Letters to the Editor: An outrageous display of racism in La Cañada Flintridge

To the editor: Brian Williams’ piece on racism in La Cañada Flintridge stirred emotions in my husband and me. We are Jewish Caucasians living in the neighboring town of La Crescenta.

Our oldest daughter recently married a Black man, and once they purchased their home in Long Beach, our son-in-law went door-to-door with his bride, introducing himself as the man who owned the home on the block that was recently sold. He wanted to ensure everyone knew he was the new “owner” in order to alleviate any problems they could encounter.

As Jews, we are taught “B’tselem Elohim” — that all humans are created in the image of God. If everyone practiced this teaching, Williams and his family may not have had to face such blatant racism in their La Cañada Flintridge neighborhood.

Please look us up, Mr. Williams; we would be honored to have your family in our La Crescenta neighborhood.

Tina Lowenthal, La Crescenta

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To the editor: I live in France but also own a home in La Cañada Flintridge, and I am appalled by the city’s resistance to income integration. Affordable housing in cities with good public schools in job-rich areas is essential for mitigating the housing crisis and helping break multigenerational poverty.

Since 2019, I’ve been living next to Gif-sur-Yvette, a beautiful city near Paris that’s comparable to La Cañada Flintridge in population, high-income earners, good schools and some of the region’s priciest homes.

But Gif has logements sociaux — “social housing” for low- and moderate-income families. Lots of it. Of Gif’s nearly 10,000 dwellings, 2,900 apartments are social housing.

Gif is not alone. Nearly two-thirds of French municipalities in areas with housing stress are on track to achieve 25% social housing by 2025, due to France’s Solidarity and Urban Renewal (SRU) laws. Lagging municipalities are not off the hook.

Affordable housing in La Cañada Flintridge would be a positive, community-based response to California’s housing crisis and the nationwide problem of gross economic inequality and lack of opportunity. The city should get over itself.

Lisa Novick, Bures-sur-Yvette, France