April 22, 2010
by Keith Robinson
Professional insight
Dear ER:
I’ve observed the conversation regarding Sand Dune Park with more than a passing interest. One, I’m a Manhattan Beach resident who lives nearby and enjoys use of the park for my own fitness. Two, I am a sports conditioning expert by profession, and have used the park in training clients.
Two magazine articles have been published, one in Men’s Health, and one in ESPN Insider, regarding my use of Sand Dune Park with prominent clients. As a result, I have been approached in public by local residents who have read these pieces, some of whom actually blame me for increasing the visibility of the park, and therefore holding me responsible for the increase in its popularity.
Not wishing to create more ill will, I have avoided participating in the debate, until now.
I think the volume of use of the park could be easily addressed by restricting the hours of use, installing meters on Bell Ave, prohibiting side street parking except by local residents (issue permits), and then a combination of tough enforcement and expensive fines for violators.
Using a sledgehammer approach and changing the character of the park forever is an unacceptable solution. The rights of the small number of homeowners living adjacent to the park should be protected, but only to that point where it does not infringe on the enjoyment of the facilities by the taxpaying public at large.
Tom Vachét
Manhattan Beach
Doomed dune
Dear ER:
While we are pleased that the Manhattan Beach City Council has finally acknowledged the resident majority’s desire for continuing adult and family access to the Sand Dune, the excessive new rules do not reflect this as:
a. A highly restrictive reservation/quota system will reduce usage by 85 percent.
b. Fees could cost a family of four over $1,000 annually.
c. Discrimination against parents, children over 12, adults, and those who work.
d. An ugly fence may be installed, which will not only prevent parents from joining their children, but be an eyesore.
The CORE platform, which attracted hundreds of signatures from the Dune neighborhood alone, correctly focused on peak-period usage and also allowed equal access for families. These extreme solutions are unnecessary and should reflect reality rather than hyperbole. Even the city manager stated that the Dune and the neighborhood could handle over twice the number of users as now proposed.
Council Member Portia Cohen recognized that the Sand Dune is “loved by many” and is a “cherished place.” So why penalize residents for the entire day rather than regulating just peak-period usage?
The Sand Dune should continue to provide future generations the opportunity for adult exercise and family fun. We are concerned that the Sand Dune may now be regulated into a public park with a fenced-in sand hill for only a minority of users.
Bill Hory, Jacob Rome, Chuck Trucker
Co-founders, CORE (Citizens for Outdoor Recreation & Exercise)
Shabby reward for good service
Dear ER:
As a Manhattan Beach resident of 18 years, I appreciate the professionalism, and hard work our City Council exhibits on the behalf of our community. However, I must voice my sincere disappointment in their decision on Tuesday, April 6, to go out to bid instead of renewing the Waste Management contract, despite the determination provided by the city’s paid consultant, Laith Ezzet, that Waste Management’s negotiated contract was both fair and “reasonable.”
As co-founder of Grades of Green, I have had the fortune of witnessing first hand Waste Management’s “extreme value” level of service through their direct support of our Grades of Green program since its inception at Grand View Elementary three years ago. Efforts such as waste audits for each MBUSD school, compost classes, and many other initiatives were conceived of and implemented by Waste Management for the betterment of our schools and our community. Their staff applied for a number of grants on behalf of MBUSD, two of which awarded $5,000 to Manhattan Beach schools.
Customer service of this kind, voluntarily given in the middle of a service contract (as opposed to promised at bid time when it’s convenient to do so) is truly rare.
According to council member Wayne Powell, the city has the potential to save up to 10 percent on its waste hauler bill by putting the contract out to bid. Though such savings is by no means assured, assuming for the moment it actually takes place, my family stands to save (based on the new tiered system) no more than $1.70 per month. I can say without hesitation that my family is comfortable paying what amounts to the cost of a single cup of coffee each month to retain a long time, reliable employee of the city. The risk of losing the excellent service our community has enjoyed these past 20 years is just not worth the “possible” savings. I am hopeful that other, long time residents feel the same.
Lisa Coppedge
Grades of Green
Got it right
Dear ER:
Thank you very much to the Hermosa Beach Historical Society, the City of Hermosa Beach and especially Spyder Surfboards for a great Legends of Surf Weekend and Spyder Surf Fest 3. The weekend full of family friendly events that are directly tied to the history and culture of Hermosa Beach are the exact kind of events that our city should be hosting and supporting. Surf movies, historical photos, free games for kids, support from local brands, info about surf culture, surfing legends and great music are way more a part of our city than the three-day swap meets that take over our downtown for the two holiday weekends of the year. Spyder once again showed that it knows how to host an event that supports the local community. Looking forward to the event next year!
Jeff Miller
Hermosa Beach
Remember the pioneers
Dear ER:
On Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing Tiger Makin inducted into the 2010 Surfers Walk of Fame in Hermosa Beach with his wife, children, and grandchildren in attendance. I presented Tiger with a bronze plaque encased in mahogany wood and inscribed with the original 16 pioneer members of the Surfers Walk of Fame, who were inducted in 2003. Tiger also received his own bronze plaque as the 2010 inductee into the Surfers Walk of Fame. John Joseph, August 2004 inductee, thanked me for creating the Surfers Walk of Fame. John has been the father for our local high school surf teams; organizing competitions and coaching boys and girls. John organizes a high school surfing competition as part of the Surfers Walk of Fame festivities and presented the winners with their trophies at the Induction Ceremony. Mike Purpus was up next, an original Charter Member (one of seven) of the Surfers Walk of Fame, inducted in 2003. Mike was a champion surfer, winning many surfing contests and a multi-time participant of the Duke Kahanamoku Surfing Competition. Mike also thanked me for originating the Surfers Walk of Fame. The Induction Ceremony was presented in a timely fashion and was well done. For the Pioneer Surfers Walk of Fame the committee should possibly consider two old time surfers in the future who could leave this world of ours soon.
Roger Eldon Bacon
Redondo Beach
Council spin
Dear ER:
Redondo’s council ignored the will of their residents and passed a massive harbor upzoning without putting it to a vote of the people. Our council states they now have the tools to ensure 400,000 square feet of new development does not occur. Why zone our harbor for 400,000 square feet of additional development if they never intend to use it? Compare this stance to their rhetoric during the Pearl Plaza project: in casting their votes, councilmen Steve Diels, Matt Kilroy, and Pat Aust all stated they were forced to vote for this abomination because the project complied with the zoning.
These same councilmen are saying that because Building a Better Redondo (BBR) opposes the upzoning, we support unlimited development. This is just a ludicrous scare tactic. See www.buildingabetterredondo.org for details.
Our council has now approved a total harbor development cap of over 1.3 million square feet, more than South Bay Galleria’s 995,000 square feet of commercial space. Recently, Dana Point Harbor was upzoned. This harbor is twice the size of Redondo’s yet its total development limit is 375,000 square feet. If Dana Point doesn’t need 1.3 million square feet, why does Redondo?
BBR has raised over $30,000 to file a lawsuit forcing the city to put this upzoning to a vote of the people. We will need more funds as this suit goes forward. If you care about our harbor, we need your support. Join the people of Redondo in forcing our city to do what its residents want and what our City Charter requires.
Jim Light
Building a Better Redondo
Redondo Beach
High end analysis
Dear ER:
It’s interesting how highly charged the topic of real estate can be. Everyone seems to have thoughts about our local market and whether the market will improve or not from a challenging couple of years. Reporter Robb Fulcher took on quite a bit with his piece “High-end headaches” in his quest to determine if the high-end homes will take part in the rebound (ER April 15, 2010).
There were many statistics in the story that appear to show a rebound is underway. In my view, there most definitely is a rebound in effect. The number of sales for the first quarter of this year, for all home types, is up 45 percent from last year’s first quarter. Median prices climbed 6.3 percent as well.
What is interesting is that the sales of homes priced above $1.5 million are up even more. In fact, it appears they rose by over 30 percent, though they are still well below what they were back in early 2006. Of these types of sales, only a couple were short pay situations.
Will this shift because of the economy? It appears the economy has at least pulled out of the recession, which suggests a type of stabilization of sorts. The other highly debated question is whether unemployment for income earners over $100,000 is anywhere near the general unemployment rate. Some experts believe it is under four percent for these folks. Given that it pretty much takes this level of income to afford the high-end homes and that the economy is more stable, it seems less likely that the number of short pays will grow from two for the high-end homes in all of this past quarter to much more than this.
As for the foreclosures of homes with $5 million loans alluded to in the article, I think there have been only 20 the past four years. All but three or four of these homes were on The Strand. Given the strength of Strand sales lately, I highly doubt more of these homes would hit foreclosure status.
Tony Cordi
Hermosa Beach
Dune plan Greek to him
Dear ER:
Certainly you have figured out that the Manhattan Beach city staff solution to the Sand Dune Park problem is profoundly anti-children. First off, the matter of the green space south of 31st Street: I think it is mapped as part of the park. Thus, were the proposal accepted as offered, there would be little if anything going on down there except walk throughs. It is now a grand piece of open space where kids and parents interact in all sort of activities. Certainly a technical error was made, which will be corrected.
But the serious problem centers on the notion, perhaps not intended, but so in fact, that kids will be able to use the dune only during those times when adults are not on the dune by reservation. Certainly that was not what folks said they wanted. Nor what you really intended?
Now let us say I want to reserve an hour on the dune for myself and four other members of my family. Assuming that I could get the time, it would cost me/us $25 for the privilege of using that for which I already pay. There is, of course, no guarantee that I could get those reservations because email makes it possible for the whole world to compete with me for dune time. That may sound good to the county but it sure doesn’t sound all that good to me.
A reservation system is the proverbial can of worms: Pandora’s box if you will. Certainly not Solomonic.
Again I suggest that the adults who in the past used the dune but now have found other ways to “walk at a reasonable pace” (have you tried walking down the dune at a reasonable pace) should be allowed to continue in their post-dune activities. Make the dune a kids-only haven where the young can use the dune in its entirety during the entire time that it is open unbothered by the activities of adults. Kinda like a big tot-lot.
Keep it simple. Occam’s razor rules.
Dave Wachtfogel
Manhattan Beach
Tangled Webb
Dear ER:
Redondo Beach City Attorney Mike Webb has expressed the fear that, if the City Council were to let the people vote on the new harbor rezoning (as Measure DD requires), then the City might be faced with lawsuits by developers who feel they are somehow entitled to develop our harbor area under the new proposed zoning.
With all due respect, Webb should be less concerned with theoretical lawsuits by developers and more concerned with the very real lawsuit that will be brought by his own constituents to force the City to uphold our voting rights.
Webb persists in the legally mistaken notion that the zoning took effect back in 2008, before the voters overwhelmingly enacted Measure DD. As I’ve pointed out to him and the City Council, California state law and the very terms of the City’s proposed zoning changes mandate that the changes take effect only after final approval by the California Coastal Commission. That hasn’t happened yet, and our City Charter clearly gives us the right to vote on major zoning changes at this point.
It is a disgrace that the City Council, on Webb’s advice, won’t let us vote on the zoning. If the voters must sue to protect this fundamental right, then so be it. The shame lies solely with our leaders.
Dave Wiggins
Redondo Beach