Ueberroth and Rebuild L.A.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. There is an unpleasant action that will help ameliorate the current crisis. Many citizens won’t like it but it’s a practical way out of our dilemma.

How can we afford to do the rebuilding? Where will the money come from? Easy. One dollar per gallon tax on gasoline could provide the funds to rebuild the burned structures, to reopen destroyed businesses, to get the dislocated workers employed again, and to increase police protection to ensure that we will not live at the mercy of gangs and thugs.

The funds raised by this dollar-per-gallon tax should be kept out of the hands of politicians. Instead, they should be placed at the discretion of Ueberroth with strict guidelines to ensure the money will only be used for the rebuilding of our city and for the healing of the rifts and wounds caused by recent events.

The cost to the individual taxpayer would not be punitive. A typical driver covers about 10,000 per year and, averaging 20 miles per gallon, buys 500 gallons annually. I’d be delighted to spend $500 over a year to restore Los Angeles to its former glory. Wouldn’t you? And then there would be one wonderful side benefit from the gas tax. The higher cost of fuel would drastically reduce the number of cars on the road. Unnecessary driving would be curtailed. Rush-hour gridlock would be a thing of the past.

BERNARD G. RAMOS

Los Angeles