Riordan’s State of City Speech

* Mayor Richard Riordan, in his State of the City speech (April 17), said he wants “improved neighborhoods.” His General Plan Framework shows how Riordan wants to improve them. It is to have “smaller lot sizes, secondary units and co-housing units--units with shared kitchen and other facilities.”

Why does Riordan want slums? Because he wants a huge population increase and this would be the way to house it. In his framework Riordan confesses there would be drawbacks: “Estimated average speed on freeways would decline to levels below 20 miles per hour and air pollution would be substantially increased. Development within the city’s residential neighborhoods would be of much greater scale, significantly changing their character.”

Our businessman mayor’s vision of “improved neighborhoods” is certainly not mine. I think any Los Angeles City Council member who votes for Riordan’s framework will risk defeat in the next election.

HAROLD WATERHOUSE

Pacific Palisades

* Re “Battle Stalls Quake Plans for City Hall,” April 14:

The Los Angeles City Hall has stood up well after many earthquakes. It belongs to the taxpayers and we don’t want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on it. We think it’s OK. It’s very strong and well constructed. We don’t want to remodel it, either.

If those folks want a fancy place to work, maybe they should work someplace else. They keep finding more buildings to fix up. We can’t afford it! I hope Mayor Riordan will keep up the fight against the remodeling of city buildings.

RICHARD MOURI

Los Angeles