Re “$31.5M to be paid in starvation death of child, 11” (Dec. 12): The incompetence of so many government employees in our city and county is astounding. From law enforcement officers allowing or causing deaths in detention to social workers who ignore child abuse to teachers who fail to report children who are suffering, lawsuits are devastating San Diego.

And don’t get me started on all the real estate blunders the City Council has made (101 Ash, anyone?). It is no wonder the city has a chronic budget problem!

— Alan Gaines, Little Italy