Old-time hoods

I was captivated by the series about the Gangster Squad. Though I have lived in Southern California for most of my life, I was never exposed to much of this information before -- except in movies such as “L.A. Confidential,” “Chinatown” and “Bugsy.”

As a schoolteacher, I suggest that a course in recent California “hood” history would be great to offer on the college level.

I applaud your efforts.

Nancy L. Beckham

South Pasadena

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A historic election three days away, stocks down thousands of points, global warming, the Middle East -- and almost half of your front page is news from the 1950s? What’s for next week, results of the Nixon-Kennedy debates? Put the Gangster Squad online and bring back meaningful stories to the newsstand.

Steven Young

Long Beach