Willie Brown

* Re “Brown’s Oratory Deflates a ‘Bloated’ L.A. County,” June 25:

Never in my wildest dreams! I agree with Willie Brown! He views L.A. County government employees as fat, lazy, overpaid and concerned only with their own lifestyle support at taxpayer expense. This is the view of most L.A. County taxpayers like myself.

Thank God for the state budget crisis if only for forcing L.A. County to set priorities for bureaucratic spending. The primary responsibility of government is public safety and law enforcement. Everything else is secondary, not vital to life, and can be funded by private citizens.

Tough times with short resources are great at focusing everyone (even profligate L.A. County Supervisors) on primary, vital issues.

Willie Brown is truly “the pot calling the kettle black,” as taxpayers believe him, and the California state government, and our federal government, all to be fat, lazy, overpaid and concerned only with their own lifestyle support at taxpayer expense.

WATT W. WEBB III

Malibu

* Your June 25 article on the anticipated layoffs at the county assessor’s and other county offices makes me wonder why other solutions to the budget shortfall are not being considered. An across-the-board closing of county offices on Fridays would seem a reasonable shared sacrifice, particularly for the assessor, since that is an income-generating office. Creative thought is needed, not mass layoffs.

DAWNA KAUFMANN

Los Angeles

*Brown’s harangue on the amount of money Los Angeles County spends on the care and feeding of its elected officials and bureaucrats brings a question to mind: How does Willie afford those beautiful suits and fancy cars? DOUG KALIS South Gate