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To the editor:You have to hand it to the gutsy City Council: when a tough issue comes its way, it is not afraid to meet it head on with all the intellectual and aesthetic will it can muster. To wit, the decision to switch to black and white police cars. One can certainly understand the concern of mayorbloom that blue and white seemed old, tired and dated. Black and white definitely gives that new, zippy and even, dare I say it, post-postmodern look for which the Council strives (see the police station and the new public library as examples). As for Chief Butts, he is certainly entitled and qualified to offer his opinion, and it is an opinion I respect. But opinionating is not reasoning, and what he offers as reasons in his letter in the Mirror (March 23-29, p. 11)…are not. That most California cities have black and white cars is certainly not a reason we need them. That a tourist has mistaken a police car for a taxi also is not a reason to change the color scheme; if anything, it’s a reason to keep it. How refreshing it is that someone was actually drawn to a police car and, thus, to the officer inside! Why do we want citizens to fear our police? All involved begged the question on that one. Ron Di CostanzoSanta Monica* * * *Dear Editor:It seems that we have an irresponsible majority in Congress who cares next to nothing about the citizens of this nation—their abiding interest is helping industry make a profit even at the expense of the health and welfare of the consumers.The billion-dollar oil industry continues to receive incentives that give them more profit; but they do not pass on these savings to consumers. Gasoline prices just continue to rise.The Republican majority of a Senate committee approved a bill that would favor insurance companies by drastically lowering the health benefits of consumers. The bill would nullify state laws that require policies to cover such basic requirements as maternity benefits, diabetics’ supplies, mammograms and second opinions.AND, the House just passed a bill last week that will prevent the states from posting warning notices in grocery stores about toxins in certain foods. Consumers will lose the right to have even such vital information as the level of mercury in fish.The only way to rectify this appalling situation is to elect more caring and responsive Senators and Representatives. Sincerely,Esther Jaffe KaplinskyBrentwood* * * *Re: “Council Erodes SM Quality Of Life” by Jeffrey WeinsteinThe incentive zone that the author refers to fits very well with the influx of business jets at Santa Monica Airport (SMO). Jet traffic has grown from 1,000 to 18,000 operations since 1983. Is it a coincidence that there was a more than double growth spurt in jet operations at SMO from 1990 to 1993 when, according to Jeffrey Weinstein, the City Council created an incentive zone for the film production and entertainment industry? (There is no available data for the years 1991 and 1992). Another concentrated growth spot for film and tech-related businesses is Colorado Boulevard. It began soon after 1984 and the arrival of the commuter jets at SMO. Though the City of Santa Monica claims that it makes no money from operating the airport, clearly it has a vested interest in the business it has received since the influx of the jetsetters.Clearly, the floodgates have been opened. The question is: can the City clean up the mess?Martin Rubin – Director of Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution