Living in the Lap Dance of Luxury

Re “Council Repeals Its Ban on Lap Dances,” Nov. 22: After the L.A. City Council rescinded the ban on lap dancing, Jay Handal, president of the West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, remarked, “This is a sad day for the people in Los Angeles. Special interests have won.” I don’t know who you’ve been speaking to, sir, but every person I’ve spoken to was very delighted that the City Council displayed rare common sense and did not allow a few gadfly NIMBYs on the Westside to impose their morality on the rest of us (consenting) adults in the city. Thank you, City Council.

Juan M. Luquin

Los Angeles

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Servicemen dying overseas, cops dying on the streets of L.A., and we are worried about lap dances? How about keeping the VIP rooms but levying a 50% state tax on their use. That could be one way to soften the state budget deficit. Better yet, legalize and regulate the whole industry and we could be flush with cash for years to come. It’s not like this industry will ever go away, so why not embrace it?

Mark Storhaug

Pacific Palisades