PUBLIC FORUM.

Trans fat police

Re ``Trans fat city: Now L.A. officials want to tell people what to eat'' (Our Opinions, Dec. 10):

It's obvious that at least two city councilmen, Tom LaBonge and Jose Huizar, know that every problem in Los Angeles has been conquered. Crime has disappeared. The gangs have been dispersed, and all the members have become cops and professionals. Traffic flow is optimal. Every student gets straight-A grades.

It must be true, or council members would not be wasting valuable time and resources studying the elimination of trans fats from restaurant menus. As committee chairman of the Knock-It-Off Society, I say enough already! We can be our own ``fat police.'' We don't need the crowd that supposedly knows better than we do what's good for us to tell us how to look out for our own health.

-- Sandy Sand

West Hills

Policing themselves

Re ``Inmate death reviews delayed'' (Dec. 7):

When there is a police or Sheriff's Department probe on one of their own, two things almost always happen. First, there can be no information provided or available because there is the proverbial ``ongoing investigation.'' Then, there is no report for months or even years, and, lo and behold, when the report comes out, the powers that be have written their own rules that say sorry, too late to do anything about it because the statute of limitations ran out.

So the offender walks. Unfortunately, the officer has to go back to work from his paid vacation called suspension. There should be no free pass to police breaking the rules and no time limits on the ``investigation.'' Change the rule that has created this loophole.

-- Bob Driscoll

Woodland Hills

Bad publicity

Re ``Officer arrested in assault on restrained teen'' (Dec. 8):

Thanks to the Daily News' series on Officer Kristina Ripatti, who was paralyzed after being shot chasing a felony suspect, people know we have very courageous Los Angeles Police Department officers who risk their lives protecting and serving the communities they patrol. Chief William Bratton should be applauded for his efforts in bringing transparency and accountability to the LAPD.

It's unfortunate the officer who assaulted the teen will get more publicity than the LAPD officers who do a great job in our city.

-- Monica Harmon

Los Angeles

Those who can, read

Re ``Who we are'' (Dec. 8):

According to the numbers found on the list of ``highlights,'' what we in the Valley aren't is educated, with only 20.9 percent completing high school. Even at that, we're only 0.3 percent ahead of the rest of Los Angeles. That's sad.

-- Arnie Moore

Sherman Oaks

Owens apology

Re ``Owens apology just doesn't hold water'' (Their Opinions, Dec. 8):

As a former assistant city attorney, I worked on some of the Department of Water and Power's water-rights litigation. First, the Owens Valley dust problem long predated the city's aqueduct, being reported in Inyo newspapers as far back as the 1870s. Indeed, in 1904 the Inyo Register predicted that the Owens Lake would be a memory in 15 years. That was before L.A. started to acquire the land and water rights.

Second, regarding Manzanar, the U.S. government in World War II commandeered the land from the city. Once returned to the city, it belonged to the ratepayers.

Noble as a cause may be, city fathers cannot legally just make a gift of city property. Had Ralph E. Shaffer been a DWP board member, like the three environmentalists he so easily criticizes, he would have a much better understanding of the facts, law and complexity of the issues involved.

-- David J. Oliphant

Granada Hills

A bad cycle

Re ``Iraq Study Groupthink'' (Viewpoint, Dec. 10):

Now that George W. Bush's goals in Iraq have been dumbed down once again to the idea of a country that can govern, sustain and defend itself, we have to ask ourselves: Isn't that what Iraq was before we invaded?

-- Bryan Hays

Saugus

Interest conflict

Regarding the Iraq Study Group's report: It is important to note that James Baker, through his law firm, Baker Botts LLP, represents Saudi Arabia, a major client, and even maintains offices in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Baker Botts is currently defending the Saudis against families of the Sept. 11, 2001, victims in a trillion-dollar lawsuit.

Given the Iraq Study Group's citation of the Israel/Palestine conflict as a cause of the problems in Iraq, and Saudi Arabia's deep, unrelenting hostility toward Israel since the Jewish state was established, doesn't Baker's substantial compensation from the Saudi family constitute a blatant conflict of interest?

-- Rueben Gordon

North Hollywood

Jessica's law

Re ``Jessica's Law triggers mess for state'' (Viewpoint, Dec. 10):

I applaud the Daily News for printing the opinion piece written by Betty Schneider in spite of the fact you were staunch supporters of Proposition 83. Schneider is a major advocate for victims of sexual crimes as well as a victim herself, and she is vehemently opposed to Proposition 83.

It is refreshing to see that there are even victims out there who realize rehabilitation, not a lifetime of punishment, is the answer to the problem. Betty Schneider, thank you for having the guts to take this unpopular stand in writing. There is still hope for the hysteria to die and reason to live on.

-- Leah N. Simon

Reseda

Redistricting 

Re ``Don't believe Nunez wants redistricting'' (Viewpoint, Dec. 10):

The Schwarzenegger plan is a better plan with an independent commission and local officials calling the shots, and redistricting is badly needed. Where I disagree with Earl Ofari Hutchinson is in his concern that minorities might be under-represented on the 11-member commission. It's another case of race being a determining factor in a nonracial issue.

If the redistricting is fairly done in a reasonable geographic breakdown by the number of people in a district, whatever races live in that district will be included. In some districts, there may be more blacks as a percentage because of the makeup of the people in the district. To say that redistricting cannot be done fairly without having all races represented proportionally on the commission buys into the notion that people can't be trusted to be fair unless they are members of a particular race.

-- Gary Aminoff

President

San Fernando Valley Republican Club

The real reason

Re ``Princess Diana driver was drunk'' (Dec. 10):

Get a clue, folks. Whether her driver was drunk or not, the plain and simple reason Princess Diana died -- the same reason many others have died -- is that she was not wearing her seat belt.

-- Greg Meyer

Glendale

Desperate times ...

As things become even more dire for the president, the right-wing radio spinners -- Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity, Prager, Elder and others -- have become even more desperate in their rantings and ravings.

-- Hal Rothberg

Calabasas

Seriously?

Re the obituary of Jeane Kirkpatrick -- wife, mother, United Nations ambassador and adviser to presidents, one of the most extraordinary American women who has ever lived -- on Page 18 of the Los Angeles Daily News on Saturday, Dec. 9, and the story about Tori Spelling's garage sale on the front page of the same edition:

And you want us to take you seriously?

-- Pauli Carnes

Woodland Hills