Problem

Last week's party primary could be the last state election for quite some time in which a Democratic front-runner like Jerry Brown can secure an issues-free ride to the general election by using his fundraising prowess to scare off opponents, or in which a Republican front-runner like Meg Whitman need only dominate the airwaves and repeat platitudes that cater to her conservative base to win a spot in the final. In the future, things may be different, and that is due to the wisdom of voters in passing Proposition 14 — and to the commitment of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado to putting the measure on the June 8 ballot and spreading the word about its importance.

Ford Motor Co. will recall more than 484,000 Escape sport utility vehicles internationally including 421,000 in the U.S. because of a problem that can cause the gas pedal to stick. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe of the problem this month after it noted 68 complaints, including 13 accidents, nine injuries and one fatality. The issues affect Escapes from the 2001 through 2004 model years that are left-hand drive and with the 3.0-liter V-6 engine.

Bill Cosby did a disservice to dyslexic people with the show he presented on Oct. 19 in which Theo was diagnosed as having dyslexia. The show minimized the condition and made light of the problem that Theo had. We need to focus attention and action on dyslexia. We need sincere concern. Dyslexia affects at least 15% of the population. As a reading professional who is also the mother of a dyslexic son, I can assure you that the problem is not solved quickly and easily, as was the case with Theo.

While it's true that latchkey children are a problem for the public libraries, Thomas Omestad's article (July 12) seems deliberately inflammatory. The public library is , and will continue to be, a delightful place for youngsters; not, as Mr. Omestad would have us believe, a dangerous arena. I have complete faith that caring librarians will solve the problem of latchkey children without the fuss that Mr. Omestad seems bent on stirring up. SUE ALEXANDER Canoga Park

Societal change usually happens slowly, even once it's clear there's a problem. That's because, in a country as big as the United States, public opinion moves in leisurely currents. Change often requires going up against powerful, established interests, and it can take decades for those currents to erode the foundations of our special-interest fortresses. Think civil rights, gay marriage, equal rights for women. Even facing undeniably real problems - say, discrimination against gay people - one can make the case that gradual change is the best option.

I come from a Third World country, Pakistan, and have been in the United States for a year now. The thing that has shocked me the most during this period has been the plight of the homeless. I never expected this problem in a country that gives aid to millions around the world. FAUZIA JAMAL KHAN Tustin

The difference in color is not the problem. The problem is the lack of respect for that difference by warped, uneducated minds. LYDIA SMILEY San Diego

So, OK, the first problem with Nicole Richie's second novel, "Priceless," is that you took, or mistook, actually, its opening chapters — setting up the tale of an American princess recently returned from Parisian exile to her handsome, devoted Wall Street king of a father — as a promise of an update on Jacqueline Susann's "Once Is Not Enough. " So, OK, this isn't the book's problem. This is your problem. And even so, would it have been fair to expect Richie to concoct something as bananas as Susann's Electra-complex-to-the-max soap?