PUBLIC FORUM DISCOURAGING WORDS.

Let me get this straight. We are trying to encourage our young people to be better people and accomplish a better life. The LAUSD says:

Want to be an engineer? Travel up to 30 miles by bus if you don't live near our engineering school.

Want to be a musician? Either pay for it yourself, or travel to a school that offers the program.

Want to be a cheerleader? Oops, sorry, but we don't offer that anymore either. (``No Cheers next year for Chatsworth High?'' May 22)

In a time when our L.A. young people should be encouraged, supported and assisted in doing the right things (like cheerleading instead of drugs or gangs), the LAUSD again shuts down another program claiming poverty or lack of support. Shame on you teachers and administrators for allowing this to happen as well. It has just been proven again (with the threatened possible disbanding of the Chatsworth High School cheerleading squad), that the LAUSD and its unions don't think or care enough to support activities that are the positive influences in our L.A. young people's lives.

- Ron Kari

Granada Hills

Heartfelt thanks

What with Mayor Richard Riordan's term coming to an end, I would like to take time to thank one of his staff members for being very helpful.

Valarie McCabe is the constituent services representative in Van Nuys at the City Hall building at Erwin Street Mall. She is retiring, unfortunately. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. McCabe when I complained endlessly about the maintenance and care of the Erwin Street Mall City Flag Station, located on Van Nuys Boulevard and Erwin Street.

She contacted me and offered her assistance with the situation and put me in touch with all of the different local government agencies that could come forth with state, county and city flags and replace burned-out lights for the flags. This was our beginning to a long and wonderful eight-year friendship that will go on forever.

She helped me with things like discarded furniture, illegally parked vehicles and major issues regarding Van Nuys. She never said no. Within a reasonable period of time, the problems would be resolved.

Good luck and God bless you, Valarie.

- Joel F. Pawlowski

Van Nuys

We've offered ideas

As Ronald Reagan would say, ``There you go again.'' While we generally applaud your editorial, ``Raiding the LAPD'' (May 20), you have your facts wrong when you write that no one has offered a single substantive proposal for resurrecting the Police Department's morale.

In fact, the Los Angeles Police Protective League has offered numerous ideas and programs to improve officer morale. For example, we have:

--Suggested pension program changes that the union will pay for, which will keep officers on the job longer.

--Volunteered to help with recruitment efforts but have been turned down.

--Advocated changes to South Coast Air Quality Management District rules that undermine the City Council's well-known support for rebuilding the strength and morale of the Los Angeles Police Department.

--Recommended that the city implement compressed work schedules to boost morale and make the department competitive with local police agencies.

--Pushed for reforms to the outdated disciplinary system that will punish serious misconduct severely, minor misconduct or poor judgment appropriately, and which will dismiss frivolous allegations immediately.

The LAPD is losing highly trained, experienced officers to other departments at an alarming rate. At the same time, we are nearly 1,000 officers short of authorized strength because we cannot attract enough qualified new recruits to replace officers who are leaving for other departments and retiring. The fact is that the Los Angeles Police Protective League is the only one that has put forth proposals that attempt to make changes to the LAPD to make it a more appealing place to work.

- Board of Directors

Los Angeles Police Protective League

- Mitzi Grasso

president

More outrage

I was rather amused by the suggestion in Sunday's paper that the solution to high prices is more government price control. Ron Rupocinski (``Where's the outrage?'' Public Forum, May 20) uses the state-regulated price of milk to support his argument. Friday, I purchased a gallon of milk at Vons for $4.88. The same day I purchased a gallon of premium gasoline for $2.12. When the state-regulated price for a gallon of milk is more than twice the price of a gallon of gasoline then my analysis concludes that letting nit-wit politicians get involved in anything is a guaranteed path to disaster.

- D.S. Jenkins

Tarzana

Economics 101

Are gas prices really higher? Every summer we hear the same story. Gas prices spike and the media whips the public into a frenzy. While I am certainly not oblivious to the recent rise in prices, I am also aware that this is not unheard of.

We, the public, generally have very short memories, does anyone recall how much gas was five years ago? 10 years ago? 25 years ago? Was the price of a gallon less than $2 back then? For the most part, yes. However, one must take into consideration that prices do go up. While I sympathize with those on fixed incomes, I cannot ignore the fact that the vast majority of workers' wages increase over time. Prices go up, wages go up. In relation to the Consumer Price Index, gas prices are far cheaper now than 25 years ago, even cheaper than 10 years ago.

The price of gas will continue to rise and fall, but with an overall upward trend. This is just Economics 101 in a free-market.

- Daniel C. Zimmer

Lancaster

Hard choices

It's time to make a hard choice. We need energy. We don't want to keep burning things - that ruins the air. A nuclear disaster is forever, but nuclear power generation technology has greatly improved. A large nuclear power plant could and should be built just west of the Nevada border, across from the landscape already ruined forever by bomb testing. We have new technology, including sodium cooling, metallic rods and multiple cable-spreading rooms that should avert any possible catastrophe.

- William O. West

Winnetka

In the dark

President Bush's energy plan for California can be commonly referred to as the ``Domino Effect.''

Gas prices soar. The cost of food and supplies rises. Luxuries become unaffordable, and companies go out of business. Unemployment rises. The little guy gets knocked down.

Meanwhile, Bush and his cronies get richer, while we (being in California) get left in the dark.

- Evvy Ross

Chatsworth

Don't destroy community

In regards to the article highlighting the fight to keep Chatsworth a rural community by Staff Writer Bhavna Mistry (``Horse keepers rally to oppose proposal,'' May 21):

As a resident of Chatsworth, as well as a horse owner, I would absolutely hate to see homes built on the corner of Topanga and Chatsworth. This is a family- and animal-oriented community that is so charming that even the local Ralphs on Devonshire carries giant-size bags of carrots for horse owners.

In addition, the park at the end of Devonshire is an exciting mix of people riding horses, dog walkers and sports enthusiasts.

This is one of the last sleepy communities in the San Fernando Valley. What with crime-ridden Canoga Park just down the street and overcrowding everywhere else why would City Councilman Hal Bernson want to change things? Obviously, money. Basically, that is all it boils down to.

So what will happen to this nice equine community? More people, more congestion, more crime, no horses, no rural tranquillity - that's what!

Let's hope this is one fight the the Land Preservation Association wins. Furthermore, I highly encourage people not to vote for Bernson in the future.

- Laura Frantzen

Chatsworth