PUBLIC FORUM POLITICAL MISJUDGMENT.

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski can distance herself all she wants from the comments of her Chief Deputy Lisa Gritzner, but as an experienced chief deputy myself, I know that the comments made by Gritzner weren't just made up. The fact of the matter is that anyone who serves in such a capacity as Gritzner knows that if you do not know the answer to a sticky question, you say so, otherwise you state the position of your boss as you know it to be.

What Gritzner did at the forum the other night was repeat things that she had heard come from the mouth of Miscikowski as some time or other. Such a comment with specific information didn't just develop in her mind at that moment. I know Lisa to be a bright and capable young lady, even if not experienced in the job. Her mistake, at that moment, was a political misjudgment rather than a misstatement.

Anyone who has been following the secession movement knows very well that the councilwoman has been out front and very clear in her attempts to derail or stop secession. The action of council President Alex Padilla to unseat Hal Bernson and appoint Miscikowski was a calculated move to stop secession at any price and save their jobs.

- Greig Smith 

Chief Deputy

Councilman Hal Bernson

Excess real estate

When are the ``brains'' of our Valley secession movement going to wake up? Stop fretting about the trivial. Keep track of what's significant - i.e. our money. The Department of Water and Power has sold off ``excess'' land and property in the Valley and other secession areas such as Hollywood and the Harbor area. Now the DWP office building on Roscoe Boulevard at the 170 Freeway is going to Poly High for $50 million.

Built maybe 10 years ago, and now it's excess? Maybe because it's reportedly loaded with mold. Maybe because that money can be hidden now, and we can go fish for it later when we do secede? We should be asking Hizzonner Hahn and the Boyz Downtown for a full accounting, and justification for all this excess real estate divestment.

- Sharon Wright

Northridge

While you're at it

Now that city officials are ready to dole out $6,801 to correct street signs in Studio City that lack tildes for some titles, perhaps these officials can up the dollars to correct the signs around Lake Balboa as well.

As one strolls around the lake, there are numerous signs in Spanish advising all who read it about ``la agua.'' True, in Spanish agua (water) is a feminine word, but since it begins with the vowel ``a'' and the feminine article for ``the'' is ``la,'' the signs makers should have known that when this is the case, the article to be used is the masculine ``el,'' thus the signs should refer to ``el agua.'' Now, what is the total amount to correct these sign makers' goofs?

- Samuel Kohn

Canoga Park

In their back yard

Your editorial ``NIMBYs in court,'' (Aug. 20) was a bit upsetting. First of all, in Journalism 101, I learned to never use an acronym without first fully describing the term. The initials which form the acronym can be used thereafter. I also learned that redundancies and repetition are unacceptable. In a fairly short editorial - about 400 words or so - I read the term NIMBYs nine times and the expression ``legal and litigious'' was mentioned six times. I'm not positive, but I gather that when a writer overuses terms and expressions in this manner, he is ``preaching'' or ``teaching.''

Readers have a right to know what NIMBYs are: ``Not In My Back Yard.'' I'd like to hear the reaction of the Daily News editors if they were personally affected with an intrusion in their back yard. How would they feel if a drug rehabilitation center was going to be built in their back yard? What would they say if a new high school was going up around the corners from their abodes? None of us are NIMBYs until the occasion arises, and no one likes to go fight anyone in court. We become ``legalistic and litigious'' when our inherent rights to peace and tranquillity in our own back yard are trampled upon.

- Eva Yelloz

Sherman Oaks

Later addition

Re ``America's foundation,'' (Public Forum, Aug. 21):

Writer Deborah M. Evans seems to be the one who is confused about the history of the United States. The quote she uses to support her argument about the Founding Fathers' intentions, ``one nation under God,'' comes from the pledge of allegiance, written more than 100 years after our nation was born. Furthermore, the original pledge did not contain the words ``under God.'' Those were added in 1954.

- Paul M. Solomon

Tujunga

City in transition

I believe that the author of the Daily News article ``San Fernando changes course'' (Aug 19) was not forthright in telling the real story of what's happening in small cities like San Fernando that are currently in transition. These days it is difficult to get a 5-0 vote consensus on certain issues. A 3-2 vote now is becoming a fact of life. There are inherent differences among elected officials even if they share common backgrounds. Council members run for public office on different platforms.

I also want to point out that longtime Police Chief Dominick Rivetti and Economic Development Manager Sarah Magana-Withers were not forced to resign from their public posts. Even though she enjoyed the security of civil service, Sarah decided to go into private practice as a consultant. Rivetti's retirement was a great loss to the city. Mayor Cindy Montanez and I tried unsuccessfully to dissuade him from leaving our town. He agonized for a time before the March elections about retiring after 32 years of honorable public service to the citizens of San Fernando. Finally he took the steps to retire and left to work in the District Attorney's Office under his close friend, Steve Cooley. It is not uncommon for police officers, and particularly police chiefs, to retire in their early 50s and then seek other exciting jobs in a different line of police work.

- Jose A. Hernandez

Mayor Pro Tem 

City of San Fernando

She knew

Was Andrea Yates mentally ill? Clearly, yes. Was her husband at fault for getting her pregnant a fifth time, knowing she was depressed and unstable? Yes - that's why he's not blaming her, and he is supporting her.

She should go to a mental health facility for her condition, all the way up to the date of her execution. And on that day, it would be nice if the judge could drag her down to a pool of water - kicking and screaming - to drown - just the way she killed her eldest son when she knew damned well what she was doing.

- Jennifer Morrow

Van Nuys

Not funny

Regarding the Public Forum letters on the Markowitzes' lawsuit:

I must have missed the Marx Brothers film in which a young, innocent boy is kidnapped, drugged, held captive, thrown in a shallow grave and killed execution-style. If that was your son, you would not be laughing.

- Susan Murphy

Panorama City

About atheists

George W. Harris' observation that Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot prove that atheists can be responsible for acts of tyranny is accurate (Public Forum, Aug. 21), though his including Hitler as an atheist is wishful thinking, and one might note that Stalin was a product of religious education.

Perhaps Harris would like to explain a current statistic which reflects on religion and atheism in the here and now. Though nonbelievers make up about 10 percent of the American population, we are only one-tenth of 1 percent of the prison population.

- Bobbie Kirkhart

Co-president, Atheists United

Los Angeles