Letters: Lighten up, El Monte

Re “El Monte lifeguards still in the deep end,” Sept. 20

This was my impression of El Monte: It is the town where novelist James Ellroy’s mother was murdered in 1958, and it was the subject of an amusing song by Llyn Foulkes and the Rubber Band in the 1970s.

Comes now a young, exuberant crew of lifeguards who enjoy their jobs, doing absolutely no harm and entertaining more than 1.5 million people worldwide. You can’t buy that kind of positive publicity. And Mayor Andre Quintero’s response? “Our brand as a city has taken a big hit.”

What Quintero has demonstrated is that El Monte’s leadership has zero sense of humor and a subzero understanding of what makes a town thrive. So, Mr. Mayor, you and your City Council can go back to representing the site of a 54-year-old cold case and a silly song, or you can put a little Gangnam Style into your attitude and lead the dance.

Lighten up.

Amélie Frank

Lake Balboa

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