PUBLIC FORUM.

Mayor's vision

Re ``Mayor details plan to make L.A. more business-friendly'' (Oct. 6):

It's such great vision that Mayor Villaraigosa says ``we need to let business do business'' and the ``city needs to do less in the way of regulations and more in the way of cooperating and working with business.''

It would be so much greater for the city's economy and housing if he used the same concept for rental-housing policies. Affordable housing would be preserved, skilled jobs would boom, the tax base would be invigorated. The taxpayers would not be bled $100 million a year for an ``affordable housing trust fund'' or even have to think about a ballot item like Measure H for another billion dollars.

-- Victor N. Viereck

Valley Village

Global enough

Re ``Villaraigosa ready to sell L.A.'' (Oct. 7):

Mayor Villaraigosa states ``We have to be a global city,'' yet he follows that by saying ``This city is home to the second-largest populations of 30 nations of the world and it's growing.'' Isn't that global enough. What is he thinking? Obviously he has his mind on things other than working on our city.

-- Lois Rochetti

West Hills

Unlawful trip

Re ``Villaraigosa ready to sell L.A.'' (Oct. 7):

If Mayor Villaraigosa would take the time to understand the constitutional obligations of his office to the people of California and the United States, perhaps he would reconsider his unlawful trip to China and the Far East.

Under Article I, Sect. 10, it states clearly that ``no state shall enter into any treaty, alliance or confederation ...'' The Constitution, which he has pledged to uphold, also states that ``No state shall without the consent of Congress ... keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, or enter into any agreement or compact with another state or with a foreign power.'' Which Constitution is he looking at, the one from the United States or his own personal agenda?

-- Richard Diradourian

Montrose

Gubernatorial debate

Re ``Angelides fails to gain ground in debate'' (Oct. 8):

The so-called ``debate'' was a complete fiasco. What can one learn from these public displays of attacks on each other? Where were the meaningful answers to the questions posed? All I learned from the display of schoolboy tactics was that I don't like either candidate and I am likely to vote for an independent.

-- Irving Leemon

Porter Ranch

Term limits

Re ``Special interests promote Prop. R'' (Oct. 6):

Big companies are putting large amounts of money in that ``concrete jungle'' -- downtown Los Angeles. It doesn't surprise me that they are bankrolling a campaign that's raised $144,500 so far in support of extending the term limits of the City Council. They don't want to get rid of the fat cats. They have them eating out of their hands. They have them trained and on a leash. As Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Association, said: ``They're looking to protect their investment.'' How true.

When is the San Fernando Valley going to get its share of the city's money? They are going to clean up that concrete jungle and all we will end up with is the homeless that they have no shelter for.

-- Marianne Castro Lawson

Granada Hills

Devil is in the details

Re ``Prop. 90 hammer can't fine-tune law'' (Their Opinions, Oct. 5):

In attacking Prop. 90 relating to the power of eminent domain in California, Bob Scott points out a problem that is all too common with ballot propositions -- they use a cannon when a BB gun would do. Often this is because those behind the proposition use a pretty face to disguise a hidden agenda.

On their face, many propositions and bond issues sound great but the devil is in the details and often they include many provisions that create more problems than they solve such as in Props. 90 and 83 (the so-called ``Jessica's Law'') or in bond issues that include a lot of pork for funding special-interest projects, such as Props. 1B, 1C and 84.

-- Jack Allen

Pacific Palisades 

Cardenas responds

Re ``Time to remember'' (Your Opinions, Oct. 5):

William P. Mouzis' opinion stating my office had not been responsive to his inquiries is inaccurate and misdirected. I have taken a solid stand on alleviating noise at Van Nuys Airport by spearheading the city legislation that supports phasing out all Stage 2 jets. I have clearly supported Part 151 and 160 studies imposing stronger noise controls. The Master Plan had languished for 13 years until I stepped in and did it within the first two years of my term.

Maybe his real frustration should be directed to the FAA. The federal agency needs to implement the phaseout immediately and work more closely with local leaders to improve the residents' quality of life.

-- Tony Cardenas

Councilman, District 6

Bush isn't running

Somebody needs to tell the leaders of the Democratic Party that President Bush is not running for office in the state of California. They seem to be of the opinion that all they have to do to defeat a Republican candidate is to tie him to a president that ``everyone'' dislikes. Many of us are also very tired of being lectured by union spokesmen and -women with strong dislikes and big want lists.

-- Joe Bott 

West Hills

Balanced Bill

Re ``Clinton's birthday gift to Fox'' (Viewpoint, Oct. 8):

A Republican congressman resigns in disgrace after confessing to inappropriate e-mail correspondence with minors (which he vowed to protect from online predators). The speaker of the House was warned by the congressman's own aide about this disgusting behavior years before and did nothing about it.

Right-wing politicians are embroiled in scandal all year and Bill O'Reilly congratulates Chris Wallace on his ``hit job'' on Bill Clinton, asking why he didn't do more to capture Osama bin Laden? Didn't O'Reilly say sometime last week that those in the media need to stop hyperpartisan reporting? Can you say ``hypocrite''? If O'Reilly is really fair and balanced like he wants us all to believe, he would be more judgmental of the conservatives we all know he admires so much.

-- Kyle Laurent

Newhall

Great teachers

Re ``Top educators put young minds first'' (Sept. 30):

I guess that the ``Sweet 16'' results mean that outstanding teachers do not work in LAUSD -- right? It must figure that great teachers will come from communities where the population is middle class or above, where children have the right environment to foster learning, and where college-educated parents get involved and take the time to nominate teachers for awards.

Maybe the true test of a great teacher is the willingness to work in an area where children and parents have limited education and English skills, where parents do not have the time to get involved, where children come to school hungry and wearing the same clothes for days, and where resources are scarce. Outstanding teacher awards are great, but they are not the only measure of success. My hat is off to the hard-working teachers in LAUSD.

-- John Horn

Granada Hills

Felons and bullets

Re ``Study: L.A. felons can buy bullets'' (Oct. 6):

Why is a violent convicted felon on the street anyway? If he were incarcerated, there would be no worry of him buying ammo.

-- Daniel G. Mattera

Thousand Oaks