Letters to the Editor: Readers offer two differing perspectives on Sen. Padilla’s press conference conduct

To the editor: Columnist George Skelton contends that Sen. Alex Padilla’s disruption of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference was not the time or place to hold this administration accountable for its immigration policies (“Padilla was right to challenge Noem’s right-wing lunacy,” June 16).

For decades, we have witnessed the cruel assault of immigration enforcement on our communities. So when exactly is the time or place?

I grew up with Padilla in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. I have witnessed his righteous fight for immigrant rights, and it has served as an inspiration to my own civic and philanthropic endeavors.

No person, let alone a United States senator, should be silenced for wanting to ask their government to do better. We must not waver in our call for justice for our immigrant communities in this precarious moment.

Jorge Quezada, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The next time Gov. Gavin Newsom is in L.A. giving a press conference, columnist Anita Chabria should behave exactly as Padilla did (“The gaslighting of Alex Padilla is already in full swing on the right,” June 13). She should be dressed casually with no press credential visible, enter uninvited, then start walking toward the podium at a brisk pace while shouting that she has a question for the governor. When initially blocked by security personnel, she should continue to push forward.

She can write her next column on the reaction of Newsom’s bodyguards, which, I predict, will mirror that of Noem’s people.

At a time when political polarization is off the charts and our legislators and leaders are being shot at and executed, one can hardly fault law enforcement for being cautious and proactive. There’s a right way and a wrong way to approach a public figure, and Padilla embarrassed himself and California by choosing the latter.

Glenn Toth, Playa del Rey