Bratton’s endorsement

Re “Bratton’s bad choice,” editorial, Feb. 23

It is not appropriate for emergency services personnel to be seen favoring one politician over another. Police officers, particularly, need to be unbiased.

Any thoughtful police executive, including Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, should instinctively know that it is inappropriate to endorse a candidate -- unless, perhaps, that police official was brought up in an East Coast “pay for play” environment.

As police chief of Monterey, I often was asked for political endorsements and never had trouble refusing, thanks to my upbringing with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Ethical standards are apparently changing at my alma mater. Sad.

Carlo Cudio

Thousand Oaks

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I vehemently disagree with the editorial criticizing Bratton for endorsing City Councilman Jack Weiss for city attorney.

Not only is it the chief’s right, but it is his duty as a public figure to weigh in on one of the most important elections in the city -- especially when he perceives that the stakes are high.

With opponents like Carmen Trutanich, whom The Times has endorsed, they are.

Bratton’s previous experience working with Weiss, who chairs the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, makes him uniquely qualified to make this judgment.

Murray Levin

Sherman Oaks

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Although your editorial correctly pointed out that it was wrong for Bratton to endorse Weiss as a candidate for city attorney, it missed the corresponding symmetrical point that it also was improper for Weiss to accept this endorsement.

As an attorney, Weiss should have been keenly aware of the impropriety of such an endorsement. Weiss should have protected the office he seeks.

That he did not speaks loudly of his lack of an ethical compass.

Marcia Selz

Los Angeles