Mailbag

I was at the Glendale Homeowners Coordination Council forum. Quintero was asked whether he supports a voucher system. He clearly and unequivocally said "yes." But that's not all. He later went on to discuss his voucher position at greater length and explained his support for vouchers by claiming to be a "reform candidate" who will try "anything that's going to challenge the status quo" ("Teachers rally against Quintero," May 6).

I can't imagine how Cornell could have heard the exact opposite of the answer that I and everyone else in the room heard. And in fact, anyone who missed the forum can see and hear Quintero's actual responses by visiting www.teachersagainst vouchers.com.

If Quintero made a mistake, why didn't he just say he meant "no" instead of "yes"? Instead, he struggled to explain why he supports vouchers.

And, if it is true, as he claimed days later, that he made a mistake by confusing "vouchers" with "intra-district transfers," can he really still claim with a straight face to know anything at all about public education?

DAN RITEY

Sherman Oaks

Candidate was missing in action

Paul Krekorian, candidate for California Assembly, claims loyal service to the Democratic Party and active opposition to the Iraq War.

As a member of the Democratic State Central Committee and a Burbank resident, I challenge both claims. In the fall of 2004, I volunteered full time with the campaign to unseat George W. Bush. I got to know the major Democratic activists in my area. I only saw Krekorian once during the campaign.

It was at the opening of the Glendale Democratic headquarters, where he publicly spoke of an active Democratic Party in Burbank. As I had been desperately looking for any type of Burbank Democratic organization, this was quite a surprise. I sent him no less than five e-mails and asked about the Burbank Democrats. He did not answer any of my e-mails. I never found any Democratic group in Burbank. The Kerry-Edwards campaign and the 43rd Assembly District Democratic Committee could not find a Burbank Democratic group either. They asked me to organize the precinct captains in Burbank, even though my primary qualification was merely a burning desire to unseat Bush. I sure could have used the help of an established Burbank Democratic Party.