PUBLIC FORUM QUALIFICATIONS.

I read in the Feb. 24 Daily News that Gov. Gray Davis has arranged for former Assemblyman Richard Katz (term limited) to keep his snout in the public trough by appointing him to the state Water Resources Control Board at a yearly salary of $109,799.

I'm wondering what Richard Katz's chemical background is in education, training and work experience that qualifies him as a SWRC board member, who supposedly work to ensure the quality of our state's water resources. I now have a better understanding of what is meant by ``pork barrel'' politics.

- Everett P. Harrington

Glendale

In harm's way

The collision between the submarine and the Japanese fishing boat was a tragedy and I can understand why it is necessary to have an official investigation.

This does, however, raise a question in my mind: If the Japanese government is correct in saying this was a training vessel for fishermen then why was it training the fishermen 10 miles off the entrance to Pearl Harbor?

- Jack Rogo

North Hollywood

Runaway production

Re ``Film expo promotes locations'' (Business, Feb. 24):

I hope the incentives the industry receives can prevent $10 ticket prices. Or am I being naive in thinking the price reflects the cost? Every other day, the Daily News publishes a story about the threatened strike. Los Angeles dreads the strike because of the effect it would have on the local economy.

Why should we give tax breaks to an industry that already is an 800-pound gorilla? Runaway production is a way for Los Angeles to trim its dependence on one industry. As for the producer whom I paraphrase: ``Give me an incentive to stay in town and be with my children.'' My children are my incentive, that's a family value.

- Douglas C. Kubler

Thousand Oaks

It's an outrage

I am in awe. Gov. Gray Davis' actions to date are beyond contempt. First he compounds the deregulation fiasco by throwing billions of dollars at Pacific Gas & Electric by buying the transmission lines at 2.3 times their value to bail them out of bankruptcy. The price of maintaining them, it is said, could reach another $20 billion.

Now he is refunding money as meager rebates at a cost of $45 million above the actual total of the rebates themselves. He could return these funds in the form of reductions in future fees eliminating the $45 million. Ignorance, incompetence or contempt. Call it what you may. It's an outrage.

- Bill Maez

Northridge

Civics lesson

After reading ``Students protest name change idea'' Feb. 22, I thought about whether the renaming of my high school in Jacksonville, Fla., would have caused a walkout. I hope not. When I grew up in Jacksonville in the 1950s there were only two African-Americans in Congress (William Dawson of Chicago and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. of New York City).

They were my de facto congressmen. My classmates and I knew their names. My parents and at least some of their friends knew who they were. My African-American high school in segregated Jacksonville had a class called civics and we read the newspapers. I am sure the preachers mentioned Dawson and Powell from time to time because they were indeed our ``congressmen.'' Once again our parents and teachers have failed us.

- Maureen H. Williams

Sylmar

LAPD politics

LAPD is losing people, morale is low, and crime has risen for one very simple reason: Politics. Before the citizens of Los Angeles were duped into voting the chief out of civil service, morale was higher, and crime was more under control. But we had a chief whom politicians and special-interest groups couldn't control. All he had to do was be honest, be fair and control crime.

Since the politicians took command, we've had two puppet police chiefs - one completely incompetent and the other apparently a tyrannical martinet who makes the officers' lives miserable. The politicians have ruined what was once a model Police Department.

- Richard F. Westfall

West Hills

Humans, not animals

On Feb. 18, the Daily News had a fine front page article about more and more people needing shelter and food due to layoffs and other factors. Not even a week later, on the front page, which took more space than the FBI agent who was a spy for Moscow, there is an article talking about West Hollywood changing its pet ordinances to read ``pet guardian'' instead of ``pet owner.''

It is amazing how people care far more about their animals than human beings. I don't fault the Daily News. They just report what is out there, but for once I would like to see more reporting on the organizations who try to help people keep from being homeless and help the homeless get off the street.

- Maxine Flam

North Hollywood

Traffic cameras

Re ``Take a picture'' (Public Forum, Feb. 23):

Great defense for the ``human'' picture taker. In defense of the automatic picture taker, it came to mind that with an automatic camera you wouldn't have to worry about the picture shooter yawning, walking just 20 feet that a way for a cup of Starbucks coffee, looking at the hot guys driving those hot cars (that is, if the photographer is a female) or having to be a witness for some half-wit that decided to run the red light or make an illegal left turn.

What a shame we have to be policed like this.

- Michael Howell

Woodland Hills

Romer and the budget

I wonder if any cuts in the LAUSD budget (``Romer defends LAUSD cuts,'' Feb. 23) would have had to have been made if: The LAUSD had not bungled the building of the new Belmont Learning Center; or if the LAUSD had not created new minidistricts and spent millions of dollars leasing office space for them and then lavishly furnishing them.

Or if the district had not doubled the number of administrators it had to hire to fill the offices of these minidistricts. No, it's not the teachers that have forced Roy Romer to slash the budget, they have been the victims of poor LAUSD planning, as have the students of this district.

- Ed LeVine

Chatsworth

Fear and loathing 

Re ``Cause and effect'' by Lester D. Parker (Public Forum, Feb. 18):

I cannot believe how you blame immigrants in general for all the woes that this part of the state is going through. You don't mask your loathing of immigrants, legal and otherwise.

If you are not a Native American, then your forefathers must have been immigrants too and I hope they didn't have to suffer from diatribes from people like you.

- Boysie Cabrera

Panorama City

Appalled

I was appalled to hear President Bush say he would like to see an orderly and safe ``migration'' of Mexican citizens to the United States. Let me see if I understand him correctly: Migration is the movement of a population from one region to another within its borders.

Invasion is the movement of a population across its borders into a neighboring country. It seems to me Bush is approving the invasion of the United States by a foreign nation. What happened to visas to enter a country? Would any other nation allow this to happen? Would Mexico allow Guatemala to ``migrate'' into Mexico?

- Haydee Pavia

West Hills