Resignation of Chief Gates

Melanie Lomax has served on the Police Commission for just a few short, critical months and I believe we owe her a vote of gratitude. Her forthright manner and direct confrontation of ineptitude and wrong-doing in the police department following the Rodney King incident helped to move these matters to center stage and to focus attention on the limitations of the oversight powers residing in the Police Commission vis-a-vis those of the City Council. As a litigation lawyer, she may not have been schooled in the jargon of politicians, but those of us who witnessed her recent interviews heard an articulate, idealistic woman who has served the public interest.

Her prompt resignation from the Police Commission in order to comply with the recommendations of the Christopher Commission is further evidence of her willingness to serve the public. If there is no place for her in the halls of politics, then we citizens are the losers.

SYLVIA T. HOROWITZ

Pasadena