Questioning the Health of Our Community

Re “Health Care Takes Deep Cuts,” June 27: Other countries forced to make similar draconian cuts in their public health systems have seen outbreaks of dangerous infectious diseases that otherwise could have been tracked, contained or cured. The cutbacks the Los Angeles County supervisors were forced to make have increased the probability of just such an outbreak here.

I would strongly advise the well-to-do in our community not to think of this as a problem confined to the poor and indigent among us. It potentially affects everyone. There is no such thing as a private epidemic.

Gary Garshfield MD

Irvine

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Does anyone besides me find it quite ridiculous that in the June 27 paper there is an article about the L.A. Zoo opening a $13.4-million Animal Health and Conservation Center--to treat animals from “rhinos to geckos”--and in the same section of the paper an article saying that the L.A. County supervisors voted to close 11 of 18 public health clinics that serve humans? What’s wrong with this picture?

Ray Garnett

Santa Clarita

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So a Los Angeles judge ruled that the Board of Supervisors broke the law when it met in secret to kill a proposed ballot initiative aimed at raising the wages of workers who care for disabled people (“Board’s Secret Action Broke Law, Judge Rules,” June 26). It seems to me that ignoring the Ralph M. Brown Act is the least of its violations. How about the rules of compassion and humanity?

The board should be held accountable for shamefully hurting these noble, essential workers and the disabled people who rely on their care.

Arlene S. Rapal

West Hollywood