Let Victoria O’Casey’s Sylmar Garden Bloom

* Kudos to Victoria O’Casey for her beautiful back alley garden (“Cast Out,” May 25). Having lived 30 years in Sylmar and having witnessed the ugly, unplanned growth along Foothill Boulevard, I think any attempt to beautify the area should be rewarded.

Instead, these L.A. bureaucrats want to tear down the garden--and then wonder why people don’t respect government.

Come down to the Hollywood Bowl, Victoria! We need people like you on our crew.

BOB GINN

Santa Clarita

* I was appalled by Jon Markman’s account the city’s wish to uproot a so-called illegal garden planted by Ms. Victoria O’Casey. The fact that it was triggered by an unnamed party, who obviously has no imagination, makes it even more distasteful.

Ms. O’Casey created this garden at her own expense, providing a horticultural treasure in an area deemed an eyesore, not thinking about permits, permission or bureaucratic interference.

We have had more bad news in this city in the last five years in the earthquakes, riots, murders, an inequitable justice system and O.J., not to mention people’s distaste for the political machine. So instead of encouraging people to beautify the landscape, we read that the city wants to bulldoze all those lovely flowering plants.

Maybe L.A. should consult the city of Pasadena, where even the humblest homes have a patch of beauty and the garbage problem is minimal. People who try to make a difference in their immediate surroundings without it costing the taxpayer a penny should be encouraged.

VIVIENNE S. BLUETT

Toluca Lake