PUBLIC FORUM : FERRARO DIDN'T DESERVE `HARSH APPROBATION'.

John Ferraro has done a good job as Los Angeles City Council president and does not deserve the harsh approbation expressed in your recent editorial (``It's time to go,'' Oct. 15).

As a supporter of both the Boland bill and the mayor's charter reform effort, I obviously don't agree with all of John's positions. But that is no reason to castigate him. We live in a democracy, and each of us is entitled to our own views and our own positions. And as council president, he is often called upon to act pursuant to the majority once it has spoken. In this regard, no one can question that John has acted with anything but the utmost integrity and the city's best interest at heart.

- Joel Wachs 

President Pro Tem 

Los Angeles City Council

The Daily News failed to check the facts before it published ``It's time to go,'' a mean-spirited, vindictive, unwarranted attack on City Council President John Ferraro.

Your readers should know the facts:

Fact: A vote by a majority of the City Council is required for an official city position for or against proposed legislation, and the Boland bill was no different - a majority of the council members voted to oppose this bill.

Once such a vote is taken in this democratic process, it is entirely appropriate and responsible for the City Council president, who also is chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, to join the city's legislative staff in the lobbying in Sacramento in support of the city's position.

Fact: Regarding the charter reform issue, Ferraro joined Mayor Richard Riordan in proposing a compromise to the City Council shortly after the mayor launched his initiative petition drive. The compromise would have placed the work of the citizen commission directly on the ballot, but also would have permitted the City Council to propose a modified version. After the compromise failed, Ferraro supported council member Ruth Galanter's motion to proceed with the second phase of a charter reform effort started in 1991.

Your readers should know that the citizens appointed to the charter reform commission to date - including the three appointed by Ferraro as acting mayor - are well-qualified individuals of high integrity, people who represent the rich diversity of our city and who agreed to serve in good faith.

Fact: According to the city charter, when the mayor travels out of the city, the council president is the acting mayor, assuming full authority including the responsibility to sign city ordinances.

Following the municipal elections every two years, the City Council votes to select one of its members as council president. The council repeatedly has chosen John Ferraro to serve because of his diplomacy, objectivity and his demonstrated leadership as someone whose consistent focus is the good of the city.

The Daily News cynically and irresponsibly calls for Ferraro to step down without realizing that Ferraro's leadership is keeping the city on course at a turbulent time, when forces are at work seeking to tear the city apart.

The above letter was signed by Los Angeles City Council members Rita Walters, 9th District; Mike Hernandez, 1st District; Laura Chick, 3rd District; Michael Feuer, 2nd District; Ruth Galanter, 6th District; Richard Alatorre, 14th District; Richard Alarcon, 7th District; Mark Ridley-Thomas, 8th District; Hal Bernson, 12th District; Jackie Goldberg, 13th District; and Rudy Svorinich, 15th District.

Regarding your editorial requesting City Council President John Ferraro to step down: Your readers should know the facts.

Fact: A vote by a majority of the City Council is required for an official city position for or against proposed legislation, and the Boland bill was no different. A majority of council members voted to oppose the bill.

Once such a vote is taken in this democratic process, it is entirely appropriate and responsible for the City Council president, who is also the chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, to join the city's legislative staff in lobbying in support of the city's position.

Fact: Regarding the charter reform issue, Ferraro joined Mayor Richard Riordan in proposing a compromising to the City Council shortly after the mayor launched his initiative petition drive. The compromise would have placed the work of the citizen commission directly on the ballot, but also would have permitted the City Council to propose a modified version. After the compromise failed, Ferraro supported council member Ruth Galanter's motion to proceed with the second phase of the charter reform effort started in 1991.

Your readers should know that the citizens appointed to the Charter Reform Commission to date - including the three appointed by Ferraro as acting mayor - are well-qualified individuals of high integrity, people who represent the rich diversity of our city and agreed to serve in good faith.

Fact: According to the city charter, when the mayor travels out of the city, the council president is the acting mayor, assuming full authority, including the responsibility to sign city ordinances. I have been told that the mayor did not object to Ferraro's making the appointments.

Following the municipal elections every two years, the City Council votes to select one of its members as president. The council repeatedly has chosen John Ferraro to serve because of his diplomacy and his leadership, as someone whose consistent focus is the good of the city.

John Ferraro's leadership is keeping the city on course at a turbulent time, when forces are at work to tear the city apart.

- Marvin Braude

Council member, 11th District

Los Angeles

Opponents make good case for Prop. 209

The two University of California chancellors who have come out in opposition to Proposition 209, have shown Californians the very reason to support the initiative. They stated that passage of the measure would, ``radically reduce the extraordinary diversity we have managed to achieve.''

As chancellors of these institutions of higher learning, their primary purpose should be overseeing that these universities are providing students with the highest-quality education. Instead, their focus is on ``making up for past discrimination.''

How far back should we go for the past discrimination? The students in college today have no claim to the discriminatory practices of the distant past. Most of the students today were born in the mid '70s, hardly a decade known for racial persecution.

Proposition 209 will eliminate the senseless apportionment of students solely on the basis of nonacademic selectors such as racial and sexual preferences. Rather, it will once again institute a policy of selection by academic excellence, regardless of the student's physical makeup or ancestral origins.

Only by passing Proposition 209, will the term ``equal opportunity'' regain its true and intended meaning.

- James L. Rahm

Chatsworth

Unemployment statistics

It never ceases to amaze me, how during an election year facts and figures are given the old ``we will make a silk purse out of a sow's ear'' line. Unemployment is in the double digits and all we hear is how low it is. How is this done?

At a recent job counseling seminar, my wife asked the person interviewing her what happens when your benefits run out, are we still in the system? The interviewer was quite candid with the explanation as follows. ``When your benefits expire, a munchkin in Sacramento pushes a button on the computer and you magically disappear, your history, zero, zip, gone from the statistics. You no longer are unemployed. In reality the true unemployed percentage is hovering around 15 percent, not what you read in the newspaper.''

Mind-boggling isn't it. You do not exist anymore so some politician can tell us how well the country is doing and unemployment is at a five-year low and how much better we are then four years ago. I guess I just don't get the big picture.

- J. Don Buchanan

Van Nuys

White House investigations

A letter to the Oct. 17 Public Forum by J. Cohen of Encino poses the question as to why the entire Republican Party and a dogged special prosecutor, having spent years trying to find any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the current administration, have failed to produce any substantial evidence of alleged criminal activity.

There is a reason for this - several, in fact. One, there has been an unprecedented amount of withholding of evidence by this administration, pushing the envelope of illegal obstruction of justice.

Two, when members of this administration, including the first lady, are called to give testimony, no testimony is given except for the words ``I don't recall, I don't recall, I don't recall.''

- Ron Yorke

Reseda

What about Kemp's shoulder?

To the lady who called President Clinton ``a yellow-bellied draft dodger,'' on Coronado Beach on Oct. 17:

What do you call a professional football quarterback who came up with a shoulder injury one week prior to his reserve unit leaving for Vietnam, medically exempting him from Vietnam, then, a week later, having a miracle healing to his shoulder so that he could go back to throwing the football for many years to come? Try the name ``Jack Kemp'' of the San Diego Chargers.

All that Bill Clinton did was to accept a scholarship to the most prestigious institute of higher learning, a legitimate deferral and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But isn't that par for the course? Jocks can do no wrong, but educators can't even make a decent wage.

Would Kemp's shoulder act up again if he was president and had to sign a declaration for the safety of the American people? Think about it; he is a heartbeat away if Bob Dole wins.

- Robert M. & Norma K.

Featherston

Oak View

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) John Ferraro

``City's best interest at heart' '

(2) Jack Kemp

Shoulders some blame