Host of Issues Compete in Mayor’s Race

Re “Hahn Goes After Rivals’ Energy Votes,” March 3: As general counsel to the California Public Utilities Commission in 2001 and 2002, I was in a position to observe then-Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg’s response to the state’s energy crisis. I believe he worked tirelessly to solve the problems caused by the state’s ill-conceived deregulation scheme. I see no merit in Mayor James Hahn’s accusation that Hertzberg sought to help Enron or any of the market manipulators who caused the crisis.

Gary M. Cohen

Oakland

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Re “Hahn Ad Sets Off Brawl on Airwaves,” March 4: Well, it seems Hahn is finally doing what he does best, running negative attack ads against two other candidates. Must be because he’s losing and has nothing of value to offer the city for another four years. How sad that we have a mayor who is resorting to what got him the office last time, throwing dirt and mud at good, proven, hardworking, creative people who love this city. Maybe this time Los Angeles will see though this failure of a mayor and vote for a better man.

Wayne Williams

Sherman Oaks

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Regardless of how one feels about Mayor Hahn, one must concede that he showed political courage in taking actions that he thought were in the best interests of the city, even though those same actions enraged and alienated his base. Now his African American supporters have turned on him for replacing Police Chief Bernard C. Parks with William J. Bratton, even though police morale is higher, crime is down and the Police Department seems to be more open to criticism than it ever was under Parks.

His San Fernando Valley supporters have deserted him for Hertzberg because, as the mayor of the entire city of Los Angeles, Hahn fought hard to defeat Valley secession.

Voters complain that our elected leaders fail to show courage. But what message will they send if Hahn is defeated?

David M. Marcus

Los Angeles

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When asked about illegal immigration, all the mayoral candidates gave the same answers, blaming the federal government for poor border control and those who employ illegals. But it’s OK to give them driver’s licenses to travel to these jobs they are not supposed to have. It’s OK to give them free education at all levels at the expense of the taxpayers. It’s OK that we force our emergency rooms to give free medical care and even deliver babies. If they go broke and shut down, as many have, that’s too bad. It’s OK to spend millions of dollars to ensure everything is written in both English and Spanish to make them really feel at home.

So L.A. will continue its downhill slide, but hopefully one day we will have an elected official who will tackle the problem of people who break our laws, come here illegally and drain our schools and healthcare system.

Paul Davies

North Hills

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Unbelievable -- I don’t hear any of the candidates for mayor of Los Angeles addressing the ghastly traffic nightmare that residents live every day -- hopelessly clogged freeways populated by angry and frustrated drivers. Moreover, what about the wasted days and hours of commuters’ lives spent under these stressful road conditions?

Have city and county leaders resigned themselves to blindly continuing down this road leading to total gridlock?

Most area residents would agree that their quality of life is seriously diminished by living in this traffic nightmare. Let’s run trains over or under the 101 and 405 -- let’s do something! Traffic congestion is sucking the life out of the city. Where are the leaders with the common sense, vision and willingness to address one of the area’s major problems?

Jean Jolin

Westlake Village