Expulsion of VOTE Signature-Gatherers

The refusal to allow signature-gatherers from Valley VOTE at the Van Nuys Airport show shows the arrogance of our City Council and the bureaucrats they hire.

When we do something wrong, ignorance of the law is no excuse and we have to pay the penalty. Government officials should be judged by the same standards. The Van Nuys Airport show problem should not be swept under the rug. We should find out who gave the order and how high up on the advancement ladder this person was.

No one, elected official or bureaucrat, is above the law. Now let us see the City Council do something about this problem except talk it to death.

GILBERT SMITH, Encino

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I was one of those petition drive volunteers who experienced the indignity of being “tossed out” of the Van Nuys Airport Aviation Expo. I therefore applaud The Times editorialist who supported the 1st Amendment rights of VOTE (“VOTE Deserves Answers,” Aug. 9). While supporting the execution of our constitutional rights, this same editorialist makes his/her opposition to secession clear. I question the validity of some of his/her points.

One may ask, for instance, why “the myriad neighborhoods of Los Angeles should work together for reform of the city’s government.” Los Angeles is huge. Secessionists believe that smaller is simply better. Would a resident of Chatsworth have the same needs and concerns as a resident of San Pedro? Wouldn’t smaller government be more controllable, accessible and efficient? Once some of my neighbors and I waited five hours at City Hall to voice our concerns about a traffic light in our community. When the council finally held its hearing, only one of us was allowed to speak--for approximately one minute!

If our petition drive to conduct a study of the disadvantages of secession appears to be “a campaign . . . pitched on the street as a chance to divorce Los Angeles,” then so be it! Those happy with the status quo, of course, would not even bother with a petition drive.

JUDITH G. HASSEL, West Hills