PUBLIC FORUM.

Vote of the people

Re ``Mayor loses in court'' (Dec. 22):

It's no surprise that the judge ruled the mayor's LAUSD bill unconstitutional. Sen. George Runner and I warned of that likelihood from the beginning. The mayor's bill is not only unconstitutional but was negotiated as a patchwork of back-room political compromises with special interest groups that would have led to ambiguity and no real responsibility or accountability for reform of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

With a dropout rate of 50 percent, a bloated bureaucracy, and headed for bankruptcy because of $10 billion of unfunded retiree health care costs, it is long past time for real reform of LAUSD. A vote of the people for smaller districts with local control, with more input from parents, teachers, and the community, and true accountability are what's needed to bring real education reform to our schools and to our children.

-- Keith Richman

Former assemblyman

38th District

Ethnic majors

Re ``CSUN seeks ethnic major'' (Dec. 18):

Do these students want to take these ``feel-good'' classes for sentimental reasons or to prepare for a better job? These specialized classes would be good as electives or even a minor. I always thought going to college was primarily to prepare oneself for getting a better job in today's world.

-- Joy Stovall

Woodland Hills

I am going next time

I work for the United States Postal Service in Newhall. The post offices all over the nation supply casket flags for deceased veterans. About twice a week, a funeral director comes by for the flags. Most of the veterans we are losing are from the World War II era. The WWII warriors saved us.

The next time the man in black shows up at the post office, I am going to attend the funeral of the WWII veteran. If someone should ask me what my business is there, ``Being here, standing tall and saying `thank you' as he or she goes home to a fellow veteran who saved these United States'' will be my answer.

-- Eddie Butler

Green Valley

Just a myth

Re ``Smokers' wrongs'' (Your Opinions, Dec. 17):

If the letter writer can smell tobacco smoke while walking on the street, he must have a nose like a bloodhound. As for his comment that ``many nonsmokers are even bothered by smokers in cars ahead on the road,'' there must be no odor from the carbon dioxide (which will kill you faster than tobacco smoke) that is being emitted by the cars ahead of him.

This whole secondhand-smoke paranoia is a myth put out by the nonsmokers. As a child in the mid-'30s, both my parents smoked cheap, unfiltered cigarettes in the house, outside and at the workplace. I appear to have survived, as I am now 75 years of age and my doctor tells me I'm 100 percent fit.

-- Alan Falconer

Northridge

O.J. and the glove

I was watching Larry King a couple of weeks ago and he showed a clip of O.J. (Simpson) trying on the gloves.

``If the gloves don't fit, you must acquit.'' I wonder if any of the jurors ever tried putting on unlined leather gloves over surgical plastic gloves. Johnny Cochran (rest his soul) was a very clever attorney. I hope that he got his fee before he passed away.

-- Lenore Treister

Westlake Village

Military holidays

Re ``Not at home for the holidays'' (U Section, Dec. 21):

I was very moved by the cover photo on the U section for Dec. 21. It broke my heart and made me cry to see the young boy trying to be brave, just as his father was trying to be brave. May God bless their family and bring his father home safely ... and soon.

-- Kathy Lents

Acton

Customer service

I don't know how corporate America saves money using offshore customer service representatives. It takes 10 times longer to get one question answered. If your question requires more than one answer, forget it.

Call back later when those frayed nerves have settled.

-- Alice Beener

Pacoima