PUBLIC FORUM : LAWYER'S TACTICS ABUSED SLAIN GIRL'S FAMILY.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read (Daily News, Dec. 27) that attorney Chuck Samonsky knew for several days that his client, David Alvarez, could locate the body of Kali Manley, who had been missing since Dec. 19.

How heartless, how cruel, how evil to do that to her family, friends and the hundreds of volunteers who looked in vain, hoping against hope to find her alive.

He purposely withheld this information so he could plea bargain for his client. Once again, the rights of the suspect mean more than the life and rights of the victim.

How sick, twisted and inhumane to do this to scared, loving parents who are hoping against all odds that their beautiful daughter will be found safe.

My heart goes out to Kali's family.

- Marilyn N. Hankins

Westlake Village

No justice for victim

Re ``Justices void death sentence,'' Daily News, Dec. 25:

The California Supreme Court, in its infinite wisdom, threw out the death sentence of Kenneth Earl Gay. Gay is the cold-blooded killer of Los Angeles police Officer Paul Verna in Lake View Terrace.

Gay was convicted and sentenced to death for pumping five bullets into Verna in the course of a routine traffic stop. There was no question of the degree of guilt, only a question of his representation during the trial, according to the justices.

The California Supreme Court justices claim that the jurors were not informed by Gay's attorney of so-called evidence of mental impairment. Mental impairment indeed! Were the justices aware that Gay, while imprisoned, was nominated for an award for a screenwriting contest? One might wonder who has the mental impairment.

This is another example of the Rose Bird court syndrome. In yet another mind-boggling statement pertaining to the case, liberal Justice Stanley Mosk stated that Gay's murder conviction should have been reversed. This statement is proof positive that some justices are in office too long.

Causing the Verna family further pain is unjust, unfair, a travesty and an affront to all law enforcement officers.

- Herbert Auerbach

Van Nuys

EPA fuel tank rule

Ten years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a ruling that all underground fuel tanks in the United States must be replaced. It did not offer to loan or grant anyone money.

It makes no difference if you are the only gas station in town, the National Guard armory or the only hospital in the rural county. In typical government fashion, it said, ``You will comply or else, no excuses.''

To make it stick, the EPA will impose fines on any fuel company that fills a noncompliant tank.

The new fuel tanks are supposed to stop groundwater contamination. Have you ever looked at all the grease marks and oil stains at a gas station? How many gallons of gas are spilled there each year by people topping off their tanks? Even if the EPA installed sensors in the area to detect soil and water contamination, how could it prove what came from leaking tanks and what came from people's cars?

The cost of putting in new tanks can be a high as $200,000. Most places don't have that kind of money laying around. The city of Los Angeles has spent $30.8 million since 1988 and still is not ready to meet the current standards.

There are many small country towns that have only one gas station. The stations cannot afford to buy new tanks. The fuel companies will not fill their tanks due to the threat of EPA fines. The residents of these towns must now drive 20 to 40 miles and back to get to the nearest compliant station.

If the president is not too busy, can he issue an executive order to put this on hold until the middle of 2000? Even if they are not in EPA compliance, facilities for police stations, National Guard armories, phone companies, hospitals, radio and TV stations, water and sewers must be ready to work.

- Woodrow J. Hughes

Northridge

Impeachment trial

I think our senators should earn $5 a day during President Clinton's trial, if there is a trial, because that's what a person doing jury duty in California earns.

- Marjorie Eisenberg

West Hills

Multiple births

Anyone want to try for nine babies? This is like having litters. It's no miracle either. The woman was on fertility drugs. It certainly would be a miracle if she conceived them naturally.

- Ms. Marion Winkler 

Sherman Oaks

Educating immigrants

Regarding the Daily News editorial of Dec. 22, ``Davis' challenge,'' on soon-to-be Gov. Gray Davis' campaign promise to fix California's failing public schools:

Davis' campaign promise to make students and teachers accountable is correct, but there is an issue that Davis and most other would-be school fixers have swept under the carpet: immigration, both legal and illegal.

Due to a record number of immigrant arrivals, a significant percentage of students in California's public schools are older immigrant children who arrived in California.

For reasons of privacy protection, all California kindergarten through 12th grade public schools have a ``don't ask, don't tell'' policy regarding the backgrounds of immigrant students. Students are not required to produce transcripts from the schools of their native countries.

Students are not even given official written assessment tests in their native languages to determine where they stand academically. Such a test for some students, who may be below average or illiterate, would defeat California school districts' policy not to damage the children's self-esteem or embarrass the older children by placing them with younger children in a lower grade. Older immigrant children are simply placed in grades that correspond to their age without regard to their academic ability.

Furthermore, California law does not permit children to be held back more than one semester - there isn't even enough classroom space to hold children back at all. Consequently, children who entered CalifornCia schools at an older age end up being socially promoted.

A significant number of immigrant children graduate from high school nearly illiterate. Those that go on to college require remedial learning to attempt to make up for what they didn't learn in K-12 public schools.

It is unlikely that Davis will be willing to buck the education community, his biggest campaign supporter and financial contributor, which is opposed to changing the status quo. It is unlikely that Davis will be able to keep his promise.

- Hal Netkin

Van Nuys

Interchange idea

Regarding the 101-405 interchange problem:

I would like to propose using the basic engineering principles of statistical process control. SPC is widely used in manufacturing to attempt to achieve a ``zero defect'' product, as in today's automobiles, cruise missiles, computers, etc.

Simply stated, all variables of a given process or product are monitored over time; data are collected and the mean or optimum average result is calculated based on this data. All the data are then analyzed along with each variable, and adjustments are made accordingly.

As far as the 101-405 traffic flow is concerned, the data show that it consistently breaks down every day at certain times. Therefore, I propose the following experiment:

Immediately classify it as a construction zone to allow for a reduction in the speed limit on the freeways that feed the interchange.

Enforce the speed limits by using laws doubling fines in construction zones.

The interchange should be thought of as a water line, or maybe a sewer line, that breaks every day. So, slow the flow until the pipe can handle the load.

- Matt Landry

Oak Park