ID, residency shouldn’t play into charity offerings...

ID, residency shouldn’t

play into charity offerings

I believe that requiring a person to show identification in order

to receive charity is wrong (“Lord’s Kitchen now requires ID for

food,” Saturday). True charity aims to help those in need, and the

most needy may not have identification, and indeed may not be

residents of Glendale. If the goal of the Salvation Army is to feed

the hungry, borders are irrelevant. Thank the Lord that the Good

Samaritan believed in helping a person in need, and not only those

from his own town.

LINDA STREETER

La Canada

ID requirement not thought through completely

Your article on the Lord’s Kitchen needs some explanation from the

Salvation Army, and I hope the Glendale News-Press pursues this and

finds the real reason behind their bizarre behavior and convoluted

reasoning; which must have General Booth and his wife spinning in

their graves (“Lord’s Kitchen now requires ID for food,” Saturday).

Why should the Army ask the destitute, or a vagrant, to produce

identification for a meal they are not providing? The cost of the

these hot meals, and the labor to cook and deliver, is borne by the

various churches and the Salvation Army is providing the place to

serve them. So why is the tail wagging the dog?

I am a member of St. Marks Episcopal Church, which has supported

this program for many years. I am just a parishioner; but I spoke to

the lady who runs our program, and she told me that last Friday they

took 60-plus hot meals to be served, only to find just nine people to

be fed. What a waste.

Did Salvation Army Capt. Jim Sloan and his people discuss what

they had in mind to the nine churches involved in this? I wonder.

Listen to the reasons given.

1)Their $1.3 million budget comes from this area. Many who come

are from far away. Really? Who believes that? If the churches do not

mind who they feed at their cost, why should the Salvation Army?

2)They want to steer the “homeless” into their new case-management

program run by a clinical psychologist. (Having hired one she must be

given power).

Let the Salvation Army get back to it’s roots, with it’s feet back

on the ground, and an understanding of the people they are dealing

with.

Valid identification for derelicts, the mentally ill, etc., what a

ridiculous idea!

If Capt. Sloan and company want to walk away from feeding the

homeless program, he should have to fortitude to say so and skip the

clinical case management mirage.

These are street people, not capable college graduates.

FRANK W. BUNKELL

Glendale

General Growth up

to old tricks again

Superior Court Judge Robert O’Brien must realize that General

Growth is pulling the same tricks to stop any retail competitor

(“Judge knocks Americana off course,” Friday). Look what General

Growth tried to do to Evergreen Walk. For more than two years, they

spent millions to block the construction of Evergreen Walk.

Justice won, and now that development is completed. Americana at

Brand developer Rick Caruso has stated that the Americana would

generate $109 million in gross-tax revenue for the city over 30

years, and that is already one year late thanks to General Growth.

ROLAND MCGHIE

Glendale

City is to blame for money-losing debacle

Well, well. What have we here? Yet another glitch in the “it’s

going to be just wonderful” Americana at Brand/Town Center/Caruso’s

Folly -- whatever you want to call it. (“Judge knocks Americana off

course,” Friday.) Our illustrious City Council has done it to us

again. Just how generous are we, the taxpaying residents of Glendale?

So now, because the City Council jumped the gun and didn’t give it

proper thought and study, we are faced with another huge expenditure

(court costs and lawyers fees, loss of tax revenues, etc.) fighting

over whether or not old Fire Station 21 and the Pacific Bell Building

are to remain unscathed.

We’ve already spent a million dollars on this matter alone and

will probably be spending that much or more before it’s all over --

plus it may just be that the preservationists will win anyway. All

that money down the drain! Just think what we could have done with it

-- maybe even pave some of the streets that really need it, and I

don’t mean Brand Boulevard, either.

Why wasn’t this settled before the demolition of tax-paying

businesses was allowed? Everybody knew there was a serious question

as to whether these historic buildings would or should be protected.

Gone are Union Oil, Rite Aid, Big Five, Just Tires and others that

would have continued to add to the city’s coffers while they were

operating. But no, we have to go full-steam ahead, right into a train

wreck, and tear everything down so we can prove to developer Rick

Caruso how grateful we are that he’s accepting our real estate. The

legal expenses are not being paid by Caruso. This, dear taxpayers, is

our problem. It’s also your money.

Obviously, the City Council and the other city agencies made a

terrible mistake here, razing tax-producing structures without

considering the consequences. However, our City Manager, Jim

Starbird, basically blames General Growth for the court’s decision to

halt demolition while historic preservation is decided. Starbird, in

case you aren’t aware of it, General Growth (through the Galleria)

pays the city of Glendale a bundle each year in tax revenues.

Never, never bite the hand that feeds you.

Accept the blame, gentlemen. It is yours.

SHEILA FARRELL MURRAY

Glendale