Carl Washington

Regarding Assemblyman Carl Washington’s (D-Paramount) deciding vote in the Assembly Labor Committee to extend smoking in bars, July 10:

Out of the mouths of babes, or freshman Assembly members, in this case. Washington has shown how votes are traded, even against personal convictions. Trading votes isn’t just illegal, it’s immoral, especially when the health of thousands of California bar workers is at stake.

H.M. NACHENBERG

Ventura

* By voting in favor of the tobacco industry’s bill to delay the ban on smoking in bars, Washington not only broke the law, he voted to increase the state’s expenditures on health care, to increase the number of people who develop respiratory diseases (i.e., pneumonia and bronchitis) and to decrease the life expectancy of thousands of people. Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren should prosecute Washington for both illegally trading votes and jeopardizing the health of millions of Californians.

MARK J. CHEKAL

West Hollywood

* I am surprised that this being a country of choice no one has come up with the idea of smoking and no-smoking bars. Thus giving staff a choice to work in either. Let’s face it, smoking will not go away by outlawing it--remember Prohibition.

JOHN McGUINESS

Los Angeles