Mark P Petracca

Times columnist and GOP political consultant Kenneth Khachigian ("Hillary, Our State Is Just Made for You," April 25) pens yet another vitriolic column directed against First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as well as California's U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Never let it be said that national sorrow or international crisis kept Khachigian from extracting his twice-monthly pound of flesh from those individuals who have previously vanquished his former political clients.

Cable companies are notorious for making promises to win particular franchises and then not fulfilling their contractual obligations ("Market Competition Will Keep Rates Down for Consumers," Commentary by Mark P. Petracca, April 25). The exclusivity of their agreements with the city encourages the cable companies to increase the rates due to the lack of city intervention once the franchises are procured. Even though the franchise agreements expire, only a small minority of cities exercise the option to change cable companies.

The American electorate is reluctant, even embarrassed, to treat the separation of church and state as a serious constitutional principle on election day. It's not that voters don't care whether religious zealots take over the GOP, their city council or the school board. Rather, voters have yet to fully appreciate the damage that can be done by elected officials who believe that their public actions are divinely inspired. Democracy needs to be reconstituted by each new generation of democratic people, who must dare to stand up and bear witness in the tradition of Thoreau against the self-appointed minions of truth.

Starting Tuesday, Orange Coast College is sponsoring a two-day session of speaking events that focuses on immigration in the United States. The events are free and open to the public. Featured speakers will be Mark P. Petracca, a UC Irvine political scientist, and former U.S. Senate candidate and Nixon White House aide Bruce Herschensohn. The events are part of the community college's Visiting Scholars in Residence Program.

Mayor Sally Anne Sheridan on Monday agreed to pay the maximum $2,000 penalty to settle a state conflict-of-interest complaint. Sheridan had been accused of illegally voting on March 28, 1989, to promote Paul O. Brady Jr. to city manager. Under state law, Sheridan, a real estate agent, had a conflict of interest in matters concerning Brady since she had split $16,038 in commissions from the sale of his home.

Residents attending City Council meetings can now be inappropriate. But forget about being disruptive. New conduct rules remove the 10-year-old prohibition against "inappropriate conduct." The change, approved by the council last week, was prompted by a complaint from a resident who thought the previous code was stifling. Mark P.