Dear Editor:

I am writing to express total disbelief in a comment made by Toni Atkins regarding the tragic stabbing of the elderly couple in Hillcrest. According to an NBC Channel 7 reporter, Toni Atkins response was, “I believe the city needs to spend more on outreach programs and facilities to help alleviate the problems we are experiencing in Hillcrest.”

Hey Toni… guess what? Because of you and your fellow councilmembers, the city has no money to spend. You personally have cost the city $500,000 + for your legal fees.

I live in Hillcrest, unlike Toni Atkins, and see on an hourly/daily basis the deterioration of this once beautiful and safe community. Maybe we should re-direct the homeless, parolees and indigent over to Toni’s neighborhood so she can see first hand what we deal with daily.

Better yet… why don’t’ we just recall her and elect someone who really knows what is going on, and will make a serious effort to help, not just a sound bite.

Carol Clark

Dear Editor:

Not long ago the newly elected City attorney, Michael Aguirre thanked the SDDC and the GLBT community for our vote, that pushed him into the public office he now is in charge of. Sometime later the subject of a certain private, membership club and it’s operation was aired on public newspapers, He was asked his stand on the issue, he said “NO” that he was not planning to close any bath houses down. As of the present, it seems he has had second thoughts and it will be closed. One reason being (duh) that sex is happening behind their closed doors in their private club for members only. Anyone with any IQ at all, knows that sexual encounters in private setting, rather than in the park, the public restrooms or the alley’s is what it primarily is all about. And the Bath houses are a safe, clean and monitored with safe sex practices, obvious place to go. The same doesn’t go for the sexual encounters at the adult book/video stores, steam rooms in various fitness clubs the parks and public restrooms which don’t promote safe sex practices, educate the patrons or pass out condoms. It appears to me and various friends, that Michael is stabbing the very people who believed in him and shoving us to the side bent on some other adjenda for the purpose of attempting to rescue his own political career. We need to keep our private clubs and private matters between consenting adults out of the public places. Private membership and monitored private clubs are a working and safe environment.

Ted Tichenor