Staged right
Dear ER:
Theater director Mickey Blaine is a genius and has impacted so many lives at Vistamar School, where theater is an experience every student can have (“A different slant to theater,” ER November 3, 2016). Thanks for the great article.
Pam Davis
Facebook comment
New eyesore
Dear ER:
An old home on the corner of 16th Street and Hermosa Avenue was torn down and a massive new one is being built. It has been under construction for three years. Are there any laws against such long contracts to build a home? A few workers show up every other week. The grunge, parking and eyesore have been a continual problem. The size isn’t the problem. It’s the total lack of respect for the neighborhood. I am once again cleaning my windows with a razor blade to remove specks of what-ever.
LHR
Hermosa Beach
Clean-up hitter
Dear ER:
As I write this, I have no idea who won the local elections which will have been decided by the time this letter is published. I do know that it has been another season of ugliness that has silenced discussion of the important issues, such as crime, traffic, homelessness, overdevelopment and school overcrowding. We are all tired of the negative mailers, nasty innuendos and personal attacks that rarely have anything to do with important policy positions.
Archeologists look through the trash sites of ancient civilizations to figure out what was really going on. How confused they will be if they ever dig through our trash and find the thousands of different political mailers describing all the horrible things our leaders and candidates have been accused of doing. Lost in translation are the sacrifices most elected officials make to better their community as we vote for the candidate who seems to be the least of the worst. I’m running for Mayor of Redondo Beach in March. I will be sticking to the issues mentioned above, regardless of the personal attacks that have already started, in the hopes that future archeologists will learn something about our society and the real character of its people other than who sucked the least.
Bill Brand
Redondo Beach
Look who’s coming
Dear ER:
Did you know that opponents of The Waterfront are actually are having an event in the new Redondo Beach Shade Hotel. The three story Shade Hotel on Harbor Drive. It looks like development can be good for anyone. I am pro Waterfront development and against the stagnation threatening our city. I call it a threat because we will discourage further development and deplete city funds paying for lawsuits that deprive citizens of millions of dollars in city services if we pass the so-called CARE Â (Coastal Access Revitalization and Enhancement) ballot initiative. People want to stroll by the sea have amenities, such as food, drink, amusements and stores and to people watch. That means cars, and that means parking garages. For a thousand years humankind has recognized that if you want to get the most use out of valuable land, you put one thing on top of another, and voila, you have two things in a one thing place. I will bet over 75 percent of the people reading this letter have a workplace or living space where one thing sits on top of another thing. We have this great bike path and it is little used because in the middle of it there is not a good route to get to the beach path.
Charlie Szymanski
Redondo Beach
Court is last resort
Dear ER:
When the Redondo Beach City Council approved CenterCal’s Waterfront project – a development that violates the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act, and city zoning – the city broke the law. It is unfortunate the city broke the law. It is unfortunate residents must raise money for a lawsuit to uphold the law. But when the city ignores its laws and jeopardizes the health of children swimming in Seaside Lagoon and the safety of boaters using the Mole B boat ramp, our community must act. Rescue Our Waterfront (ROW) never wanted a lawsuit. It was a last resort. We started with qualifying the King Harbor CARE Act for the ballot and continued with appeals of the Harbor Commission approvals of The Waterfront  The city is intent on ramming this project through so it is necessary to file a lawsuit as our backup insurance policy. We will rely on the fairness of the impartial justice system to decide whether our case holds merit and whether the city violated the law by approving CenterCal’s project. Please join Rescue Our Waterfront, Building a Better Redondo, and South Bay Parkland Conservancy by donating to our lawsuit against this project. Â
Martin Holmes
Redondo Beach
NIMBYism’s price
Dear ER:
As proponents of the anti-development initiative celebrated qualifying an anti waterfront initiative for the ballot and their threat of lawsuits filed against the City of Redondo, I wondered if they considered the costs of their NIMBYism to Redondo residents. The city will spend plenty of taxpayer money to conduct a re-vote on a Measure G, which voters approved in 2006. And money defending the lawsuit that Jim Light and his supporters are filing against the city. And money defending itself from litigation brought by Legado. It argues  that Redondo ““placed political expediency over the rule of law and has let a vocal minority of anti-development city residents run roughshod” over both Redondo Beach’s own housing guidelines and state laws enacted to prevent officials from “capitulating to the frequently prodigious pressures wielded by entrenched NIMBYism.”
Jim Light and his supporters are filing suit because they can’t win at the ballot box.
Legado proposed a reasonable plan for development of the Bristol Farms site at the corner of PCH and PV Blvd. Their proposal was under the allowable density. Entrenched NIMBYism said no. To add insult to injury, Â Legado has stated they will expand the residential component of their development, utilizing every density bonus but remove the former Palos Verdes Inn, denying the city the opportunity to recoup lost funds through the transient occupancy tax.
All these lost city funds are difficult to recover without raising taxes. A fully staffed Redondo Beach Police force will be deferred again. We will all feel the pinch when city funds are short for crossing guards and street improvements. You can choose to be a NIMBY but it has a price that everyone pays.
Paul Moses
Redondo Beach
CARE about the money
Dear ER:
Is appealing CenterCal’s Waterfront project a waste of Redondo taxpayer’s money? Well, it’s money taxpayers are spending out of pocket because elected officials refuse to do their jobs. Like acting on behalf of all citizens, not the few in the Redondo Chamber of Commerce. Over $130,000 in donations will be spent on this legal appeal by taxpayers. Money that could have gone for school supplies, teacher raises, crossing guards, donations to Heal the Bay, South Bay Parkland Conservancy, or the Sierra Club. More taxpayer waste is the $800,000 paid annually to the Chamber of Commerce. Finally there is money the wise leaders of our City Council are wasting on a financial study of the Harbor CARE initiative. As mayoral candidate Bill Brand stated, “We already know it’s about politics. City staff will cook the numbers to make it look like Redondo will fall into the sea.”
Wayne Craig
Redondo Beach
On to Coastal
Dear ER:
Over the past few months, the voices of people who prefer nothing changes in Redondo have seemed to grow louder and appear to represent the community. Nothing could be further from the truth. I had the honor of serving the citizens of Redondo Beach for eight years as councilmember. My wife, Debbie and I have made Redondo Beach our home for more than 30 years. We raised our three children in Redondo Beach and now have grandchildren living here. We want to see Redondo Beach move forward and prosper for generations to come. Through the process of public engagement and compromise, a vision has emerged that is supported by the vast majority of the community. CenterCal, in partnership with the City, is making that vision a reality. The vision for the future of the waterfront has taken over a decade to emerge. The passage of Measure G in 2010 was a major milestone in that process. The community voted, and approved, the size and scope of the development that they wanted. Review for yourself the presentation via video that the independent financial consultants presented to the city council on February 24, 2015 (at www.redondo.org). They found that this type of project fills a need in our community and will be economically successful. We can’t predict the future, but we can analyze it, and The Waterfront passed with flying colors. Plus at no cost to the residents/taxpayers.
Now, a small group who have opposed any progress are trying to ignore the will of the people and undo decades of hard work. These same people can’t agree on what they want for the waterfront – all they can do is criticize the progress that has been made. We all know these type of people, they have nothing positive to add and can only point out personal objections.
Their current initiative has no realistic plan for the harbor. They have used words like “revitalize” when they know that if their CARE  initiative is passed it will mean decades of delay and further decay of the waterfront. Let’s move forward together. Now that our city council has approved The Waterfront, we can continue the conversation soon with our California Coastal Commission.
Matt Kilroy
Redondo Beach
Council’s reality
Dear ER:
I want to express my gratitude to the Redondo Beach City Council for approving The Waterfront project 3-1, proving that this plan is one that Redondo Beach residents truly believe will improve our community. King Harbor desperately needs rejuvenation and thankfully The Waterfront project is slowly becoming a reality. This will take our harbor out of the 1980s and into the 21st Century. The harbor will once again be a place to relax by the water, play in the Seaside Lagoon, paddle board in harbor, and dine with friends and family. I know there is some push back to certain elements of the project, but we all agree that this project is a positive step for Redondo Beach. The Waterfront project will also create jobs and increase revenue for city services. Dormant real estate leads to a dormant community. The coastal commissioners need to hear how much support the project has in the community. Let’s turn The Waterfront into a reality.
Sincerely,
Lawrence Chaves
Redondo Beach
Time to move on, babe
Dear ER:
The Waterfront project has been four years in the making. On October 18 the Redondo Beach City Council gave the project the support it deserves. It was refreshing to have the Council deny the appeal. The next stop is the Coastal Commission. Considering the environmentally conscious components of the project, and the emphasis for improved accessibility, we should be confident that The Coastal Commission will approve the plan. By incorporating on-site waste management  and energy efficient systems, the project will do its part to help minimize its carbon footprint.
And by opening up Seaside Lagoon year round and without charge it will promote ADA compliance and make available 100 percent of the coastline. It is critical that people are aware of the facts and are not drawn into the hell-raising drama created by the group that doesn’t want the project. Talk with friends and neighbors. Make a difference by spreading the word and ensuring people know the facts.
Carl Palicke
Redondo Beach
