Letters: California’s replacement legislators

Re “Leave it to the pros,” Opinion, Sept. 30

The NFL’s officiating problems highlight the value of professional referees. The media and the public were severe in their criticism of the NFL for its failure to ensure effective officiating.

Rebecca Givan identifies other areas where professionals have been under attack by their employers. She forgot California legislators.

Voters’ insistence on having term limits has resulted in today’s less-than-professional lawmakers in Sacramento. Their collective inexperience has contributed to the mess we now have.

Don’t buy this? Do you really think it is more important and difficult to call a game correctly than to make the legislative calls for a state like California?

Gino LaMarca

Ridgecrest

Re “The lockout report,” Opinion, Sept. 30

Robert Zaretsky, who humorously suggested that the California State University system might lock out its humanities professors, is a bit out of touch. Many tenure-track Cal State professors have been, in effect, locked out: that is, they’ve been replaced by low-wage, no-benefits, part-time instructors who, however well prepared they may be, are often working several similar jobs and cannot devote themselves fully to their students.

There are consequences to California’s youth for the shortsighted, union-busting mentality that drives decisions these days, and among those are not just a bad touchdown call.

Martin S. Fiebert

Long Beach

The writer is a professor of psychology at Cal State Long Beach.

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