Porter Ranch

Porter Ranch residents are no strangers to the winds that come howling through the area tucked beneath the Santa Susana Mountains at the northwestern tip of the San Fernando Valley. Once inhabited primarily by grazing sheep, today this calm outpost of Los Angeles, graced with lush parks, attracts residents seeking sanctuary from the urban hubbub.

Karthik Rajaram had fallen hard. The 45-year-old Porter Ranch financial manager who once made more than $1.2 million in a London-based venture fund had lost his job. His luck playing the stock market ran out. On Sept. 16, he bought a gun. He wrote two suicide notes and a last will and testament. And then, sometime between Saturday night and Monday morning, he killed his wife, mother-in-law and three sons, and took his own life.

A Porter Ranch man who murdered his family and killed himself last weekend as he faced financial ruin is the latest and most extreme case of a wave of distress washing over the American psyche. Karthik Rajaram, an unemployed financial advisor, left a suicide note saying that his financial state left him few options but to kill his wife, three children and mother-in-law. Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Michel Moore described Rajaram, 45, as a man stuck in a rabbit hole of despair.

Nathan Shapell, a leading California home builder perhaps best known for developing Porter Ranch in the hills of the northwestern San Fernando Valley, has died. He was 85. Shapell, who lived in Beverly Hills, died in his sleep Sunday while returning to San Pedro on a cruise ship, said Richard Mahan, a spokesman for Shapell Industries. Over the last five decades, Shapell had built more than 65,000 homes from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Thank you, David Stern! Thank you for ruining the best playoff series in years and virtually guaranteeing that the San Antonio Spurs will reach the NBA Finals. This was without a doubt the worst decision you have made in a season chock full of them. When the Spurs meet the Pistons in the Finals, you can be assured that this NBA fan (along with many others) will be tuning out. I'd rather watch paint dry. BRIAN MUSGROVE \o7Moorpark \f7 Dear Gregg Popovich, I understand your team is aging, so let me offer a few ideas on how to beat the young, spry Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals.

Re "Clinton, Obama hit new level of rancor," Jan. 22 I'm bothered, watching former President Clinton battle Barack Obama in South Carolina. This is the "Man From Hope" shooting down the "Audacity of Hope." It's "the first black president" versus what could be the actual first black president. I was 6 when Clinton won his first term, but I vividly recall my excitement every time I heard "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow." I still agree with that idea, which is why I'm voting for Obama.

Re "Politics clouds anti-gang fight," March 10 The picture of smiling politicians along with the headlines regarding the continuing stalemate over what to do about gang violence is so L.A. The same faces appear as they rotate from county to city to state elected posts; meanwhile, the body count continues. You can always count on these politicians to show up with sullen faces at the crime scenes hours later, decrying the violence that they choose not to deal with year after year.

A motorist was killed Saturday in Porter Ranch after he lost control of his vehicle, which rolled over and crashed into a tree at the bottom of a wash, police said. The crash occurred about 5:45 a.m. in the 11600 block of Tampa Avenue, Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Norma Eisenman said. Xavier Gomez, 19, of Northridge was pronounced dead at the scene, Eisenman said. Detectives had initially focused on the possibility that the crash was caused by street racing, but they concluded that Gomez was not racing.

A 55-year-old man was killed after he hit a parked car and then crashed into a tree Saturday, authorities said. The man, who has not been identified, was driving a Ford Crown Victoria west on Rinaldi Street near Wilbur Avenue when he struck a parked Honda Odyssey about 11:15 p.m. Saturday, police said. He then veered off the road and crashed into a tree, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department. The man, who was pronounced dead shortly before 11:30 p.m., had not been wearing a seat belt, police said.