Spanish Kitchen

Re “Outcry Greets Awakening L.A. Landmark,” March 27:

I take great exception to the way your article presented the dispute. The wording makes it seem as though the issue is solely “religion vs. alcohol,” as though the only people who are against giving the Spanish Kitchen a full liquor license are ultra-Orthodox Jews. This is simply not true.

The only issue is the proximity of a restaurant that serves liquor to a school. All parents in Los Angeles, regardless of ethnic or religious background, are concerned about the safety of their children and the appropriateness of their environment. Violence is increasingly catching these innocent kids in cross-fire of all kinds, and alcohol is often a contributing factor. We want our children to be able to walk to school and play in the schoolyard in safety.

In fact, that is why the state of California Alcoholic Beverage Control policies specify that liquor licenses are to be denied if within 600 feet of a school.

DAVID RUBIN, Board President

Yavneh Hebrew Academy

Los Angeles

One can only applaud Ron Mavaddat and his partners’ efforts to reopen one of the few remaining L.A. landmarks. Rabbi Yoel Bursztyn should be ashamed of his remarks about “blasting” the new owners. How can he wield such power that City Councilman Mike Feuer and other council members may cave in and place restrictions on the serving of alcoholic beverages?

Patrons of the restaurant and the residents of the surrounding area of Beverly Boulevard and Martel Avenue can, indeed, survive in peace and harmony--not “wandering around drunk” as Feuer’s aide, Rochelle Ventura, said in the article.

SUSAN FULLER

West Hollywood