Mailbag: New ideas needed from county supervisor

Supervisor Mike Antonovich thinks state lawmakers are the reason for financial stress and other difficulties of local government (“Supervisor calls for ‘structural overhaul’” July 31).

I think he is the problem — 30 years as a supervisor! You mean to tell me there aren’t hundreds, perhaps thousands, of public-spirited men and women in L.A. County who couldn’t do a better job as Antonovich (and, in the process, bring in fresh ideas and programs that would save us from, or at least alleviate, the problems he mentions)?

Somehow I don’t think this country’s founders envisioned “politician” as a lifelong career because of the vast pool of talent we are fortunate enough to be able to draw upon. Forget term limits; it only results in hop-scotching. How about a new law that limits each citizens’ career in public office to 20 years?

Chuck Rutkin

Burbank

Breaking down the city’s quality of life

Last Thursday’s Glendale News-Press was the “Quality of Life” issue if you paid close attention.

The front page had the stories on crime and jobs, followed by the article on the Quality of Life Indicators Report in Glendale with what amounted to a denial by the Glendale City Council on its negative results (“City skeptical about indicators report,” July 29).

Then on page A4 of the News-Press we had a glaring contrast: the life expectancy report in La Cañada Flintridge (“La Cañada tops life expectancy list,” July 29). Although some of the reasons for an increased life expectancy in La Cañada deal with the personal lifestyle choices, such as smoking, type of diet and exercise, the article implied that the choices a city council makes might be the difference in healthy outcomes, like how availability of parkland would affect public health.

I’d like to see a comparison between communities. What is the difference in traffic congestion, air pollutants and parkland per thousand residents between central Glendale neighborhoods and any other community north of the Ventura (134) Freeway? Would communities like the Verdugo Woodlands compare favorably to La Cañada Flintridge?

We may find that the dire statistics from south Glendale are dragging down the quality-of-life indicators for the city as a whole. But, then, why not just dismiss the negative statistics — as the City Council did last week — when so few are truly paying attention and so few seem to care?

Herbert Molano

Tujunga