Politically Aware

Re “Plenty of Reasons for a Crowded California,” by Steve Lopez, April 18: At last someone says it all. We are not racists, nor do we have class prejudices if we know why our borders are porous, and that our food comes from farm conglomerates and most of our gardeners and cleaning people need a raise, at the very least.

We need to take some responsibility for things in this country. Lopez in California and former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke in Washington are heroic in setting an example. Most of us can be Web citizens, getting accurate information from The Times and being involved in working on real problems.

Bette Simons

Sherman Oaks