Councilman Richard Alatorre

I applaud Councilman Richard Alatorre and the other Latino leaders who had the courage to protest Mayor Tom Bradley's effort to exclude the Latino community from rebuilding efforts (July 10). Contrary to what the mayor and his buddy activist Bakewell believe, Los Angeles is not exclusively African-American. It's time for Latinos to stand up and be counted. CHUCK URSO Rancho Cucamonga

Disturbed by the low voter turnout last week, Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre has proposed making the Friday after Election Day a holiday for those who voted. Alatorre suggested that Congress, the state Legislature and the City Council declare a holiday on the Friday after the 1988 presidential election as an incentive to voters. He also recommended Friday that the city hold public hearings to determine how it can improve voter registration and participation.

Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre will be the keynote speaker for the League of United Latin American Citizens' third annual Hispanic Educators Banquet on May 16 in Laguna Hills. Four educators will be honored: JoAnna Montoya Whitaker, director of the Cypress School District Bilingual Resource Center; Antonio Valle Jr.

Workers will install 103 signs around Los Angeles saying, "Buckle Up L.A." beneath the city's welcome signs this month, Mayor Richard Riordan and Councilman Richard Alatorre announced Tuesday. City officials estimate that 30% of Los Angeles drivers do not wear legally required seat belts. Lap and shoulder safety belts reduce the risk of fatal or serious injury to motorists by 45% to 55%, federal highway safety officials say.

Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre will hold a community meeting at Garvanza Elementary School at 7 p.m. Aug. 31. Officials from various city departments, including police, public works, recreation and parks, and transportation and sanitation are scheduled to attend. Alatorre was recently criticized by two Highland Park residents who alleged that he called their crime problems "insignificant." The councilman has denied using the word.

The financially troubled Southwest Museum received a $25,000 check Thursday from the City of Los Angeles to help cover operating costs at the Highland Park facility. The museum accumulated $200,000 in debts last year and faced an uncertain future when its board of trustees considered merging with the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.

Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alatorre, claiming that developer Maurice R. Chasse has taken long enough to restore the landmark 1920s police station in Highland Park, wants the city to find another buyer. Chasse, based in Alhambra, since 1986 has planned to restore the building at 6045 York Blvd. and develop the 1.3 acres around it with shops. Negotiations over the terms of the sale to Chasse have been halted by conditions of purchasing the property, especially over asbestos removal.

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously endorsed an international boycott of coffee from El Salvador to pressure the government of that Central-American nation to negotiate a settlement of its 10-year civil war. With the 12-0 vote, Los Angeles became the first city in the nation to support the boycott and direct municipal departments to stop buying coffee products from the strife-torn nation.