Planning for Working Families

* The pieces by Larry Cuban and David Friedman and the interview with Miguel Contreras in the Jan. 31 Opinion section speak eloquently to the overarching problems facing our region and state and, separately, to the range of answers we must grapple with.

Cuban’s argument for housing support is accurate but doesn’t go far enough--the federal government must provide housing vouchers for the millions of families who live in inadequate shelter, as well as investment in low-income housing infrastructure. Only this investment provides the long-term stability that poorer neighborhoods need. Friedman’s analysis of the widening income gap in the Silicon Valley provides a view into the processes that ultimately create the poor neighborhoods (and schools) that Cuban addresses. Both these pieces deal with the results that stem from a lack of foresight and political will on the part of our elected officials. Finally, the interview with Contreras gives us insight into what leadership looks like when it focuses on people at the base--in their homes and workplaces.

A combination of community development and labor activism supported by enlightened elected officials is a force with the potential of leading this region and state into a new century that could see our upcoming population surge become an economic surge as well.

JAN BREIDENBACH, Exec. Dir.

Southern California Assn.

of Non-Profit Housing

Los Angeles

*

Friedman’s talk about “the dark side” of Silicon Valley ventures a bit too deeply into the land of conspiracy theory. He’s right in saying that unskilled laborers from the Third World can have a hard time landing jobs as programmers. It’s also true that Silicon Valley is an expensive place for immigrants to live. And maybe city planners in that area favor high-tech over unskilled manufacturing industry. But every city has a right to make choices about the zoning and quality of life for its people.

Friedman’s initial premise is false. You don’t judge the worth of an industry or region based on whether it offers “enough” jobs to immigrants. The standard should be, are we treating all of our citizens fairly?

TIM TRUBY

Los Angeles