Charities Investigated

“MTA Probes Charities Promoted by Alatorre” (July 7) is a despicable example of power usurpation and nonprofit mismanagement. Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre and his wife Angie contend no wrongdoing, yet numerous examples prove the contrary. Eventfully Yours [an event-planning firm] operated without a license and continued doing so even after receiving a letter stating the expiration date of the extended license. Angie Alatorre drew a $36,000 annual salary for “part-time” work. Their fund-raising success has been “misreported,” which Councilman Alatorre attributed to “a PR thing”; they have also been under investigation by the attorney general’s office.

The announced closure of Eventfully Yours raises even further questions; mainly why, with its tremendous “success”? Nonprofit fund-raising is a challenging task of vital importance. The majority of people doing so, do so without monetary compensation or special-interest intervention.

VICTORIA EASTUS SHAPIRO

Los Angeles

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* Hooray for Councilman Alatorre--the only thing he did wrong was to not ask for more money. While he may be creative in his fund-raising tactics for the children and underprivileged of East L.A., it is by no means illegal, unethical or distasteful, and in fact is consistent with the practical needs of the community. Considering the amount of money that is raked in by anyone doing anything with the MTA, they should consider it their responsibility to give back to the community.

Anyone who has seen the work that El Sereno Youth Center has done to improve education and gang abatement in East L.A., or the smiles on the children’s faces as Santa Claus delivers just a shiny glimmer of happiness in a sometimes economically empty Christmas, would agree. Believe me, it isn’t a downtown Disney Hall (what a shakedown that’s been), or a sparkling Getty Museum. There is no one in this town who can cast the first stone.

TOM SOTO

Los Angeles