California’s Future

There was much truth in Richard Rodriquez’s beautifully written piece on competing visions of California (“The Dragon in the Dream Factory--the Native Born,” Opinion, Dec. 30), contrasting the memories and expectations of newcomers to California and those who have been here for generations. But I do not think he need be so pessimistic about the future and our ability to work together.

Change is always with us, and nowhere more so than California. But merely because there is no return to the California of yesterday does not mean the California of tomorrow will be worse. Our state’s rapid growth offers all Californians both opportunities and pitfalls as we build a society and an economy for the 21st Century. It is up to us to make the future.

I have been charged by Gov. Wilson to lead an Administration-wide effort to address growth and growth management issues for California. The governor shares a vision of a California that works, a dynamic state that offers opportunity and a good quality of life to native born and newcomers alike. We can and will work to make that vision a reality.

RICHARD P. SYBERT, Governor’s Director of Planning and Research, Sacramento