Dear Editor:

After driving down Rives Avenue one day and seeing a new pillar reading "Orange Estates" I, too, like Mr. Rodriguez could not believe my eyes!

I have lived in Downey my entire life and although I know different areas of our city are referred to by various names, I was shocked that we were now labeling those areas. Or is it only one area we are labeling? I haven't noticed this type of signage anywhere else in our city. I agree with Mr. Rodriguez that we should be known as Downey collectively. 

It is unfathomable to me that we have to waste our hard-earned city dollars by placing a sign in front of an area of houses. Not to mention the fact that the sign is adjacent to a boarded up house in bad need of attention. 

I would like to know who approved this type of poor choice for wasting our tax dollars. Are we going to start putting up "Yankey Circle" or "South Downey" or other things? I did not vote for this type of signage.

I believe I will begin to attend the City Council meetings so that I can see exactly what is going on and who is in charge of this flagrant waste of the taxpayers' hard-earned money. Downey is Downey, not "Orange Estates", etc.

It makes me sad to think that this is what our city has become, a city of segregated areas instead of our community.

Julie Bliss
Downey