Pierce College

The fact that 240 acres of Pierce College farmland has been deliberately underutilized for many years reveals a profound lack of responsibility and of fiscal wisdom on the part of the L.A. Community College District Board of Trustees (Jan. 28, 31).

For many years the farm could have been providing a dependable steady source of income to the college, plus endless learning opportunities for the students.

Instead of lucrative programs, trustees have diligently worked on policies of neglect. The once popular, money-making student store was abruptly closed after Prop. 13, and later efforts to revive it were a failure. The flock of egg-laying chickens was allowed to die.

Yet successful projects abound. The vets’ garden in West L.A. markets gourmet herbs and veggies to top restaurants. Long Beach State runs a busy wedding schedule in a beautiful setting on campus. Florist shops are thriving.

Forget all the creative ideas submitted to the trustees. They have long plotted to sell or lease this land. The dollars they get from their scheme will go swooping into the bottomless black hole of their downtown bureaucracy. And shortly they’ll run out of funds again, while the farmland can be productive forever, an example to the world of an urban beauty spot.

RUTH LORING

Calabasas