Love parking
Dear ER:
Manhattan Beach Mayor Mark Burton indicates he hopes to “scrape” City Hall and rebuild it with three to four levels of underground parking for downtown employees.” This sounds like a very expensive proposition and it’s not clear that a new City Hall is needed. Why not build a multi-level, underground parking structure under Live Oak Park? Once the parking structure is built, the baseball fields and tennis courts could be replaced at a much lower cost than replacing the City Hall. Live Oak park is close enough to downtown to be convenient. It’s certainly more convenient than parking on the Hill section streets
Greg Zebrowski
Manhattan Beach
Love Manhattan
Dear ER:
I have loved Manhattan Beach (56 years) and Easy Reader (46 years) ever since I came to California in 1960 to pursue a career as an Aeronautical Engineer.
Daily newspapers and television give us news about California, nationwide and worldwide, but only the local newspapers (Beach Reporter and Easy Reader) give us the local news that affects our everyday life.
For the past 10 years I have attended and spoken at city council, school board, planning commission and community events meetings, which require obtaining as much knowledge about the City’s activities as possible. That information can only be obtained from the local newspapers. I love to read “Letters to the Editor” and submit my own letters because they have a larger audience than the City Council meetings.
I was intimidated at first and even thought about having a “ghost writer.” I finally realized that the words have to be from your own thoughts and from the heart.
I want thank Easy Reader (the reporters are excellent), because the contents are both entertaining and informative.
Robert Bush
Manhattan Beach
Used harbor
Dear ER:
On a recent Saturday, in the dead of winter, the highly criticized “under-utilized” Redondo Beach Marina parking lot was mostly full the entire day. The Lanakila Classic SUP, surfski and paddleboard races were being held at the Seaside Lagoon and the event had a big turnout. It is activities such as this that should be a top priority when deciding how to revitalize our waterfront. Although the CenterCal project claims it will enhance recreation, the project plans as laid out in the Draft EIR do not support this. Many of Saturday’s participants’ would not have been able to park their vehicles in a parking structure and most, if not all of the participants, would have had great difficulty maneuvering their boards, kayaks, canoes, etc., from a parking structure through a retail/restaurant area to the lagoon. Harbor and ocean dependent activities should rule the revitalization project and then include supporting businesses such as equipment sales/rentals and dining establishments. To do it right we have to make sure that the harbor stays a harbor.
Mike and Sue Morgan
Redondo Beach
A Grove undertaking
Dear ER:
The CenterCal Waterfront is a risky business plan that requires greater economic vitality than The Grove in Los Angeles. Even if you love The Grove, CenterCal is risky – we have less residential, fewer offices for daytime patronage, and less road capacity. Do you think the CenterCal investor, Westport Capital with $1.8 billion in assets, is going to tie up $400 million for a long term investment or are they more likely to seek a quick return?
What happens if Grove by the Sea fails? CenterCal established a corporation, Redondo Waterfront LLC, so that CenterCal does not have to file for bankruptcy itself. What happens if business struggles the first few years? CenterCal refused to sign a commitment to the city to own the property for 10 years, so CenterCal can flip it to Wall Street or foreign investors at the first sign of trouble. What happens if current businesses band together to oppose Grove by the Sea? CenterCal paints imaginary visions of a booming future to keep businesses supportive of the project despite no conditional leases providing legal guarantees of rent, location, or even inclusion.
CenterCal is playing a game of chess and everyone else is asleep playing checkers.
Martin Holmes
Redondo Beach
G for get going
Dear ER:
In 57 years of residency in the South Bay, I have yet to see the Redondo pier developed to its full potential. Redondo residents did things right with Measure G, and that’s why The Waterfront is perfect for Redondo Beach. Measure G was explicit in terms of heights, setbacks and view corridors. The Coastal Commission approved Measure G’s limits when it easily could have said no if they thought access and views were inhibited. The limits set by Measure G allow the project to be a size that makes it economically successful. This was demonstrated in an independent market study by AECOM, which was presented to the Redondo City Council last year.The voters have spoken. City staff and the community have put in countless hours to craft both Measure G and The Waterfront. Both are reflections of that comprehensive process. We have a great opportunity. We need to move forward with it.
Aleta Malczewski
Torrance
Study up
Dear ER:
How to best revitalize the Redondo waterfront is certainly a complex issue. There are many interests, and everybody wants to be assured that it will be done right, which is why we need to trust the experts. The Draft Environmental Impact Report concluded that the proposed project will have no significant negative impacts. Considering the sensitivity of any coastal project, that is truly an outstanding feat. On the economic side, independent consultant AECOM determined that the project will generate more than $3 million in annual tax revenue and create over 2,500 jobs. All of this is in addition to taking care of the infrastructural repair costs that would otherwise be assumed by guess who? Redondo Beach taxpayers. I urge Redondo residents to go to Redondo.org to watch this presentation from the Feb. 24, 2015 city council meeting. Let’s not forget that the most important voice in the Redondo community has already supported the project, the voters. Redondo voters approved Measure G, a citizen led initiative, which the proposed waterfront project adheres to.
Steve Goldstein
Redondo Beach
Feel the Bern
Dear ER:
Great article about Bernie Sanders and his winning 1990 race to be Vermont’s Representative in the U.S. Congress (“Travels with Bernie,” ER March. 3, 2016). The more I learn about Bernie Sanders, the more I understand why Vermonters kept re-electing him. As Mayor of Burlington, he made Burlington one of the best U.S. cities to live in. He stands up to special interests, and represents the people.
As for Bernie Sanders’s Democratic Socialism, it is far more preferable than the Oligarchy currently controlling the United States government. When the top one-tenth of one percent of the wealthiest people, own 90 percent of the nation’s wealth, it seems suspiciously like an Oligarchy. This situation is dangerously lopsided for all.
Capitalism works better when health care, public education through college and a living wage are rights of the people. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to elect the best candidate. Bernie Sander’s “enough is enough” revolution to take back our democracy is what is needed now.
Donna Tarr
Rolling Hills Estates
Zippi doo
Dear ER:
We are so thankful to all the people who came out in support of The Peter Zippi Memorial Fund last weekend. Suzy’s Bar & Grill Hermosa Beach had a full house! Our supporters enjoyed a night of great music by Abrakadabra Latin Jazz AND Tiki McPherson Music. The generous donations received will be used to help us give shelter and any necessary medical and surgical care to the cats and kittens we take in. It will also assist in our spay/neuter program for stray cats, or pets belonging to low-income community members. Preventing the birth of unwanted or homeless animals in the first place is the best approach to achieving no more homeless pets.
Leslie Neff
The Peter Zippi Memorial Fund Inc.
