Public servants and the purse strings

Re “Knotty questions over nonprofit’s family ties,” Nov. 16

Some follow-up questions concerning the article on state Board of Equalization member Bill Leonard: How much is his deputy, Barbara Alby, paid? Just wondering why she needs to augment her salary. Was she on state time or vacation when she arranged the event discussed in the article? How many additional employees who work exclusively for Leonard do taxpayers foot the bill for, and what are their salaries? And how does a board member’s personal staffing compare with, let’s say, 20 years ago?

Josef Colman

Santa Monica

What has happened to our so-called public servants? We used to think of government corruption as confined to Washington; now, thanks to more sources of media exposure, we see blatant corruption and less-than-honest behavior from elected representatives from Washington to our backyards.

How much more abuse are the American people going to tolerate?

Woody McBreairty

West Hollywood