Healthy openness
Dear ER:
The beach cities have been selected as a finalist in a project called Vitality City (“BCHD makes bid to become Vitality City,” ER Sept. 2, 2010). The Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) is promoting this project. It is advertised as a project to work with the community to improve the health and well-being of its citizens. BCHD is willing to commit $1.8 million dollars of it reserves to this project when perhaps it should be concerned about balancing its operating budget next year.
There have been no public meetings on this project except one on August 23 in the Manhattan Beach Joslyn Center. This meeting was promoted as a chance to hear “an internationally recognized explorer” Dan Buettner. Buettner gave a power-point presentation for over an hour with little time for the public attending to ask questions. The lack of public information and input is alarming.
The details of Vitality City’s project are vague and stated in broad terms in their promotional materials. It has no track record of success, having done a project in a community in Minnesota half the size of Manhattan Beach.
City staff will be asked to help with the project and rob our citizens of full attention to staff’s present duties. The BCHD promises no cost to Manhattan Beach, but the use of our staff is costly. With the budget problems in Manhattan Beach and all beach cities, we need to take a long and hard look at Vitality City Project and get lots of answers before we commit to this somewhat dubious project.
Madonna Newburg
Manhattan Beach
Tattoo triumph
Dear ER:
I wanted to send out a big congratulations to Johnny Anderson for his legal triumph against the City of Hermosa Beach and his victory for our First Amendment rights in his attempt to open his tattoo parlor in Hermosa Beach (see “Court ruling tattoos Hermosa,” page 18). I do not know Anderson personally but have been following his case for the past couple of years and was very pleased to read about the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision, which will allow Anderson to open his shop. If he decides to open the tattoo parlor in Hermosa Beach, I will be first in line.
Adam Prohaska
Redondo Beach
Tat, tat, tat
Dear ER:
Hermosa Beach has no problem allowing head shops, porn shops and bars that what society would label drunks, drug addicts and pedophiles to our.
Tattoos and body piercings are now more socially accepted than ever and have become a freedom of expression for people of all ages. I wish Johnny Anderson the best of luck and look forward to seeing his business succeed in Hermosa Beach.
Cat White
Hermosa Beach
Beach Bum bummer
Dear ER:
I’m not sure how you can talk about Beach Bum Burts without one mention of the best band to ever play that room — private i! (“Beach Bum Burt’s will live again,” ER Sept. 9, 2010). They blew away every other band. Even though John Brown was great, for sure, and they were all friends, p.i. put Sunday afternoons on the map, drawing thousands of people from all over. They even created the private i drink. They also ruled the Warehouse in Newport Beach for years! Just had to mention it…it is a memory that will live forever.
Cathy W.
Web comment
Hermosa slicksters
Dear ER:
As a resident of the South Bay for almost 25 years and Hermosa Beach homeowner for the last 10 years, I am appalled at the reckless handling by the city of the entire oil drilling agreement with Macpherson Oil. Certain officials within the city government and bureaucracy took it upon themselves years ago to blatantly breach the city’s agreement with Macpherson oil under the absurd guise of it being a safety issue.
The self serving Sept. 7, 2010 letter that I just received from the city is infuriating. The letter quoted statistics with little basis in fact, along with the BP gulf oil disaster as a comparison to create FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) among residents in order to garner continued support for the city’s misguided and wasteful efforts to continue to fight a losing legal battle.
The actions of a few, arrogant, self important and reckless individuals started this major issue in motion more than a decade ago. Why? They didn’t have any accountability for their actions. Breaching a major contract in the name of safety in order to get their 15 minutes of fame is why we have a multi-million dollar cloud hanging over our city today. Nothing is completely safe, including staying in bed in one’s own home. Thousands of oil and gas wells are drilled on land every day throughout the country. Considering the number of operations, the safety records are very impressive – especially when compared to basic construction work. The Safety Statistics for Oil & Gas Industry can be found at http://www2.worksafebc.com/Portals/Petroleum/Statistics.asp. It should be noted that not a single life has been lost outside the direct involvement (either adjacent to or nearby) of an oil drilling operation, either as a result of the drilling or subsequent production of oil from any land based oil well in over 30 years.
Had the city officials been more interested in the overall welfare of the city and allowed the oil drilling program, Hermosa Beach would have streets paved in gold today without any appreciable impact on the well being of our city. With the substantial rise in oil prices since the agreement was first signed, the amount of revenue could have even created a situation where residents would be due a refund from the city. The 8 percent utility taxes could have been reduced or rescinded altogether.
Bob Atkins
Hermosa Beach
Tear down the plant
Dear ER:
Thanks to all of the South Bay residents who showed support for the “Tear Down the AES Power Plant Rally.” The AES power company, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, does not control the Redondo Beach waterfront. Local citizens do. Their elected representatives have the authority and power to phase-out their industrial uses over time, and rezone their property for something other than power generation. Other coastal communities have already done this. This eyesore has ruined our waterfront long enough. It depresses our property values, pollutes our air, blocks our views, harms our local economy, compromises our health and diminishes our overall quality of life.
South Bay residents need to rally our elected officials — Rep. Jane Harman, LA County Supervisor Don Knabe, State Senator Jenny Oropeza and soon to be State Asemblymember Betsy Butler — to pressure the Redondo Beach City Council to follow the clear will of the public. We also need to write to the California Energy Commission (CEC) to let them know that South Bay residents do not want the new full-scale Power Plant and Desalination Plant that AES is planning for our area! Finally, join the South Bay Parkland Conservancy (www.southbayparks.org) and Building a Better Redondo (www.buildingabetterredondo.org) , and volunteer to make a difference!
Redondo Beach residents also need to Vote NO on Measure G in November. Measure G ballot language is deceptive, and it is designed by a Pro-Development City Council. Not only will its new development standards allow another 400,000 sq.ft. of development in King Harbor, for a total of 1,300,000 sq. ft. – 40 percent larger than Plaza El Segundo. It will create traffic impacts that will be felt by everyone using the roadways in our community. For a “No on G” lawn sign, write jim.light1@verizon.net.
Christine Wike
Hermosa Beach
Classical lounge
Dear ER:
Last Saturday night I had the pleasure of hearing some wonderful classical music at Live at the Lounge (next to the Comedy and Magic Club) in Hermosa Beach. The program featured two talented pianists, Beth Sussman and Yana Reznik; young viola player Victor de Almeida and the Eclipse Quartet (strings). The evening topped off with an outstanding young Russian pianist Anton Smirnov. It’s a two-hour program of really good music for $12 (plus two-drink minimum). If you wish, you can also have a very good dinner for a reasonable price. Thank you Lounge owner Mike Lacey for giving South Bay music fans a local venue to hear established and up-and-coming artists in an intimate, informal setting. I hope people reading this will be inspired to come out and support it.
B. J. Golik
Hermosa Beach
Art appreciation
Dear Easy Reader,
No one would argue that Homeira Goldstein’s journey to becoming “the South Bay’s foremost proponent of the visual arts” has been an interesting one. Supporting struggling artists, whether they be writers, composers, artists or performers is admirable.
What I do find questionable are the works Goldstein promotes in the pictorial. From the just plain schlocky to the truly offensive (Trek Kelly’s “Honest Abe”), Goldstein is in contradiction to her claim of “the beauty that I really like has got to have a lot of depth. It’s not just about the surface.”
It seems to me that the works being featured, at least in the photos, are the antithesis of this claim.
Maggie Evans
Hermosa Beach
Bike or bilked
Dear ER:
FYI: I got my court papers and the fine is $300 for rollerblading on the Manhattan Beach Bike path. There were three other people being ticketed with me so that was nearly a $1,000 just with us and there were obviously others being cited.
Diane Keller
Web comment
Read the signs
Dear ER:
This is ridiculous. Diane Keller broke the law, admits it, and complains? Join the club of a million other people who don’t like laws about blue-tooths, smoking, dogs off leash, parties past 10 p.m… One can clearly see why she wasn’t given a warning. Here is a big hint. When violating the law, humility and asking forgiveness goes a long way. Acting like an entitled spoiled brat, which your posts clearly show, probably guarantees a ticket.
Jennifer
Web comment
Legal interpretation
Dear Easy Reader,
It is apparent that Ken Strouse (Letter 26 August 2010) did not understand Judge Robert O’Brien’s ruling and/or did not read the ruling reported by the various news media. The bottom line in layperson’s understanding is that Redondo Beach did not obey the law(s). Yes, I know that Redondo Beach has appealed Judge O’Brien’s ruling so we have to wait until the outcome of the appeal.
George Ikeda
Redondo Beach
