Aclu

Re John Spano's article (Dec. 27) concerning the menorah in Sasscer Park: I am astonished and deeply disappointed that the City of Santa Ana gave in so easily to the American Civil Liberties Union's attack. The position of the ACLU that "a (Christmas) tree is a decoration, while the menorah is a 'religious symbol,' " is an open blatant insult to Christians everywhere. Although it is true that the Christmas tree has no relationship to Jesus and is the outgrowth of earlier pagan traditions, it is also true that the decorated tree is now viewed by most Christians as the central theme of modern celebration-type activities associated with Christmastime festivities.

The American Civil Liberties Union broke its tradition of neutrality on Supreme Court nominees today and said it will oppose the elevation of federal appeals Judge Robert H. Bork to the high court. The group warned that the ordinary individual rights of Americans would be threatened by Bork and vowed to wage a nationwide campaign to block the confirmation of President Reagan's nominee to the court.

William J. Bratton's announcement that he will soon leave his job as Los Angeles' police chief drew the expected murmurs of dismay from city officials last week. But another lament was enough to make Joe Friday sit up and take notice: It came from a historic LAPD nemesis, the American Civil Liberties Union. "This is a terrible loss for the city of Los Angeles," said Ramona Ripston, the local ACLU executive director who lauded Bratton, even if she did not always agree with him. Bratton's departure, Ripston said in an interview, will come in the midst of a "sea change" in the contentious history of policing in Los Angeles.

I applaud the ACLU's stance on behalf of the civil rights of gang members and wholeheartedly support its efforts to overturn the San Fernando city ordinance barring these murderous little sociopaths from Las Palmas Park. If successful in this endeavor, I hope ACLU members--and their families and friends--will celebrate their victory nightly at the aforementioned park, and the survivors of the festivities will press on with their good work. DON WULFFSON, Northridge

An Orange County school district where varsity athletes threatened to rape and kill the lead actress in a student production of the musical "Rent" has agreed to provide harassment and discrimination prevention training to Corona del Mar High School students, teachers and administrators and other district officials, according to a legal settlement announced Wednesday. The Newport-Mesa Unified School District will also apologize to the former student. Because of the settlement, "no one else will have to go through what I went through," said Hail Ketchum, 17, the victim who, along with family members, identified herself for the first time on Wednesday.

Two civil liberties groups filed suit in a federal court Tuesday, asking a judge to strike down an unusual George W. Bush-era regulation that they say has stymied their attempts to challenge the military's use of "targeted killings" far from a battlefield. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights have wanted to challenge the targeted killing policy but have been stopped by a requirement that they first get permission from the Treasury Department before they sue the government on behalf of a "designated global terrorist."

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the state of California on Friday for allowing school districts to charge students for books, uniforms, classes and other basic supplies. The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that more than 30 districts require students and their families to pay for basic supplies that are supposed to be provided at no cost. Districts cited in the lawsuit include Beverly Hills, Burbank and Long Beach. The Los Angeles Unified School District was not named in the suit, although "we have heard anecdotal reports about Los Angeles," Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel for the ACLU of Southern California, said at a morning news conference.

The Justice Department agreed to let the American Civil Liberties Union see documents of the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography and the ACLU agreed to drop a federal suit to block all meetings and business of the commission. The Justice Department said it was releasing the documents "because the possibility of litigation was distracting from the importance of the commission's real work," which is writing its report on pornography.

Accusing the federal Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles of not doing enough to help homeless veterans, the ACLU of Southern California is calling for an investigation into the VA's stewardship of its Westside campus, which includes leasing land for use as private tennis courts. In letters to VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, the U.S. Department of Justice and state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, ACLU attorney Peter J. Eliasberg supported a request by the Metabolic Studio, a charitable activity of the Annenberg Foundation that said the VA was not abiding by terms of an 1888 deed that created the West L.A. campus.