O.C. Bankruptcy

It very well may be the case that Orange County will have to absorb the expense of defending Robert Citron (Dec. 26). And Orange County will also be bearing most of the expense related to his prosecution. As there seems no doubt of his guilt, which is not denied by him other than the possible degree of his fault, is it not time to back off and drop all charges? A big legal wrangle benefits only the attorneys who participate. Why should more tax money be misspent or wasted when it could be spent to much better effect?

JOHN D. ANDREWS

Rancho Palos Verdes

* The audacity of the Orange County government is beyond belief! First the outrageous gambling with public funds by the county treasurer accomplished under the criminally negligent oversight of the county supervisors. Now these same incompetent, so-called public servants want to take the entire loss out of the hides of the defenseless poor and county employees--all arranged by two county executives whose own departments are barely touched after a recent hefty budget increase of 24% in their own department budgets (Dec. 23).

To spread the pain more equitably it would seem reasonable to impose a temporary emergency tax that would touch the vaunted affluent sector of Orange County’s population.

LILLIAN and ERNIE HERZBERG

San Diego

* Writers harp on Proposition 13 and come up with reasoned arguments about its causes and effects (“The Legacy of Prop. 13 and its Progeny--Bankruptcy,” Opinion, Dec. 18, and letters, Dec. 22). They all seem to forget why Proposition 13 was deemed necessary.

It was not to bankrupt county governments, not to deny schoolteachers’ salaries. It was to allow the little old man next door to keep his modest, paid-for home of 30 years without taking every last dollar in huge property taxes.

NANCY MacCOON

Los Angeles