DANNY VILLANUEVA

How fortunate we in Los Angeles are to have a Danny Villanueva, a person who believes that the first step to success, on the football field or in life, is to set your mind toward attaining a goal (“Meet Mr. Destiny,’ by Hector D. Cantu, June 22). I’m weary of the people who say they cannot succeed because of their ethnic background, their poverty, the lack of support from various agencies or any of the multitude of other excuses that justify their lack of commitment to themselves and their communities.

Villanueva’s philosophy of measuring success by what you return to your community should set an example to others. Although not everyone is as financially able as he is to assist their communities, the sharing of both encouragement and a sense of pride with those around you costs virtually nothing, and its positive results will prove to be greater than what could be measured in dollars.

Villanueva may not bear the trophy that identifies him as a champion, but by his example, he is truly worthy of the gold ring.

Donna Hopkins

Pasadena

*

The Villanueva article reminded me of the early 1970s, when our family moved to the United States from Mexico. We used to watch KMEX then, but we got out of the habit of tuning it in as our English progressed, even though we never stopped speaking Spanish.

What drove us away and has kept us from watching Spanish television is its atrocious programming; there’s nothing that we find entertaining, intelligent or informative. What’s offered are novelas (soap operas), trashy talk shows and silly comedies, some from 28 years ago.

Villanueva admits to having no input into Telemundo’s day-to-day operations and says he doesn’t watch much Spanish-language television--for which I don’t blame him. But given the sorry state of programming, perhaps he should get more involved, so that he can give himself and other Latinos--especially our children--a reason to watch Spanish-language television.

Juan M. Perezchica

Cathedral City