Gordon deserves to be mayor

If we want these programs to stay alive, we are going to need to be proactive, as it is very likely that the city administration will state that we simply can’t afford it without further cuts to safety personnel.

Don’t let this fool you. The reality is, this is the same administration who last year planned for and this year wrote employee bonus checks in the amount of $1.1 million — an amount that could have easily funded all Youth Task Force programs for four years.

Steve Ferguson

Burbank

Editor’s note: Ferguson is chairman of Burbank’s Park, Recreation and Community Services Board.

Eliminating Prop. 13 would hurt seniors

After reading Gerry Rankin’s op-ed (“Past Brown-era tax law is not sacrosanct,” Feb. 11), I have a suggestion for him.

Why doesn’t he offer to help pay his neighbor’s taxes if he is that well set in his life and he’s so embarrassed. The majority of seniors benefiting from Proposition 13 are not that well off. Most of them would lose their hard-earned homes if this tax was removed and would probably have to go on welfare, which would increase the state’s deficit.

I dare to say that Rankin’s taxes would hit a high note also. Proposition 13 is a safeguard for all homeowners in that you cannot have your taxes increased more than 2% per year. Without it, assessed tax values could go sky high, and most people could not afford to keep their homes.

I think Gov. Jerry Brown realizes that to stop Proposition 13, he would have so many homes in foreclosure he wouldn't know where to turn.

Luella Noonan

Burbank

Gabel-Luddy a good fit for council

Burbank is very fortunate to have extremely qualified candidates for the City Council positions.

Emily Gabel-Luddy is the one candidate I am most familiar with.

I first became aware of her while I was the board secretary of the Los Angeles Police Commission and she was a hearing examiner with the Los Angeles Planning Department.

Later I observed her demeanor while attending Planning Department hearings in both Los Angeles and Burbank.

I found Gabel-Luddy to be extremely talented, always prepared and extremely concerned about problems of citizens appearing before her in both cities.

Based upon these observations, I would not hesitate to recommend her for the City Council.

William Cowdin

Burbank