In mid-September, just weeks before last year’s general election, Freidenrich called on Hillary Clinton to fire her campaign brain trust because “they didn’t know how to effectively market her.”

So how does this proud Democrat view Donald Trump?

“About how you would expect,” he said. “I wrote several columns last year urging both Hispanic and female voters to turn their backs on Trump.

“It’s not the first time I’ve written about Republicans,” he said. “One of my very first letters, back in the early 1970s, was about Richard Nixon’s involvement in Watergate. I also challenged George W. Bush’s rush to judgment about Iraq. After all these years, I guess you could say writing about Trump comes naturally.”

So what does the 1970 USC graduate think about President Trump’s reaction to today’s NFL players taking a knee?

“Many of my conservative fraternity brothers believe the players are disrespecting the flag, the anthem and our veterans,” he said. “Personally, I don’t agree with them. Unlike Trump, who calls the players ‘SOBs’ who should be fired, I have chosen to listen to what the players are saying. Taking a knee, which I have done to support their cause, calls attention to the issue of injustice in America.”

SHIVA FARIVAR lives in Irvine, where she ran for City Council in 2016. She has known Denny Freidenrich for 10 years.