Thoughts on the late Bill Kolender

That’s Pretty Sorry

I read your obituary on Bill Kolender. All you could do was dig up dirt on the poor guy, huh? Matt Potter, that’s pretty sorry.

I’ve lived here for 51 years, and everyone wants to come to San Diego because of the way it was built by those guys.

• John
• via voicemail

A Cop’s Cop

Hell of a good picture of Chief Kolender. He was not only a man’s man, but he was a cop’s cop. This picture epitomizes the old-fashioned cop that any criminal would fear. Thank you, San Diego Reader, for the cover picture of the Chief!

• Adolph Carrera
• El Cajon, CA

How Pathetic

I thought it the utmost disrespect and despicable that the San Diego Reader actually printed Matt Potter’s article regarding Sheriff Kolender only nine days after his death. How pathetic of Potter to reiterate 33-year-old items after Kolender gave so many years to law enforcement, serving the people.

Those in the public eye haven’t much control over floods of gifts and perks sent to them. It wasn’t the first time and probably continues in every nook and cranny. Folks are entitled to opinions — but why, oh why would Potter and the Reader be so insensitive to mention negative items as such, when Mr. Kolender just passed away? Shameful.

• Elizabeth Labadie
• Spring Valley

Ferocious Glee

The cover photo of Bill Kolender brought back memories of the evening the Tac Squad hit UCSD in 1969. A concert in the gym was overrun by high schoolers and other non-UCSD students. The campus cops panicked and called in the SDPD.

I will never forget the ferocious glee with which they were beating students and anyone else unlucky enough to get in their way. It was clear they were eager to catch up with their Berkeley brethren by stomping some liberal-ass students.

I was a resident advisor and managed to get most of my students in and out of harm’s way — but it was a very scary night.

• Marat
• Mira Mesa

A Man in Uniform

I have a question about “The Mobster’s Nephew” by Joe Deegan (October 22). There is a picture of Mary Ann, Frank, and Thelma Bompensiero, and Frank is wearing some sort of uniform. What’s that about? I can’t tell what kind of uniform it is. Some kind of military thing or some kind of police thing? Could you check with Mr. Deegan or Mr. Bompensiero?

• Name withheld
• via voicemail

“[Frank] Bompensiero enlisted in the Army on June 3, 1942, shorty after his gambling arrest, and received an honorable discharge on October 6, 1943.” — From A Bad Bad Boy, by Judith Moore

I Can Tell Him Why

I’d like to comment on a letter you have in the October 22 issue titled “Moving Sidewalks Now.” This person is complaining that the city of La Mesa did not install moving sidewalks when they were putting in new sidewalks downtown, wants to know why.

Well, I can tell him why! Can you imagine what would happen to an unsupervised child who wandered onto a moving sidewalk and got his foot or hand caught in one of those things?

I’m a San Diego taxpayer and I don’t want to be exposed to the threat of millions of dollars in lawsuits. Department stores have escalators, and there are signs there to hold a child’s hand on an escalator. Even with that precaution, children have gotten their feet and toes caught and mangled in escalators before. As a taxpayer, I don’t want to be liable for something like that.

Can you imagine what would happen with a moving sidewalk? The whole idea is ridiculous.

• Name withheld
• via voicemail

Help through Yelp

This is regarding the Yelp controversy (“Yelp Giveth, and Yelp Taketh Away,” October 8 cover story). Hopefully the folks at Yelp are not up to any skullduggery.

I found Yelp to be a really helpful site when I had two really negative experiences two years ago with restaurants in both L.A. and San Diego. The manager of the latter even called me at work and mailed me a $50 gift certificate because the service was so very poor at his restaurant — and because I suspected my ethnicity/race was an issue in my treatment at his establishment.

• Peggy Spates
• via voicemail

Wasting People’s Time

I’ve noticed your articles on the construction in La Mesa, but you’ve mentioned nothing on the horrible trolley situation that prevents me, and probably many others, from doing actual business on that street. It would be very nice if you would include the fact that the trolley spends 8 to 10 out of 60 minutes wasting people’s time in this town. I live there, and it atrocious. That’s why I don’t shop in La Mesa — not the construction.

• Name withheld
• via voicemail

Plenty of Weird News

Nice to see a nearly 3/4-page News of the Weird column in the October 15 issue. It’s typically the cherry on the cake for me.

I look forward to the day when NOTW fills an entire page, as we all know there’s more than enough weird shit going on in the world each week.

• Dan Chusid
• Santee

Stevie Ray with a Better Voice

Dave Good: Joe Bonamassa is my favorite musician. I’m 66 and have been playing and listening to the blues forever. I cannot imagine that you say he “has no true tone to call his own” and has “soul-less shows” (Of Note, October 8).

What would he have to do to show you soul? In my book, he’s Stevie Ray with a far better voice.

Despite your opinion, I guess there must be a few million others, like me, who find him soulful if he’s “becoming a household word” as you say, huh? Or perhaps you just prefer “saucy” hot chick musicians who bring “hormones on full blast meltdown passion”?

Sorry to sound rude, David, but really — opinions are like you-know-what.

• Donna MacKersie
• Imperial Beach