Déjà-school
Dear ER:
Maybe we could call it something new like, perhaps, the South Bay Unified School District [“Hermosa Beach studies possible school district merger,” ER Dec. 23, 2010]? This seems like déjà-vu all over again.
Neil Gretsky
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‘Frank Lloyd Wrong’
Dear ER:
That’s not a good design [“New Manhattan Beach library to be brick-less, glass and light,” ER Dec. 16, 2010]. Will they have buckets of sun-screen at the front door for us ‘grew-up-at-the-beach’ elders?
Take a look at the San Juan Capistrano Library with its enclosed courtyard. They have an all-year world-music concert series within that is a fantastic way to keep the library at the forefront of people’s attention.
Afternoon sunlight is going to be blinding in this wannabe Frank-Lloyd-Wrong type deal. Might as well contract the tinting companies in advance for the inevitable problems that will arise.
I envision a more “Ben-Hur” like room with adjustable open-air slats and low couches, and cool reading tables under-looking the eaves of the building.
Karl Grossman
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Fair play
Dear ER:
Twenty-seven people openly carried firearms to the [Old Hometown] fair [Manhattan Beach year in review, ER Dec. 30, 2010]. Only one person came up to them and said he objected to their presence, and he was polite about it.
The Easy Reader should get a copy of the video the Manhattan Beach police took of our presence and perhaps ask why we were singled out for police surveillance. We were, after all, engaging in a lawful activity.
By the way, none of the 27 people who openly carried firearms at the Fair are “gunslingers.” Scientists, engineers, ex-military even a Sacramento lobbyist and a writer, but no gunslingers.
Charles Nichols
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And more
Dear ER:
‘CNReporter’ [Charles Nichols] continues to deny the truth that overwhelming popular opinion clearly opposed the open carrying of firearms at our Hometown Fair. As one of the many opposition voices so succinctly stated at the time, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
‘Longtime MB’
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True visionary
Dear ER:
Inspiring story [“Decade in Review: Architecture,” Dec. 30, 2010]. The work by Dean Nota really introduced a modernist palette to the South Bay and this story gives him the kudos he deserves.
The Peter DeMaria projects appear to take architecture to the level of fine art and sculpture. He’s a true visionary that the South Bay produced. Get these architects together for a roundtable discussion or an exhibit and push this story further. We would love to see, hear and read more about them.
‘SB’
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For the students
Dear ER:
The teachers at Redondo Union High School are for the education for all students. IB is for the top 5 percent of the school population [“High school IB program lauded, criticized,” ER Dec. 16, 2010]. It is more about the desire to educate our middle to lower achieving students (as stated by the School Site Commission) why most teachers at the high school are concerned.
Implementing IB would impact class size at the school dramatically as IB classes must remain small. This would result in an increased class sizes in non-IB classes making it more difficult to service those middle to low end students.
Our middle to low end class size numbers (math, English and science) average 32-plus and due to special needs inclusion many contain clusters of special needs students within the 32-plus. This makes the learning environment for the regular education student somewhat problematic.
Would it not be better to use the money it would take to implement IB to make the learning environment better for the largest number of students, like the other 95 percent not in IB?
Anita Reviczky
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Special Santas
Dear ER:
On behalf of the Beach Cities Toy Drive Committee, I wish to thank everyone who donated to this worthy cause this year.
On Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 we wrapped approximately 2,500 new toys at the Joselyn Center in Manhattan Beach. These toys were given to underprivileged children throughout the Los Angeles County who would otherwise go without this holiday season.
All of the toys came from residents and local businesses, including Hermosa Beach Cyclery, which once again, donated 30 new bicycles.
The wrapping party was filled with volunteers who wrapped every toy. They were all fed with great food donated by Sharkeez, The Mermaid, Cantina Real, Silvio’s Brazilian Barbeque, Mediterraneo, Hennessey’s Tavern, Patrick Molloy’s, Sangria, The GumTree and Pancho’s.
This year, the BCTD’s fan base spread to Redondo Beach, where the Coyote Cantina Restaurant hosted a fundraiser and donated half of the night’s proceeds.
So, to everyone who helped, and/or donated, a big thank you! Come back next year when the wrapping party returns to Hermosa Beach and wear your oldest commemorative T-shirt!
Sam Y. Edgerton, III
Hermosa Beach
Cuffed by the cops
Dear ER:
A provision in the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Manhattan Beach and the Manhattan Beach Police Officers Association requires mutual agreement on changes in the City’s Employee/Employer Relations Resolution.
In effect, the City is unable, without agreement from POA, to meet its legal responsibilities mandated by State law regarding the determination of legislative and managerial policies. These policies include determining the composition of bargaining units; selection of organizations to represent employees; use of City resources by employee unions; exclusion of high level managers and confidential employees as union members; and, procedures for resolving impasses.
In essence, the POA could dissipate managerial authority by legislating a larger number of smaller bargaining units, creating administrative nightmares, multiple time-consuming negotiations, encouraging end runs to influence elected officials, and union gamesmanship to achieve the highest settlement agreements.
In addition, it creates the specter of managers as union members negotiating agreements across the table with their union employees; and, fostering divisiveness and competition among managers for scarce resources. Furthermore, the POA is placed to promote processes that remove managerial discretion in the resolution of contract disputes.
These are among the realities that have weakened management authority in the public sector, making it the leading cause of the inordinate increases in public employee wages, pension, and retirement benefits.
The labor agreements between the police and the cities of Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Culver City, Hawthorne, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, Fountain Valley, Beverly Hills and Torrance have no similar provision. Why do we.
Edward C. Caprielian, Ph.D.
Manhattan Beach
King Richard
Dear ER:
To provide balance to the rest of what I will have to say, I will start with something complimentary. If someone were to say that Portia Cohen was the best councilperson ever in Manhattan Beach, due to courage, intelligence, logical thinking, ability to concisely summarize, willingness to conscientiously and thoroughly explain her position, and unwillingness to subjugate logical conclusions to political posturing and correctness, I would be the last to disagree. (Sorry, my friend Yury, and don’t try throwing tacks under my tires on the bike path)
As to recent controversy swirling around our mayor Richard Montgomery, this is quite serious and should not be sloughed off. Recently I accidentally tuned into a replay of the Dec 7 Manhattan Beach city council meeting and then again a few nights later. I was quite shocked by the mayor’s unique brand of civic decorum with regard to inconsistent time allotted speakers and disrespect to our fellow citizens having divergent opinions. The second time I roughly timed the speakers during the one minute allotted segment. It was three minutes for a corporate rep and two minutes for the police chief. A speaker with unfavorable comments was cut off after one min, and one with nice things to say was allowed to ramble on for four minutes. The wording of the 14th amendment (equal protection) is not overly complicated, i.e. “treated equally both in procedures and in the substance.” But worse than mangling our constitution, the mayor states one minute that he welcomes divergent views and the next chooses to disparage and denigrate those purveying those views. How phony is that?
Richard Montgomery should resign his post as mayor effective immediately. But then let’s not be too harsh. Montgomery certainly has some awesome qualities and no doubt has made definite positive contributions to Manhattan Beach. So looking on the bright side, and down the road apiece, if there should develop an opening for King or Dictator, Montgomery might make a fine choice. (And turnabout is fair play)
Richard O. Strom
Lay off
Dear ER:
Stop wasting my tax dollars and your time on this “so called” crime [“Police stings target Redondo Beach massage parlors,” ER Oct. 21, 2010].
You have a person who wants sex and is willing to pay for it, and another person willing to deliver sex in exchange for payment. This is a service just like any other.
So sad that there are so many unsolved robberies, burglaries, rapes, assaults, etc., and we pay to waste our tax money on this.
‘Greg W’
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