PUBLIC FORUM IT'S SAD.

On Tuesday I worked on the election for Burbank. All we had on our ballot to vote for was a college board member. We had 94 people vote out of more than 2,000.

A large number that came in thought they could vote for the L.A. mayor. One person came in from the city of Glendale (there was no election in Glendale) because the polls were closed where she normally would vote, wanting to know where she could go to vote for the L.A. mayor. And we wonder why our country is in bad shape.

- Don Gustafson

Burbank

Election results

It's hard to draw conclusions about the recent election because of the low voter turnout. An overwhelming number of voters decided not to go to the polls. Consequently the election was decided by activists. To say that the city has now turned left is incorrect - L.A. turned left after Sam Yorty's term as mayor. Both Tom Bradley and Dick Riordan governed from the left.

What is most interesting, however, is that Tom Hayden, Mike Feuer and Mike Woo, who are old-time politicians with track records, were rejected. This shows that even the activists are still searching for better politicians. A number of new faces will now take office on the City Council. I am hopeful that they will provide better government than the old bunch.

- Sion Colvin

Woodland Hills

Outrageous award

Re ``Smoker to get billions,'' (June 7):

While there is no amount of money which can compensate for dying of cancer, Richard Boeken was awarded this outrageous amount of money for being stupid enough to continue to smoke in the face of all of the evidence. Are those of us who were smart enough not to smoke in the face of it entitled to some of it?

- Ron Presson

North Hollywood

Why we give up

Does your city work for you? At 5:30 a.m. on June 7, I found a dead deer in the street at Wentworth Street and Foothill Boulevard in Sunland. I called the police dispatcher at 787-1122 and was put on hold with a message for the hearing impaired, then a message in Spanish, then ``All our operators are busy.''

Busy? At 5:30 a.m.? I gave up until at 8 a.m. I called the number in the book for dead animals in the West Valley. The number was no longer in use. I then called 1-800-773-2489. After punching in several numbers , the message said they were sorry, all lines are full. Do you wonder sometimes why we give up on city services? I don't.

- John Bunte

Sunland

If Lakers lose

Excuse me - did anyone really expect a four-game sweep of the 76ers? My question is what will happen if the unthinkable happens and they beat the Lakers - do we look to expect worse than what happened when they won the championship? I look forward to another championship team, but I worry about how people in this city celebrate without restraint.

- Jim Avery 

Burbank

Good question

Regarding the California School Employees Association pay raises (CSEA, district reach accord,'' June 7), all other employees received retroactive raises to last year, even the window washer and the guy who cuts the lawn. But not the CSEA people.

My question is this: Why everyone else and not CSEA employees? They are the backbone of the school system. They answer the phones, they baby sit the misbehaving students, they wipe their runny noses - all sorts of small things. If you know someone who is a member of CSEA, you would know why.

- William Maguire

Reseda

Something less

President Bush refuses to apply reasonable electricity wholesale price controls to California, yet invokes the anti-dumping federal price control mechanism for the steel industry in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. His partisans openly admit the reason why: he can't carry California at the polls, so he writes the entire state off, including its many independent and Republican voters. But he carried West Virginia narrowly, and lost Pennsylvania narrowly, so those voters are important to him.

Besides his obvious hypocrisy as far as ``free market'' philosophy, note that our dysfunctional, winner-take-all on a state-by-state basis (electoral system) has produced a chief executive of something less than the whole United States.

- Martin Kotowski

Sherman Oaks

What about San Diego

President Bush is not going to help us poor Californians in our latest power shortages. Our Gov. Gray Davis did not know that this was going to happen. So blame it on the president. What a great solution.

So tell me, what about San Diego last summer, when power costs sky rocketed? Did Gov. Davis ask President Bush - sorry, last year it was President Clinton - for help? No, he just sat on his behind and let the utilities raise their prices. So who is the blame for our present problem - need I spell it out? Our own governor.

- J. Nicassio

Valencia

Words or deeds

The defection of Sen. James Jeffords and the resultant shift of chair positions in the Senate have put the Democrats squarely in a ``be careful what you wish for'' position. No longer can they be content to demagogue issues such as education, energy and Social Security reform - all abject failures under eight years of Clinton/Gore. They will actually have to produce results, and in a true spirit of bipartisanship that Bush has been trying to foster.

Well, will it be words or deeds? I'm honestly keeping my fingers crossed for a win-win from both parties for America. Is there at least one Democrat out there who contributes to this forum who can see the potential positive that can come out of this redistribution of power sharing?

- Roger Olsen

Burbank

Doesn't work

Los Angeles Unified School District leadership is an oxymoron.

- Carolyn Whitehead

Canyon Country

So little gained

The MTA Transit Corridor Report presents basically two busway alternatives. The first alternative, the Bus Rapid Transit plan, has several variations, i.e., Chandler Boulevard or Oxnard Street. Either route will displace upwards of 40 businesses, two religious facilities and numerous parcels outside of the MTA right-of-way. The cost would be around $300 million.

The other alternative, Transportation System Management, would expand and enhance the Rapid Bus Program. Major capital expenditures would not be required. Bus time across Valley streets would be reduced by up to 50 percent. Do we really want to disrupt and divide the Valley community with an expensive busway development plan with so little gain?

- Phillip L. Carter

Encino

Missing Joel

The departure of Councilman Joel Wachs from the Los Angeles political scene will create a tremendous void in our community. He has long been the voice of the people at City Hall. He consistently criticized reckless spending decisions made by the City Council and didn't shy away from voicing those opinions in public, which often resulted in strained relations with other elected officials. He has been our fiscal watchdog - and that is a good thing!

He was proud of his reputation as a fiscal conservative and we have been proud to call him ``our council person'' for many, many years. To Joel's credit, he never forgot who he represented. He and his very capable staff were always there to help and support us whenever needed. We'll miss you, Joel, and wish you well.

- Don and Prudy Schultz

Van Nuys

Government intrusion

The PGA, a private group of golfers, made a rule that their members walk the course rather than use golf carts in which to ride. The club, so as to permit all to play under the same rules, forbade one of their members, who had a physical ailment, from riding around the course rather than walking, as all the other members do.

The ailing member took the case to court and the Supreme Court overruled what the golf club decided as to its private rules and said that the one member may ride. This is another case of a God-like part of our government telling its citizens how they should live and act.

- Chuck Frazier

Glendale