New Year’s Celebrations

I’ve come to the conclusion that L.A. believes its own sensationalistic stories about romance, violence and paranoia. Watching the jubilant celebrations around the world, ironically, brings L.A.’s distorted views into focus.

For even though much of the world had already celebrated a disaster-free New Year on the 31st, the buying of water, ammunition and gas continued. Los Angeles events were meagerly attended, forced to fight over the few brave enough to celebrate in public.

When a fearful L.A. greets the New Year bunkered in its homes, it is harder to hope for the future and solidarity of L.A. 2000.

PIERRE DOMINGUEZ

Granada Hills

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As reported on local TV news channels and The Times (“L.A. Again Leads the World--This Time in Party Meekness,” Jan. 2 and “From Wild to Mild,” Jan. 1), Richard Riordan thinks the problem of low attendance at the millennial celebrations in the city of Angels is that citizens let a little rain dampen their New Year’s enthusiasm. Well I beg to differ, but maybe it’s because [Riordan] and the city Cultural Affairs Department didn’t spend enough time finding out what people might really like to see and be a part of.

Maybe folks in the Valley aren’t all urban cowgals and boys who’d like to see 2,000 line dancers whoop it up at Van Nuys Airport. Maybe we don’t care to see a B.J. Thomas / Canned Heat musical rehash. Maybe we just couldn’t stomach . . . Jan-Michael Vincent as our designated grand marshal.

Hey, even our elected representative to City Hall, Cindy Miscikowski, didn’t think it was worth attending. She was too busy hobnobbing with the politicos in Washington, D.C., to make an appearance among the people who elected her.

And they wonder why the Valley wants to secede.

KELLY McCLELLAN

Woodland Hills