Funds for DNC

* Re “Convention Gets City’s $4 Million at a Price,” June 24: I am outraged that our City Council would make what amounts to a partisan political contribution to the Democratic National Committee with taxpayer money.

Proponents argue that their convention will bring millions of dollars worth of business to Los Angeles. That argument would work if we were in the process of trying to entice the DNC to come to L.A. The fact is that they have already decided on L.A. and those millions would have come in anyway. The difference now is that we’ll be able to subtract our City Council’s contribution from the bottom line while the DNC will be able to preserve that same amount to promote their candidates. Mayor Richard Riordan can do whatever he wants with his money, but the City Council should be limited to nonpolitical, nonpartisan city business with mine. Anything else I consider to be criminal abuse of power.

WILLIAM COOK

Sherman Oaks

*

Let me see if I understand this: The Democrats don’t want citizens who are not members of the party to vote in the Democratic primary, but they do want citizens who are not members of the party to pay for the Democratic convention?

MICHAEL A. LeBUTT

Irvine

*

If the U.S. had a healthy political system, Los Angeles and Philadelphia would not have to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to protect the political establishment from the American people!

DOUGLAS A. MASON

Irvine