Gurza on Zacarias

* Re Agustin Gurza’s Nov. 9 column, “ ‘Racial Politics’ to Some, Political Reality to Others”: The reality is that L.A. schools Supt. Ruben Zacarias was incompetent for the job. In the two years that he has been at his post, what accomplishments has he achieved? Except being Latino.

Children’s test scores are still at rock bottom. No new schools have been built. And one that is being built (Belmont) and a site under consideration (South Gate) will probably never open because of toxic soil contamination. Last year, Zacarias was genuinely stunned when he learned about the serious textbook shortage in the public schools. And they’re still seriously short of books!

To compare Zacarias to Rep. Loretta Sanchez defies belief. Sanchez was voted into office. Zacarias was appointed to his position by a majority of a school board that found themselves voted out of office by the same Latino constituency Gurza talks about.

Just because a public official is of the same ethnic group or race as that of a majority of his constituents doesn’t endow him or her with a superhuman halo, nor does it guarantee an immunity against incompetence.

JACINTO GONZALEZ TRELLES

Los Angeles

* Bravo, Agustin: Too long the interests and needs of our Latino children have been ignored and evidently are still being ignored. For the Los Angeles school board to oust Zacarias, who has devoted his life to education and to its children, is appalling. The racial political card is played out every day and for us to unite as Latinos is unthinkable to whites. However, Mayor Richard Riordan and his cronies can align themselves and play their political race cards without reservation.

As a Latina who was punished for speaking Spanish and who lacked the benefit of bilingual education, I believed great strides had been made until recently. While I am a child of immigrant parents, my opportunity for higher education became a reality in 1969 at Cal State Northridge under a “special admissions” program. Those programs are slowly eroding, bilingual education programs have been attacked, immigrants continue to be scapegoats and now we are losing Zacarias. Latinos are being attacked at every level and educational institutions, which once paved the way for social change, are also folding to public pressure.

MINERVA GONZALEZ

San Marcos

* When Gurza referred to attacks on the supporters of Zacarias (and Sanchez) as “scurrilous,” I felt offended. So, I grabbed my dictionary to find the exact meaning of this word. Buffoonery (clown, joker, comedian), vulgar, evil, containing low obscenities, abuse--these are some of the definitions.

Regardless of the merits of either side, which Gurza doesn’t cover properly, he should remain civil. I realize, as he explained in a recent column, that he gets people to read his stuff by being confrontational. However, he should also consider that he is harming his own cause. Being humane applies not only when considering recent immigrants, but also when dealing with those you disagree with.

AMOS SZPIRO

Fountain Valley