L.A. Council’s Ethics Bill

After reading the article (Feb. 14) about the decision of the majority of the members of the Los Angeles City Council to include a pay increase of $32,822 in the so-called ethics bill, I realized that there are at least four members of the council, Gloria Molina, Joy Picus, Joan Milke Flores and Marvin Braude, who seem to understand that the voters are not stupid enough to be taken in by such a blatant act of arrogance.

Molina was correct in stating that joining the ethics bill with the pay increase tells voters that “I will be honest if you pay me enough,” because that is exactly what this bill is telling us. The taxpayers are supposed to reward the council members for doing what they were elected to do-- represent their constituents with honesty and integrity.

Frankly, I can’t think of anything special that the council has done to warrant a raise, let alone a $32,822 raise. The air is still too polluted, the beaches are being ruined, the crime rate keeps increasing, too many people are still sleeping on the streets. And if the cost of housing continues to increase there will be many more people living on the streets.

I hope that come June the voters will send the 10 council members who approved the measure a loud and clear message and vote no on it by an overwhelming majority.

DARIA CASE

Van Nuys