What About Firms?

* Regarding your story (June 28) which told of Bill Knitz’s guilty plea to criminal conflict-of-interest charges, and your editorial (“Warning About the Limousine Life,” June 29), I’ve been following these stories with interest.

What I don’t understand is why neither of the engineering firms which paid out these large sums in order to assure million-dollar contracts with the water district have not been charged as well.

I saw recently that a Workers’ Comp claims adjuster was criminally charged with taking “gratitudes”--and so was the company which gave them to her.

Wouldn’t the same section of the statutes apply to MacDonald-Stephens Engineers and Robert Bein, William Frost & Associates, the engineering firms which I believe have admitted they gave “gratuities”? And if not, why not?

DOROTHY A. YOUNG

Costa Mesa