Letters

Those searching for answers to the question " Is medical marijuana good medicine? " will find few in Dr. David Sack's Times Op-Ed article.   On the one hand, Sack concedes, "Marijuana can effectively treat neuropathic pain, and it has been shown to improve appetite and reduce nausea," an acknowledgment substantiating the plant's therapeutic utility. However, he later warns that cannabis' ability to provide relief for certain other conditions, such as lupus and anxiety, remains unproven.

Re "Open the talent door," Opinion, May 21 While UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi called very rightly for immigration reforms to better attract foreign scholars, innovators and entrepreneurs, another article in Tuesday's Times detailed the attempt by Congress to shape legislation providing for much-needed and relatively inexpensive farm labor, primarily from Mexico. Traditionally, our country's immigration policy has allowed the poor and uneducated to move here with their families to take the low-paying jobs that Americans don't want.

Los Angeles voters took regulation of the city's medical marijuana shops into their own hands Tuesday, embracing a ballot measure to sharply reduce the number of dispensaries in the city. But as in all things related to pot policy, the future of the new law is hazy. Under the measure, only 135 dispensaries - those that were operating before a failed moratorium in 2007 - will be allowed to stay open. But enforcement could prove a monumental challenge as backers of a rival measure threaten lawsuits and city lawyers begin the long process of identifying all of the city's dispensaries and bringing them into compliance.

Re "City is largely silent on beating," May 20 While I find the beating death of Bakersfield resident David Sal Silva by police and the subsequent seizure of potential witnesses' cellphones deeply disturbing and feel that a vigorous FBI investigation is warranted, I must protest the thrust and tone of this article. The Times cites several other controversial killings by Kern County sheriff's deputies, including the fatal shooting of former NFL player David Turner. The article states that he was shot because "Turner had raised a bag of beers and was about to swing them at an officer," and that the deputies were found to have acted within department policy because "the beers were deemed a lethal weapon.

As part of a settlement with federal regulators, 13 lenders this week are starting to pay out $3.6 billion to more than 4 million troubled borrowers whose homes were in foreclosure proceedings in 2009 and 2010. A chart released Tuesday by the regulators showed that most of the borrowers would receive $300, the minimum allowed under the settlement terms. The maximum of $125,000 would go to 1,135 borrowers whose homes were seized while they were serving in the military or who were current on their payments.

If you're planning a trip to China and don't have an up-to-date visa in hand, you may encounter some additional red tape. On Aug. 1, the Chinese government started requiring that travelers seeking tourist visas, officially known as L visas, submit a letter of invitation and photocopies of the traveler's round-trip ticket and hotel reservations.   To obtain a business, or F Visa, applicants must now have an invitation letter or “confirmation letter of invitation” issued by an authorized Chinese agency.

In a push to simplify loan modifications, many borrowers who become 90 days or more past due on mortgages backed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will be offered lowered payments without having to prove hardship, the federal regulator of the home-finance giants said. The streamlined modification program, to be put into effect in July, would reduce monthly payments by about 30% on average, officials said in announcing the program Wednesday.  Eligible borrowers would receive letters explaining the modification offer and specifying the reduced payment.

Re "Brown urges UC to speed graduations," May 16 Over the 15 years I have taught at UC Santa Barbara, I have seen repeated budget cuts and tuition increases. And yet most students are graduating in four years, not six. I am not sure what Gov. Jerry Brown is referring to when he wants to speed up graduations. A top-quality education takes time - the University of California is not McDonald's. "The outside world" that Brown mentions has greatly impacted UC; it has reduced the university to a shell of what it once was. Remarkably, students have been incredibly resilient and found a way to graduate.

Having been born to one of the most famous couples of this century--America's greatest modern writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his talented flapper wife Zelda Sayre--Scottie Fitzgerald was thrust a heavy mantle, particularly as their only child. Add to that the heady cocktail of parental alcoholism, prescription drug abuse, numerous failed suicide attempts and schizophrenia. Talent and tragedy were genetically passed on to Scottie as surely as her blond hair and blue eyes. Until now, very little was known about the Fitzgeralds' daughter beyond her school days.

Re "Let the taxi app roll," Opinion, Dec. 4 Jonah Goldberg perpetuates the myth pushed by Uber, a car service customers can hail using their smartphones, that our laws may be selectively enforced. It is Uber, not the apps that compete against it, that has been ticketed by authorities for violations of public safety regulations. It is Uber that is being sued by cities, individual drivers and other transportation companies. Uber provides what amounts to a taxicab service at a rate up to 60% above the regulated fare.

Re "Scouting's error," Opinion, May 22 It boggles the mind that the Boy Scouts of America wraps itself up in this bigoted view of homosexual leaders when in many other ways it has always been very inclusive. James Dale's piece expresses the view of a gay Eagle Scout; in the May 21 Wall Street Journal, an Op-Ed article spoke to the absurdity of this whole mess, proposing that the Boy Scouts should be agnostic concerning sex and stick to the basic tenets of Scouting. The entire focus should be on the material inside the Boy Scout Handbook.

Re "Apple execs grilled over tax strategy," Business, May 22 Unbelievable, stunning, incredible that members of Congress have the audacity to bring the chief executive of one of the most successful companies this country has ever seen to grill him on Apple Inc.'s tax strategy (which, by the way, is perfectly legal) so they can try to wring more money out of him. Apple paid $6 billion in taxes last year; isn't that enough? Forcing Chief Executive Tim Cook to respond to legislators who have been on the public dole much of their lives and haven't done much in the way of intellectual innovation (or even fixing this country economically)

Re "Poverty's new address is in suburbs," May 20 This eye-opening study, which shows that more poor people now live in suburbs than in urban areas, indirectly highlights one of the major failings of Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed school funding formula, which favors the urban poor. The impact of the last recession was so deep and broad, no place was unaffected. The number of homeless, hungry and uninsured schoolchildren has grown sharply in Orange County schools, even in districts like Irvine.

Re "Oklahoma twister 'was a monster,'" May 21 It is heartbreaking to read of homes destroyed, lives upended, children killed and hundreds left homeless. We know that, without effective action to combat climate change, these events will become more frequent. And yet the political leaders of Oklahoma are right-wing ideologues who either reject the idea of global warming or question its effects on weather catastrophes. What will it take to get them to realize that their inaction will lead to more disasters?

Re "Apple's U.S. tax shelters faulted," May 21 French novelist Honoré de Balzac once wrote, "The secret of a great success for which you are at a loss to account is a crime that has never been found out, because it was properly executed. " That statement describes Apple Inc. perfectly, except it has finally been found out. Thankfully, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, seeks to expose Apple's fraudulent tax policies.

Re "Garcetti, Greuel in tight race," May 22 Suppose they had an election and no one voted. The almost complete lack of interest in the Los Angeles mayor's race (the final turnout will probably be around 25%) should be of far more concern to people than who won and who lost. I've heard all of the excuses for not voting before, such as "the candidates didn't offer a clear choice," "I don't trust politicians" and "I was too busy doing other things. " Remember this: If you don't vote, you have no right to complain.

Re "Planning for power without San Onofre," and "San Onofre's cloudy future," Editorial, June 24 It is indeed a fine mess with the steam generators at the San Onofre power plant just south of Orange County, but it is not an excuse to abandon the plant or nuclear energy. Regardless of the financial outcome, it will still be less expensive to fix or replace the steam generators, hopefully with a big contribution from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, than to build new plants of any kind or to buy power from out of state.

Re "The voice of L.A.," Opinion, May 14 Part of what makes Vin Scully special is that he is not ubiquitous. His style, often imitated, is still truly unique among sports announcers, and I for one appreciate him all the more for that. In Los Angeles, we've been blessed by having some of the best announcers for our sports teams. Dick Enberg, who called Rams games, was no slouch; I still miss hearing him. Chick Hearn was unparalleled as a basketball announcer, and Al Michaels certainly rates on a national level for whatever sport he voices.

Re "Palestinians fend for themselves," May 19 Thank you for publishing the enlightening article about the plight of people living in the so-called Area C in the Palestinian territories, where Israel retains security and administrative control. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor is quoted as saying that "Israel regularly approves dozens of international projects for the benefit of the Palestinian people. " And yet, as the article notes, between 2000 and 2007, 94% of Palestinian building permits were rejected.

Re "Skilling doesn't deserve a break," Column, May 19 Jeff Skilling, the chief executive of Enron when it defrauded investors before its collapse in 2001, still believes he has the power to extort or bribe his way out of jail. It scares me to think that he might just succeed in having his 24-year prison sentence reduced significantly, confirming that justice is negotiable. Let's drop all pretense here: Skilling is trying to pay his way out of jail, and if he succeeds, he will have reduced our justice system to rubble.