Headlines Where???

We enjoyed your "10 Censored Stories" in the April 30 edition. Why is it that the so-called main media press cannot or did not include such stories? Talk about "controlled press." We certainly have it in Santa Cruz county. We have to probe deeply to find anything worthwhile in our local newspaper. I believe this is true in almost all of the nation''s papers. Everything is controlled for fear of having the government literally fall apart--and this includes both political parties.

Two of the 10 censored stories that I particularly liked were number 8, about the "National I.D. Card," that our friendly government wants to slip over on us. Another was the "Nerve gas disposal in Oregon" (number 10). Wow, the things our government hides from its citizens is really spooky. And I just heard over the radio that this so-called "Gulf War illness" was invented by us and they even gave the number of the patent and the person who invented this horrible disease that our veterans and their families are suffering from.

What can we do about our runaway government, but throw the bums out, and start over anew, from our Constitution and Bill of Rights on. Let''s start out using only the truth. Now, how''s that for a refreshing thought?

ROBERT HALLAM

APTOS

Robbing Peter

I certainly do enjoy Coast Weekly. Your articles are interesting and enlightening, the best paper around.

I have a request to make. I would like to see the same spread for Peter Frusetta that you gave Alan Styles >(Coast Weekly, April 30).

After reading what Styles had to say about himself, I could not in all honesty vote for him. One would think the poor Hispanic people would tire of politicians who use them for their own personal ambition and gain.

Peter Frusetta has done well for the people that voted him in office. He is a kind man and does not manipulate his people. I do not know him personally but have heard him in debates. I believe he is honest and forthright and that is a rare thing today. I see no reason for a change and I hope others feel this way also.

MARY UVODICH

SALINAS

Teen Moms

From my perspective as a new grandfather, your May 7 article on "Teen Moms" hit right home. I was shocked when I learned that my 14-year-old daughter was pregnant, and amazed when it became clear she had the "right" to have and keep a baby of which she was financially and emotionally incapable of raising.

Some guy from some program came to the house to show her charts on fetal development. MediCal paid for weekly visits to the doctor, and WIC even kicked in with some peanut butter, juice, and cereal.

Maybe I''m a bit harsh, but it seems to me like a baby deserves, or possibly even has the "right" to be brought into this overpopulated world by parents who are, at the very least, able to take care of it without leaning on welfare, WIC, MediCal, or grandparents. Possibly even by parents who are old enough to get driver''s licenses. I would prefer to have my tax dollars going into more innovative programs directed towards prevention rather than a system that perpetuates, enables, and encourages a subculture of teeny boppers pushing baby carriages without even a dim awareness that there''s a whole lot more to parenting than changing diapers. It all seems a bit preposterous in a world of shrinking resources that will double in population in the next 40 years.

JOEL GUSTAFSON

SALINAS

TOT for You and Me

The Monterey City Council has been asked to put an initiative on the November ballot that will increase the Transient Occupancy Tax (hotel/motel room tax) by one half percent (.5 percent) in order to fund arts and historic projects. It is imperative that our elected city officials recognize the necessity and impact of the arts on our children. We urge them to complement the importance they place on sports and physical well-being with at least an equal emphasis on the arts and cultural resources.

The city of Monterey has a $2 million dollar recreation budget (that''s six zeroes, folks), and voters in November could choose to balance the scales considerably by adding fifty cents per $100 hotel room, thereby creating a projected $500,000 in revenues allocated to supporting arts and history projects.

The advantages of such a proposal?: Upwards of half a million dollars dedicated to the arts without a dime coming out of resident''s pockets. The downside?: There simply isn''t any. Don''t believe the hotel industry for a second when they cry about hurting their tourist business; the occupancy rates around here are soaring, and it would be nonsensical to believe anyone refusing to come to Monterey because its citizens wish to offer better access to local visual and performing arts, cultural events, artist grants and training programs, historic site acquisition, etcetera. Beyond that, Monterey has the lowest room tax around.

The only thing we need right now is for the City Council to place the initiative on the November ballot at their May 19 session. That''s it. No approval, no agreement, nothing; just place it on the ballot and allow the voters to decide.

Don''t we the people have the right?

MORGAN CHRISTOPHER

MONTEREY

Support TOT Increase

Pssst! Wanna buy the State Theater?

You really can, you know.

The Monterey Action Coalition (MAC) is circulating petitions to place on the November ballot an Arts and Historic Resources Initiative. It proposes to raise the hotel room tax by one half percent (about 50 cents per room) and use the new revenues to fund arts and historic preservation projects in Monterey.

The historic State Theater, of course, is the perfect poster child for this initiative. United Artists wants to sell it, and the State Theater Preservation Group wants to buy it. STPG has labored for years on a plan to restore the building to its former splendor, then make it pay its way as a performing arts center, movie house, and civic auditorium. While substantial funds have been raised, more are needed, and this is where the Arts and Historic Resources Initiative can help.

On May 19, the Monterey City Council will debate whether it wants to support this important community effort by placing it directly before the voters in November.

Since the State Theater''s restoration and use as a performing arts center is one of the specific economic strategies in Monterey''s General Plan, I would expect that the Council will welcome and support MAC''s ballot initiative.

For information on where you can sign the petition, please call 648-7MAC.

WALTER KEINTZEL

MONTEREY

Lucky''s Expansion

I am really sorry that former Pacific Grove City Council member Terrence Zito decided to dispute my statement at the City Council meeting, where I confirmed that sales tax net collection has increased by only 2 percent through the third quarter of this year. Mr. Zito was misinformed in thinking that the most recent figures were from third quarter 1997, when he said sales tax collection only increased by 1.7 percent. The attached document obtained from the city, includes sales tax figures to date (third quarter 1998) and reflects a 2.07% increase.

The Chamber supports the expansion for the following reasons:

&bul; The expansion is within the approved Country Club Gate Center land use and development plan.

&bul; Eighty percent of the trees to be removed suffer from pitch canker or are already dead.

&bul; Every tree removed will be replaced with two trees, according to the Landscaping Site Plan.

To financially survive, Pacific Grove must compete and stop the leakage of business to Sand City. The expansion will create 40 new and much-needed jobs for youth and second-income families. With the Granary Market closing this July, and the opening of Whole Foods at Del Monte Center, it is common business sense to upgrade Lucky''s by providing new, exciting alternatives in The Last Hometown.

The Chamber supports sustainable growth.

MOE AMMAR

PRESIDENT, PG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Yes on 224

A recent independent investigative report in the Sacramento Bee uncovered that over 224 California bridges have bad welds of reinforcing steel, a number of them in the Bay Area. The report discovered serious safety flaws in what were supposed to be earthquake-strengthening projects throughout the state. What''s worse is a number of the defective welds are not being replaced and those that are being done so are paid for by taxpayers, not the engineers responsible for the shoddy work. To make matters worse, these projects have been awarded through a non-competitive bidding process--engineering firms contribute campaign funds and then receive big state contracts.

Taxpayers For Competitive Bidding, a diverse coalition was concerned about the safety of our bridge and highway projects as well as the waste of taxpayers'' money for shoddy work, and placed Proposition 224 on the June ballot to correct this. Proposition 224 requires state government contracts for engineering services to be awarded through competitive bidding, and holds contractors responsible for their work. It also requires that an impartial cost analysis determine if contracts are cost effective before they are awarded.

Proposition 224 will end the spoils system. Under Prop. 224, before a state contract for engineering, surveying, or related services is awarded, an impartial cost analysis would be performed by the state''s Chief Financial Officer, the State Controller. If the contract would be cost-effective (compared to having state engineers do the work), then it would be awarded to a qualified firm through competitive bidding. Vote Yes on Proposition 224!

BRUCE BLANNING

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

TAXPAYERS FOR COMPETITIVE BIDDING