Salute to the staff
Dear ER:
On Sunday June 28, the City of Manhattan Beach and the City’s Parks & Rec Commission hosted a first time “Salute to the Troops Picnic and Concert” in Polliwog park. On behalf of the commission, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Parks & Rec staff and the event sponsors, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Chevron, First Command Financial Services, Kinecta FCU, Re/Max Estate Properties, The Pipkin Family, Luther Burbank Savings and all other sponsors. Most importantly, we would like to thank and salute our veterans and current members of the military for your service and sacrifice to our country.
Steve Rothans, chair
Manhattan Beach Parks & Recreation Commission
Banish thinking
Dear ER
There’s so much more to the issue of short time rentals than Manhattan Beach’s city council took the time to review (“Evicted,” ER June 25, 2015). I’ll be shocked if local business owners in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach don’t make a huge fuss over the council’s short-sighted decision. Visitors to Manhattan Beach rarely drive. Most eat, drink and shop at our local grocery stores and shops for the duration of their stay. Councilman David Lesser was the only one who had an open mind and realized how much will be lost by the ban on short-term rentals.
Robert Reyes
Website comment
Teacher does as teacher taught
Dear ER:
One of my responsibilities as a public school educator was not only teaching America’s history, but also passing on the ideals, traditions, laws, and values we inherited from our Founders. I always ended up telling my students that when they became the grownups it would be important for them to speak up if they saw something unfair.
It is from this perspective that I now must speak up against what has gone wrong in the recent Redondo Beach City Council District Three runoff election (“Nafissi to bring lawsuit following Horvath’s Redondo Beach District 3 Victory,” ER June 4, 2015).
The way the votes were received and counted first caught my attention. I was concerned that there didn’t seem to be a process for securing the ballots after the first count was completed. It occurred to me that anyone who had access could enter the city offices and tamper with the votes. Sure enough, there may have possibly been some apparent mishandling of the ballots, which may have resulted in inaccurate election results. The people of Redondo Beach need to be guaranteed that the democratic process is preserved by fair and accurate election practices. I’m calling for a thorough examination of the recent mail-in, drop-off election procedures in Redondo and for reforms to be put in place to prevent any chance of election fraud.
Barbara Epstein
Redondo Beach
Don’t blame drivers
Dear ER:
Turning from Harbor Drive heading south onto Marina Way is an accident waiting to happen “New Redodo Beach Green Bike Path,” ERNews.com video). There’s a right turn arrow for cars and a crossing signal for pedestrians, bicycles. The problem is many bicyclists and skateboarders ignore the crossing signal when it’s red and just barrel through the intersection as cars are turning right on a green arrow. Bicyclists, skateboarders, and pedestrians need to obey the traffic signals as well. This needs to be enforced, or someone will get hit and it will not be due to bad drivers.
Steve Morgan
Website comment
Something good in Redondo
Dear ER:
How could anyone say that this is a waste of money (“New Redodo Beach Green Bike Path,” ERNews.com video)? As a homeowner in South Redondo, this is the first thing I have seen done right. For years Redondo has been cut off from the rest of the South Bay because of that wall between Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. Now we get The Strand traffic that will drive business in the marina and bring a more positive element. The issue with the cars might require some small adjustments in the near future but I cannot believe everyone doesn’t support this.
Brendan Lavelle
Website comment
Pay up or shut up
Dear ER:
This isn’t a hard one to figure out, people, so make up your minds (Hermosa Beach sewer fee opponents rally,” ER June 18, 2015). The city is in a bad financial situation, exacerbated by the oil judgement against the city. Buildings can’t be repaired, infrastructure can’t be improved, and payroll is guaranteed to increase. So, either you find a new revenue stream for improvements (oil? I guess not..Increasing taxes? Congratulations, that’s why we’re here) or cut back city services. Say hello to poorly maintained streets and other infrastructure and the possibility of outsourcing city services, such as police and fire. You can’t ask for premium services if you can’t afford it. That’s typical of Small Town, USA. They want the best but can’t pay for it. Look at Hermosa’s attitude has always been “not in my backyard.” Something’s gotta give and if you’re not willing to pay for it, it won’t be happening.
Alex Abdalla
Website comment
Sue losers
Dear ER:
I am pulling myself away from my mirror long enough to respond to Miyo Prassas’s letter discussing my Narcissistic Personality Disorder (“Nit Wit, Letters ER June 25, 2015). Prassas’s boasts that she was one of the 30 members of the group that sued the Hermosa Beach School District over the 2002 bond Measure J, but then claims she should not be held accountable as a member of that group. She demands that the district be held financially accountable, but her group continues its refusal to pay the district the court-ordered costs of the lawsuit. She refers to her group as a grassroots movement as though it had broad community support, but then admits it was a tiny group of no more than 30 neighbors (about two-tenths of one percent of Hermosa – more like an astroturf than a grassroots movement). She repeats the canard that the project was over budget before its plans were final, casually ignoring the fact that plans are a prerequisite to establishing a budget. And having been a part of the group that brought the lawsuit to enjoin construction, Prassas now says the School Board should have ignored the lawsuit and started construction, which begs the question of why they brought the suit to begin with.
Despite my objection to her continual spreading of misinformation, I do have to applaud her correction of a mistake I made in my letter: I had mistakenly said that the 2004 lawsuit she and her tiny group brought against the school district cost the district $1 million and she pointed out the total was closer to $1.5 million, I checked and according to the report of the oversight group the total was about $1.85 million. All this so that Prassas and her neighbors wouldn’t have to endure the discomfort from a construction project.
There was also the charming objection to the construction of the gym raised by one of the members of Prassas’s group who said that the neighborhood did not want “those basketball people” walking through their neighborhood. (Donald Sterling had to explain to me what that meant.) I do not attribute this sentiment to Prassas – certainly we’ve all been members of groups whose members can have disparate and sometimes offensive views – – but I do point it out so that attentive readers can judge whether the moral high ground Prassas claims for her group is closer to the elevation of Death Valley than to Mount Whitney.
I look forward to Prassas’s next installment in our ongoing discussion of the state of our schools. Back to my mirror now.
Greg Breen
Hermosa Beach
Take it to Congress
Dear ER:
After a very arduous Hermosa Beach city council meeting on Tuesday, June 23, with a disappointing turnout of the residents, it finally ended with a 4 to 1 vote in favour of taxing the residents yet again for sewer repairs. I was sadly disappointed in what I genuinely feel is an apathetic council, not at all taking into account anything about their constituents.
Then our new mayor, Nanette Barragan, cast her dissenting vote with a logical, well thought out argument. I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. She took into account fiscal responsibility, including additional hotel taxes and eliminating high paid consultants.
Sadly, we will lose barrigan when she begins her journey to Congress. But if she can carry this well thought out logic to Congress in DC, she will be an amazing asset.
Judy Garland
Hermosa Beach
Bathroom befitting of the city
Dear ER:
Having lived in Manhattan Beach for 15 years, on occasion, I have used the men’s room at the pier. Recently I had the enormous displeasure of attempting to use the bathroom. The incredible stench of urine was wafting 10 feet outside. Inside, the facility was very Third World. You would think that the the hallmark of our beautiful city, the pier, would have first class accommodations for residents and tourists alike. With all of the money and personnel dedicated to giving parking tickets, one would think that a full time employee would be assigned to keep the bathrooms in the conditions that a very rich city should keep them in. Here’s an idea. Make cleaning the bathrooms part of the ticket givers job.
Name withheld by request
Manhattan Beach
Try baby oil
Dear ER:
This story serves testament to the fact that a substantial portion of South Bay residents never venture to the beach (“Oil lingers on beaches, ER May 28, 2015). The hullabaloo about tar staining the shore causing “authorities” to close the beaches and the huge expenditures to pay for hazmat suited crews to pick up tar balls that have been washing on shore of eons is nothing short of stupid.
Robert Benz
Hermosa Beach
