Letters-August 5, 2010

Education build up

Dear ER,

Maureen Lewis needs to get her facts straight before she sits down to write her derogatory letter. (“Buildings for Brains” ER July 29, 2010). First off, Redondo Union High School only has two gyms and will still have two gyms when construction is complete. The other two new gyms are at the middle schools. The gyms are ancient and falling apart. Concerning the bond measure, it was fully explained at the time it was voted on that it was for upgrading the schools’ classrooms and athletic facilities, not for hiring teachers or buying books. The savings from the construction costs are being applied to redoing the cafeteria and upgrading the library. As far as increased traffic and noise, I don’t see how that would happen, they aren’t increasing enrollment. Nor can I understand why it would decease property values. I would think families would be more inclined to move into a neighborhood that has up to date high school and middle schools. As far as being open to the public after school hours and on weekends, this is nothing new. I have been enjoying working out at Redondo Union High for the last 25 years. One of my daughters was graduated from there and another is still attending. I just hope you are keeping your property up to date so it doesn’t drag down the property values in my neighborhood. I live two blocks away from the high school.

Bill Lane

Redondo Beach

Core values

Dear ER:

I read with great interest and nostalgia your article on competing surf shops (“Board games,” ER July 22, 2010). My first surfboard was a backyard model, custom shaped and glassed by North Hermosa entrepreneur Pete Williams back in 1970. After that board, I moved on to ETs, all shaped by “Gumby.” My first ET cost $75 complete. I clearly remember Dennis Jarvis and his hi-energy approach around the shop at the time. After three Gumby’s I got tired of the boxy-rail feel, and was directed to Chris Slickenmeyer, who had a booming business in the early 70s making boards in his mid-Hermosa garage. After my one and only Slick was borrowed by an unscrupulous friend and never returned, I went to Phil Becker, who shaped me an absolutely heavenly swallow tail, which was glassed by Mike Costello and Mike Collins of South Manhattan Beach. In those days you could take your shaped blank to whomever you wanted for glassing. These boards did not have stickers. I traded or sold every one of them to another surfer after I was done with them.

Over the years I’ve had a variety of backyard, store-bought and used boards, including my first real longboard a 9-foot-2 Ronnie Williamson/SRS glider, my shorter Dive N’ Surf 8-foot-2 and my more recent José Barahonas.

So it was with great interest that I visited Jack’s surfboards on their grand opening on July 30 with the notion of asking them to design and shape me a board. Why not? A little welcome present (of business) to the new guy in town so speak. So off I went. After finally parking (a bit of an ordeal in itself) I entered the bustling store from the parking lot entrance. Because I couldn’t physically see a single surfboard anywhere in the shop, I stopped and asked the guy handing out the free Jack’s T-shirts if there even had surfboards. I was directed to a corner of the shop in which where was a rack of approximately six to eight surfboards, all of which appeared to be under 6-feet in length. When I asked the fresh-faced kid behind the counter nearest the little board display if I could speak to someone about a custom-designed board I was met with a moment of silence and a look of confusion at the question. And then, “We don’t do that here.”

Oh. In the spirit of customer service, however, the well-meaning employee summoned the store manager, who confirmed my now sinking suspicion that Jack’s was not really in the business of making surfboards. Nope. He could order me a board from a maker, but, uh, we don’t make surfboards here.

Sorry. And that’s it. So, good luck Jack’s. I hope your business works out, and you sell lots of clothes. But I must say, the experience crystallized a loyalty in me to stick with the places that can actually make surfboards: ET, Becker (Billabong?) and Spyder. Places that have roots in the craft and roots here in Hermosa Beach. And also sell clothes.

Dan Benoit

Redondo Beach

Jacking up the competition

Dear ER:

Re-inventing ones store means they needed to change. Good for Spyder. Jack’s will dominate the area as they have proven with their other locations. People want good selection and decent prices. They really could care less if your shop is “hard core” or even “more hard core”

Becker thought it could take on Jack’s in Huntington Beach but ended up closing the shop.

Looking how this weekend went, I am pretty sure the competition felt Jack’s presence.

While people throughout the last 30 plus years have ridiculed Jack’s, they have stayed focused on succeeding and ignored all the noise. Now the owners are approaching their 60s and have built a world renowned business. I hear there is a younger generation of family members who want to expand the business even more. They are involved in the business, surf, are hungry, and are ready for expansion.

Perhaps the best thing was for Jack’s to come to your town. That resulted in Jarvis’ re-inventing his store. Hopefully his re-invention will give customers what they really want and that is selection and pricing.

Paul

EasyReaderNews.com comment

En-title-ment

Dear ER:

Hermosa Beach does not elect a “Mayor”. It’s a California “general law” city. Council members have chosen to rotate the mayor’s role every 9 months. It’s really a superficial self-aggrandizing title.

Interestingly, when council members begin referring to themselves as “Mayor,” their egos expand. Some act as if they’ve been anointed by God and are suddenly all-powerful, free to dictate as they desire.

Hermosa’s prior ceremonial Mayor Patrick “Kit” Bobko, the most disingenuous “Mayor” since one-term Councilman Art Yoon, was followed by current “Mayor” Michael DiVirgilio. DiVirgilio has managed to eclipse even Bobko in attempting to act more erudite and authoritarian.. Hopefully, there will be a positive change when Councilman Peter Tucker soon rotates into the position of Mayor.

Regrettably though, Bobko and DiVirgilio wasted their opportunity while “Mayor.” They have been too preoccupied with their non-Hermosa, Republican and Democrat politician stuff. They didn’t serve Hermosa’s electorate well by not focusing on critical city issues, such as liquor-expansion downtown, and Hermosa’s crumbling concrete residential street pavements citywide, pavements laid down during the time of Model-T Ford production in the 1920s, almost 90 years ago.

Hermosa Beach sadly remains the only city in the South Bay where mayors so routinely ignore the excesses of liquor-dispensing, and their own residents’ awful street pavements.

Howard Longacre

Hermosa Beach

Frustrated, not mad, yet

Dear ER:

I wish to acknowledge that Mark McDermott quoted me very accurately in the article he wrote about my little speech before the Redondo Beach City Council on July 20, 2010 (“Harbor plan unveiled amid criticism, ER July 22, 2010). He did, however, misinterpret my mood as angry. In reality, I am very frustrated, not angry. Frustrated by seeing facilities in King Harbor, The Pier, and The International Boardwalk slowly deteriorating and in some cases, becoming financially obsolete because of lack of investment. Why would any sane individual make an investment given the current environment? Proposals are subject to delays and vicious lawsuits against the City of Redondo Beach. Such actions are an enormous waste of public funds for legal fees, elections, special reports, and staff’s time. The waste of public funds (hundreds of thousands of dollars) should be used to provide public infrastructure and services that will encourage and ensure the needed investments.

I am frustrated in trying to understand how one can “Build a Better Redondo” (its president is Jim Light), if you remove the incentives for private investments. I guess Light and his most avid supporter, Councilman Bill Brand, believe that when all our facilities become just another Ports O’Call, the government will step in and solve all the problems they have crated (of course, this will also be at a huge taxpayers expense and managed by a government bureaucracy with no experience on how to run a successful business that serves the public). Once an area is allowed to deteriorate to levels you can see in many communities, it takes years and untold millions to bring it back (Downtown San Pedro is an excellent example of this).

Elected officials need to remember that although they are elected by a majority of individuals who vote (which many times is less than 30 percent of the adult population), and many times, less than 10 percent. If a private business received the same level of satisfaction that an elected official has to meet, that business would quickly be bankrupt.

L.C. Guthrie

Master Leaseholder, King Harbor Marina

Punish the parents

It’s about time Mira Costa H.S. got serious about addressing the drug and alcohol problem on campus (“High School Confidential,” E.R. July 29, 2010). I remain somewhat skeptical though, as some of the punishments outlined in the article appear too lenient. Any kid caught with a quantity of drugs for sale should automatically be arrested and expelled from the MBUSD (let mommy and daddy pay to have him/her home schooled). Any kid found to be in possession of a quantity of drugs or liquor for personal use should be arrested (let him/her and their parents experience the pure joy of life at Inglewood Juvenile Court) and suspended for 10 days. MCHS drug counselors need to remind themselves that their job is to save kids from ruin, not be their buddy or to appear “cool.” Speak the truth, show them examples and the kids will be respond in a positive way. The fact is that while dog searches and drug testing of MCHS students are good secondary measures, they will have little effect if Measure #1 is not achieved: Keeping parents’ feet to the fire by holding them accountable for the actions of their own child. Achieving Measure #1 will take courage on the part of administrators, faculty and staff, as pressure by a few parents will occur.

In the end, the onus is on parents to control and safeguard their own children. Parents must lock up their prescription drugs where their kids cannot gain access to them. Seems like a no brainer but this is where the majority of kids get their drugs; mom and dad’s medicine cabinet.

It’s about time

EasyReaderNews.com comment

Beyond their years

Dear ER:

Having seen Encore Entertainers’ production of “Les Miserables” last weekend, I can tell you that you will find more on the stage of the Mira Costa auditorium than you would typically expect from a youth theater production – especially for a show as rich and complex as this one . More than once I looked back over the program to confirm to myself the ages of the young actors who tackle the leading roles. At 16, Slater Ross is a wonder as he delivers the moving tale of Jean Valjean, touching on a range and depth of emotion far beyond his years. As Eponine, Alison Schiller, also 16, nails the heart-wrenching story of Eponine with extraordinary skill and vocals worthy of a Broadway level production. (Speaking of Broadway, one wonders if reviewer Lisa Duckers has ever seen a professional production of “Les Miserables.” Anyone who has would be quite familiar with the two scenes she mentions as being “overdone.” Each of these is staged as it was in the original Broadway/London productions.) The roles of Javert, Marius, Enjolras, the Thenardiers, little Cosette and Gavroche are all masterfully handled by the young actors who fill them – far exceeding expectation. I will be returning to Mira Costa this weekend with family in tow. I have long wanted to share my favorite musical with them, but I thought I was going to have to wait for the next professional tour to come to Los Angeles. Encore delivers a production worthy of the show’s renown, and is on par with any touring company I have seen to date. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is “just” youth theater. This is theater, period – and it is darn good theater too!! Don’t let the opportunity to see Les Miserables pass you by

Just Me

EasyReaderNews.com comment

Social engineering solar

Dear ER,

In yet another unanimous vote, demonstrating its commitment to its sustainability and carbon neutral goals, the Hermosa Beach City Council at its Tuesday, July 27 meeting decided to wave all plan check and permit fees for homeowners who want to install photovoltaic solar panels on their rooftops. Up until this vote, Hermosa Beach had been waving those fees only for non-profit organizations. This action on July 27 matches Manhattan Beach’s zero fees policy, and far exceeds the incentives offered by all of the other South Bay cities for photovoltaic solar installation. At a time when all city budgets are being cut to the bone, the recognition of the real value of transforming rooftops into clean-energy generators shows the wisdom and foresight of the Hermosa Beach civic leaders. They are to be commended for not just talking the talk, but consistently walking the walk when it comes to its understanding of and commitment to a “green economy.”

Dency Nelson

Hermosa Beach