Tustin

I find your statement curious that "cities ought not to take official positions on issues that are already covered by federal law," ("Reason Prevails at Tustin City Hall," April 7). Of course, this comment insinuates that cities "ought" only to concern themselves with potholes and parking tickets. Oddly enough, The Times did not heed its own counsel when it wholeheartedly endorsed Irvine's "human rights" ordinance that bestowed special privileges to a group of citizens based on their sexual preference.

In the long run, there are two things vital to our Orange County future: that we provide equal educational opportunity for children and that we live in harmony as good neighbors. Both are endangered by the shortsightedness of some city of Tustin and South County decision-makers. Nine years ago, the Rancho Santiago Community College District proposed a public benefit transfer of property at the soon-to-be decommissioned Tustin Marine Corps Air Facility. Of that property, 120 acres are within the district.

Your (July 9) article regarding the rescue in Tustin was clearly biased against Operation Rescue. You, and many others, persist in calling Operation Rescue militant. According to Webster, "militant" means "engaged in warfare" or "aggressively active." Neither is true of Operation Rescue. Singing, praying, sitting and going limp cannot be construed as aggressive by any stretch of the definition. You also called the demonstration "boisterous" and said the two sides "taunted one another."

Is the educational future of our community in the hands of elected officials, the decision-makers or the courts? The decommissioned Tustin Marine Corps Air Facility land is much needed to build schools and colleges by our community. The courts probably will have to settle yet another discrimination educational issue. While the city of Tustin knows that the land is very valuable and important for commercial development, it is also partly in the Rancho Santiago Community College and Santa Ana Unified School districts, which are overcrowded with 66,000 students in need of schools to receive an education.

Your pro and con letters (April 22) on the Tustin Marine Corps Helicopter Air Station all missed the primary objection to this Marine country club. None pointed out that very few of the Marines assigned to that station actually work there. It is, unfortunately, true that helicopter crews must pass over the heads of the Irvine, Tustin, Orange and Anaheim residents on their way to and from work. You see, there is no area in Orange County where they can perform practice combat flying, and they are a combat station, the same as El Toro.

The recent article "Davis Vetoes Tustin Base Bill" (Sept. 28) was a disappointment for Tustin, as well as many [other] public entities in the region. The veto of SB 2117, a bill that would have allowed the city to move forward in developing basic infrastructure improvements at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station, places the reuse plan in jeopardy and will make it difficult for any entity to use the property. Infrastructure is essential in moving forward with a reuse plan, regardless of current local land-use negotiations.