Letters: Another view of the L.A. Community College District trustee races

Re “The community college races,” Endorsement, Feb. 19

Your editorial on the Los Angeles Community College District trustee races was too corrosively negative. You suggest that our elections lack “high-caliber candidates.” While someone like Thomas Jefferson or James Madison will not grace our political culture again, our Board of Trustees races attract people similar to others, no better or worse. Two former college presidents and a highly respected former state assemblyman are currently running.

Far from being “uninformed” about our colleges, hundreds of thousands of voters use our

colleges every year, and three times they have voted to tax themselves to help us rebuild our nine campuses. They understand our value to the community. We now have the highest-quality educational facilities in the state.

You advocate appointing trustees. Would this reform result in greater resources and better facilities? Our California State and University of California systems have appointed governing boards that have acquiesced to draconian fee increases.

You appropriately call district leaders to task for our failings, and we should be careful not to

be reflexively defensive in offering our point of view. But fairness requires that you occasionally editorialize on our successes as well. Otherwise, you contribute to a cynicism that your editorials seek to combat.

Kelly Candaele

Los Angeles

The writer is a Los Angeles Community College District trustee.

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