PUBLIC FORUM FREEWAY WIDENING.

Re ``Hundreds protest 101-widening plan'' (May 13):

Shortly after World War II, in order to help the San Fernando Valley develop from an agricultural area to a residential community, the California Department of Transportation planned a freeway through the Cahuenga Pass all the way to Woodland Hills. Many homes along the path of the Ventura Freeway were relocated while others were demolished. The planners did not see far enough ahead to know that being 20 yards from the freeway was too close for a single-family home.

Today, many of these freeway-hugging homes are in poor shape and not resalable. The projected widening of the 101 may address two issues - helpful to the traffic load and to removal of homes too close to the freeway for health, safety and eventual resale. With the proposed widening project in the spotlight, such homes basically have only land value to Caltrans.

- Sol Taylor

Sherman Oaks

Quick fix

A quick traffic idea to ease congestion on the 101 Freeway through the Valley: Build more parking for the Redline underground subway that runs from North Hollywood to downtown. Most Valley residents catch the subway either at the North Hollywood or Universal stations. However, riders are limited by the lack of parking.

There are three lots - 1,000 parking spaces - in North Hollywood. All are flat lots - no structures - and they're all full by 8 a.m. And in July, some of the lots will be demolished to construct office buildings. No kidding. Traffic will get worse since fewer folks can use the subway. If parking structures were built, subway use would increase. For funding, the city should sell advertising on the subway, as is done on the buses.

- Kellie Moore

Encino

No role model

Re ``Sinatra taught us all how to be men'' (May 15):

With all deference to Dennis McCarthy, Frank Sinatra did not teach us to be men. He was an arrogant, self-centered, womanizing, cigarette-smoking, street-brawling, alcohol-abusing jerk who got his start only because he had Mafia connections.

Yes, he chose some good songs to sing. But, like most entertainers, he was anything but a role model. Real men are at home by 2 a.m., sober.

- Bill Hamburg

Woodland Hills

Up in smoke

So now they want to spend even more of the public's money on that dangerous Belmont site and, along with and beside it, a park where high school students will smoke and deal in drugs before and after school. Hmmm. Not a good idea. Why not leave Belmont alone and make up the wasted cost of it to the taxpayers of Los Angeles by lowering property taxes?

- Ronald Rushton

North Hollywood

Miscikowski responds

``Neighborhood neglect'' (Editorial, May 14) mischaracterizes my role in nursing the establishment of a forum for community input into the reorganization of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp.

While my original proposal did call for the creation of a task force, I am willing to support for now the effort already under way at the EIDC, under the able leadership of Keith Comrie, to solicit community input into the process. Whether the process created by the committee will accomplish the goals of my proposal is yet to be determined. If substantive community proposals emerge from these meetings and neighborhoods feel they have had an opportunity to participate meaningfully, it will have been successful. If this course of action outlined by the committee does not provide a forum for substantive neighborhood council and community input into the restructuring of the EIDC, I will not hesitate to ask the committee to reinstate my original proposal.

I will not support any revised contract between the city of Los Angeles and the EIDC unless it includes meaningful neighborhood inclusion in the governance and structure of the EIDC.

- Cindy Miscikowski 

Councilwoman

Los Angeles

More property taxes

On May 20 we will be asked once again to empty our pockets for an additional $980 million for more community college funding. Only the property owners will be taxed. No one else. Let me say just one thing: Remember Belmont. Where are the Howard Jarvis group people when you need them?

- Jack Wollard

Sunland

Your new friends

Re ``The alienable right'' (Their Opinions, May 9):

I remember voting for Jayne Shapiro when she ran for the state Assembly. One can only wonder what happened in Shapiro's life that caused her to announce so boldly and publicly that she can no longer abide by the standards of the Republican Party.

Well, whatever her reasons, I applaud her for doing the honorable thing by leaving the Republican Party and getting out of the way. I'm sure she'll be more comfortable with her newfound, less-judgmental friends, the Democrats.

- Richard Westfall

West Hills

Tax-cut madness

Bush tax-cut advocates base their arguments on the success of the JFK tax cut of 1961. At that time, however, consumer confidence was at an all-time high, and our economy was soaring. People felt so secure they went out and spent their windfall, and more, usually before they received it. The government actually made a profit that year.

With our depressed economy and rising unemployment, our people are not about to view a feeble tax cut as a reason to go out and stimulate the economy. And the wealthy will do the same as they did when they received their 40 percent in 1981. We only have to look at the horrible depression of 1981, after that tax cut, to know where another tax cut will take us.

- Fred Coble 

North Hills

What the left wants

Re ``Keeping judges near the middle'' (Their Opinions, May 13):

``Near the middle'' has nothing to do with what the left wants in a judge. In case no one else has noticed, a pro-abortion stance is all that is required for Democrats to support judicial nominees.

Am I the only citizen of these United States who is disturbed that all elections and all appointments come down to the issue of abortion? Only fools support this outrage. Apparently, we have a good supply of fools.

- Patrick Weir

Chatsworth

Government reliance

Re ``President's tax cut'' (Your Opinions, May 14):

Gary Davis writes that the president's tax cut won't help the average person. What is ``average''? I consider myself average, and the tax cut will help me a lot. Why should I, and every other taxpayer, have to pay for millions of other people's health care in the first place? When will people learn to take responsibility for themselves and stop relying on the government?

We need the federal tax cut so we can afford to pay the new and outrageous increases in state taxes that our incompetent governor, Gray Davis, and his Democrat cronies are going to hit us with when they try to shore up their $35 billion deficit.

- Mike Weimer

Valencia

There is a difference

Re ``Illegal entry'' (Your Opinions, May 11):

Morris Schorr misses the most important phrase: ``illegal immigrants.'' I learned back in grade school in the 1930s what an immigrant is. There is a difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien. All the people of the world want a better life; however, my country has laws, which you seem to take with a grain of salt.

It's too bad there are people out there who have no regard for our laws. America has enough crony elected representatives who think and believe like you. This is the main reason California is having its deficit problem.

- John Lee

Pacoima