Sultan should inspire as much anger as Sterling
Re “Beverly Hills condemns Brunei over Sharia law; Beverly Hills Hotel boycott grows” (May 7):
I was pleased with the way the people took care of Clippers owner Donald Sterling when he made those stupid statements about black people. He deserved what he got and a lot more. I don’t understand why there isn’t more of an uproar concerning the Beverly Hills Hotel, owned by the Sultan of Brunei, whose country recently adopted Islamic laws allowing the stoning of people who commit adultery, killing of homosexuals and the cutting off of the limbs of those who steal something.
Prejudice and bigotry should be dealt with no matter if it involves a bigot like Sterling or the Sultan of Brunei. Neither one should be allowed to own any property in this country. I urge our leaders to send a clear message to the Sultan of Brunei that we will not tolerate discrimination against anyone based on race, creed, color, sex or sexual preference.
— Harold Longanecker, Reseda
Pull out all stops to keep Sriracha plant in state
Re “Production of Sriracha means jobs on farm” (May 11):
So it turns out in addition to some 200 employees at Huy Fong Foods, there are hundreds of other Californians who make their livings from the making of the Sriracha sauce. They are the employees at the nursery that supplies the young jalapeno plants, at the farm, at the fertilizer factory, the seasonal fruit pickers and the truck drivers.
Huy Fong’s moves to another state would result in a loss of countless of jobs. After Toyota’s move, politicians didn’t learn anything. The city of Irwindale and the state of California should wine, dine and spoil Huy Fong Foods CEO David Tran rotten to keep him and his factory here instead of chasing him away.
— Julian Nguyen, Reseda
DWP workers must work harder to improve image
Re “DWP lagging on replacing poles” (May 7):
I’ve seen Department of Water and Power workers in action. Just for trimming the trees around the poles in our area, it took about a week to cover two blocks. First the workers arrive; then two supervisor trucks drive up; then they stand there talking for a while and head into the backyard. They work in such slow motion that it’s not surprising these union workers are behind in replacing the poles.
DWP dropped about seven poles in a parkway in our neighborhood (and never informed the owner) and it took almost a month to remove them.
Why is it that our city services are behind in their jobs, be it tree trimming, replacing poles, sidewalk repair or street services? Fred Pickel, our ratepayer advocate, should figure this one out. The DWP has always gotten a bad rap. But its employees don’t care. They receive their paychecks as long as they show up.
— Marianne Castro Lawson, Granada Hills
The Ten Commandments are as relevant as ever
Re “Don’t give too much credit to the Ten Commandments” (Letters, April 23):
The letter writer thought to minimize the role of the Ten Commandments in benefiting the lives of people. Whether you are Christian or Jewish or neither, the Ten Commandments have been a good guide for thousands of years toward a happier, more trouble-free life for everyone who accepted and lived by these wise, sensible rules.
The Ten Commandments are simple, fundamental and as applicable today as when Moses introduced them to his people. Most major ills of individuals and nations can be traced to the absence of these precepts.
— Sid Conkwright, Van Nuys