Affirmative Action Laws

* It’s particularly ironic that Gov. Pete Wilson’s former press secretary Dan Schnur counsels Californians to remedy affirmative action through the Legislature (“Heed the Sparks to Avoid Conflagration,” Column Right, Feb. 7). As part of the Wilson Administration, Schnur is certainly culpable for fanning the flames of misunderstanding that resulted in passage of Proposition 187, the reelection of Wilson and now, attacks upon affirmative action.

Despite his attempts, Schnur cannot avoid responsibility for diverting Californians’ attention from the real reason for the so-called white male backlash--the state’s recession and the drop in wages for families during the 1980s that manifested itself in massive numbers of women with children entering the work force.

It’s lopsided income distribution, rather than illegal immigration or affirmative action, that our political leaders should be addressing if they’re concerned about racial and ethnic conflagrations. Or winning the presidency.

Schnur’s position is simple and cynically motivated. Hopefully, however, he isn’t fooling readers of The Times. He is no statesman and neither is his boss.

JANET COFFMAN

Sacramento

* Re “Lt. Gov. Davis Takes Conservative Tack in Advice to Party,” Feb. 2:

Lt. Gov. Gray Davis has dressed himself in Republican garb, thinking Californians have no integrity and will go along with this ploy. His espousing the conservative polemics of the Republicans reminds us of the time he ran against Sen. Dianne Feinstein. In TV commercials he compared her to the jailed Leona Helmsley.

We Democrats cannot abide a complete denial of our principles. Davis’ support of a ballot initiative watering down affirmative action laws in California is reprehensible.

Davis speaks for smaller government. He mentions the name of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. President Roosevelt is no exemplar of smaller government, Mr. Davis. He did not attack the jobless for being jobless. He fostered program after program to help the unemployed and the homeless. He did this with pride and respect in the people.

No, Mr. Lieutenant Governor, you may think you can dance at every carnival. We Democrats are different from Republicans. We put people first. We do not change our views with every passing breeze. Let us hold the average American in respect, as did FDR.

SYLVIA H. SHNIAD

DAVID A. SHNIAD

Santa Monica