Letters to the Editor: Hermosa Beach’s Measure B, oil, council

making it webLearning from Long Beach

Dear ER:

During the public workshops regarding CenterCal’s King Harbor project, local residents expressed hope that the new development would create synergy for the Redondo Beach waterfront while preserving quality of life.

However, the proposal now includes massive parking structures adjacent to Harbor Drive, reminding me of a development debacle on the former Long Beach Pike during the late 1990s. Everyone realized that the former Pike property had enormous potential for revitalizing the waterfront, but it had to be sensitive to its surroundings and offer something unique. How unsettling that the developer (DDR Corp of Ohio) was then providing many of the same assurances we are now hearing from CenterCal.

As things turned out in Long Beach, the “low hanging fruit” (the Rainbow Harbor parcels) became populated by a string of corporate restaurants (Chili’s, Outback, PF Changs), backed up by a looming, confusing shopping center of bland stucco that cut off sight lines and assaulted the senses. It’s as if any mall from Sprawlsville USA was dropped into the Long Beach waterfront – – the very definition of cookie cutter, and the mall has struggled since opening with lots of vacancies and turnover.

I see the same confused development and lack of character at the Redondo Beach waterfront, reminding me of Gertrude Stein and her famous quote “there’s no there there.” Having Torrance Boulevard fizzle out at The Pier Shopping Center (which is really an office building instead of visitor-serving), the jumble of driveways that are hostile to pedestrians, the bike path routed through a parking structure, the eyesore International Boardwalk, the overscale and overly dense apartments . . . a few dozen acres were done piecemeal and it turned out badly. The existing conditions could serve as Exhibit A for the importance of looking at the whole waterfront and planning appropriately. Exhibit B could be the Long Beach Pike.

The City of Redondo Beach has a great opportunity here, and should take time to get it right.

David Sundstrom

Rancho Palos Verdes

 

NO on B

Dear ER:

Cutting off hermosa beach’s economic engine with measure B is not the answer. City leaders need to more effective in enforcement of the laws and support our business. We must be partners in success and work together towards solutions that benefit all. Electing a council that supports local business of all kinds is just as important as preventing the passage of measure B. Some of our council members have done very little to encourage the mix of business the citizens of hermosa are looking for.

Ron Newman

Hermosa Beach

 Measure B and my job

Dear ER:

I have been an employee at Establishment for a year and a half. With this job, I am able to make a decent living and live here in Hermosa Beach, a city that I love! If Measure B were to pass, I am extremely worried that I would not be able to work and live here. At a minimum, my hours would be cut, and with that, so would the amount of tips I am able to make. A vote for Measure B is a vote against the hard-working people that both live and work in the city- a city that I love and hope to raise my children in one day. I strongly urge everyone to please think about the hard-working employees and their families and vote No on Measure B on November 5th.

Bethany Legler

Hermosa Beach

 

Measure B vs. prosperity

Dear ER:

From what I can tell, it seems like all of our leaders oppose Measure B. Despite efforts to claim that our City Council members support Measure B, it’s public record that they all voted to oppose it. In addition, our local Chamber of Commerce, our local realtors, and many other local groups have all voted to oppose Measure B. The only person I’ve seen support Measure B is Jim Lissner, who has made it a crusade to go after our local businesses. Just two years ago, he forced our city to spend huge sum of money on Measure Q, which lost by a 3-1 margin. He even later opposed the measure after forcing our city to put it on the ballot. We shouldn’t let Jim Lissner continue to waste more taxpayer dollars in his quest to hurt local businesses. Who does he think would come open a restaurant on the pier when he forces the current operators to close? Please Vote NO on measure B on November 5th.

David Viramontes

Hermosa Beach

Yes on B

Dear ER:

When in 1998 California was about to ban smoking, bar owners ran in circles, screaming, “The sky will fall.” Obviously it didn’t.

When in 2007 the residents of Hermosa were circulating a referendum petition to overturn a new council decision allowing Plaza bars to add second stories without building more parking, the bars mailed out a rendering of tumbleweeds rolling through the Plaza. Well, the referendum succeeded, the council rescinded their zoning relaxation, and the bars were more prosperous than ever.

Now in 2013, Quiet Nights Measure B asks the bars to make a small adjustment in their business hours – reducing the hours that are the most destructive to the community. The well-managed bars will handle the adjustment just fine while the badly managed ones will continue to flounder, just as they do now. And Hermosa’s downtown, not perfect, but better – and with a new Mermaid hotel – will be even more of a magnet for visitors from all over the world.

For the latest information about Measure B, visit QuietNights.org.

Jim Lissner

Hermosa Beach

 

Quiet Nights, please

Dear ER:

I urge you to vote yes on Quiet Nights. Here is why. I have lived on 18th street, six blocks from the Plaza for 40 years. The problems with the bars overserving alcohol has become much worse over the past few years. The city manager, city council and city staff have not been willing to enforce the conditional use permits for these establishments which include no noise across the pier plaza plus doors and windows closed when amplified music is played inside. Calling the plaza a no smoking zone is a joke. Vomit on the sidewalks, urinating in public, roving taxi cabs and drunks. Let’s not pretend to be “The Best Little Beach City”…Let’s be “The Best Little Beach City.”

But the worst part is that during a three month period last winter a drunk entered my neighbors house at 5:30 a.m. after my neighbor opened the back door for the cat and he got in the shower. He heard a noise and saw a drunk walking down the hall, past the bedroom where the wife was feeding the baby and laid down on the living room couch. Very scary. The police came and took him away. He said he was drinking at the plaza and could not drive home.

A few weeks later my dog started barking after dark and I went out on the upper deck with her and there was a very large mean looking man with a 5 foot empty clear plastic bag on my patio looking into the downstairs tenants apartment. He looked like he was getting ready to rob the place. I yelled at him that I was calling the police and I let the dog out…The dog chased him into a large agave plant which was left with many broken branches. The police came but he was gone. A few weeks later at 3 a.m. a man matching his description was found inside a neighbors house in the closet after their dog alerted them. He tried to remove a guitar and some coins but ran when the resident found him. During this same period another neighbor, his wife, two kids and two dogs were asleep at 3;30am when the man woke up to see a very large man who was drunk stumbling down his hallway…The man was drunk and my neighbor chased him out of the house.

The situation is dangerous and costly for police and services and annoying as the people leave the bars yelling through the neighborhoods Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hermosa is a wonderful city and we are very lucky to live here — let’s keep it wonderful for everyone.

Anne Sullivan

Hermosa Beach

Hermosa, not Chicago

Dear ER:

Use of tools is considered a hallmark of progress; being used as a tool is something entirely different. I mention this as I wonder about the proliferation of “Keep Hermosa Hermosa” banners around town, with no vote on oil drilling for another year or so. And I wonder if the whole movement is being co-opted by folks with less interest in whether oil drilling occurs in Hermosa, and more interest in fueling a campaign issue for our upcoming City Council races.

Those of us who have followed the long and winding tale of the MacPherson contract know that the oil decision will be made by public vote in a year, and not by City Council decision. This fact has not stopped Hermosa’s favorite political king makers, Michael Keegan and Fred Huebscher, from trying to make oil drilling a campaign issue; and in a cynical, though perhaps not surprising response, some of our candidates, drooling at the prospect of Keegscher backing, have embraced the oil issue as a central point of their campaigns. The Faustian bargain these candidates are asking us voters to make is to give them four years of power and financial benefits in exchange for one vote out of four thousand that will likely be cast. Candidates in the city of Bell should have been so audacious.

Not that I question the sincerity of the folks who have been organizing the Keep Hermosa Hermosa campaign – I think the proponents of the campaign are well-intentioned, and George Schmeltzer in particular has the bona fides and a portfolio that attests to his sincerity. And I certainly don’t fault Keegan or Huebscher – politics is their game, and they focus on winning with the same intensity as Lance Armstrong. No, my concern is with the candidates who slavishly echo nonessential concerns, leading me to wonder what kind of leadership we can expect when real issues face the Council.

Let’s keep Hermosa Hermosa indeed. The first step should be to get rid of Chicago politics.

Greg Breen

Hermosa Beach

 

Huntington oil, Hermosa oil

Dear ER:

A 60-foot oil rig in Huntington Beach buckled and tipped during routine maintenance, forcing nearby residents to evacuate. The local news about the incident focused on whether E & B owned and/or operated the oil rig in Huntington Beach. Frankly, I am not sure how relevant that is.

If E & B operated the oil rig in Huntington Beach, that may raise more concern about the safety of oil drilling in Hermosa Beach.

But what is more significant for Hermosa residents is that an oil rig buckled and tipped during routine maintenance, forcing evacuation of nearby residents. E&B is proposing using an 87 foot drill rig near homes, parks and the green belt, and using a 150 foot crane to erect the drill rig, in an area where the maximum building height is 30 feet.

What if E&B’s 87 foot drill rig, or 150 foot crane, buckle and tip and force evacuations in Hermosa? What if people get hurt before they are evacuated?

If it happened in Huntington Beach, it can happen in Hermosa. Oil drilling accidents, including rigs collapsing, pipeline leaks, fires and explosions do happen. Do we want to wait for this to happen in Hermosa, one of the most densely populated cities on the California coast?

And if an accident happens in Hermosa as a result of the proposed oil drilling, I seriously doubt that E&B’s $1 million insurance policy will be adequate to cover the resulting damages and/or injuries.

Keep Hermosa hermosa.

Hany Fangary

Hermosa Beach City Council candidate

 

E&B Huntington Beach

Dear ER:

I have visited the E&B oil and gas drilling facility in Huntington Beach three times. I urge Hermosans to visit this facility when the oil derrick is present. Call E&B at (424) 903-7222and ask them to tell you when the oil rig will be there so you can experience it for yourself. This monstrous metal tower looks like there is a roller coaster in the middle of a residential neighborhood; it reminded me of the Freefall ride at Magic Mountain. Now who remembers what it sounds like when the coaster is in freefall? Think clanking metal. Finally, add to that a horrible stench that makes you nauseous and gives you a headache after 10 minutes. Standing there looking up at this metal beast made me queasy when I realized that we may soon have this in our city as well. And imagine what it might do to our city’s property values. One more thing, don’t forget to check out the gigantic oil tanks on site that hold millions of gallons of oil. I was advised that we would have those in Hermosa Beach as well and that because we have half as much land here than in Huntington Beach, E&B would make it all fit by stacking equipment. Sounds risky to me, but as the plant manager at E&B’s Huntington Beach facility said, “there’s a risk in anything you do.” I for one believe it’s too risky for our city. I hope you will decide for yourself.

Nanette Baragan

Hermosa Beach City Council candidate

Diversity of opinion

Dear ER:

Please consider printing a broader cross section of Letters to the Editor. Readers are disgusted with the number of letters printed by the same individuals, namely, Jim Lissner, Michael Keegan, Fred Huebscher, and Howard Longacre. You should not provide a place for them to voice their half-truths every week. Hearing opinions from other concerned citizens is what readers deserve. Thank you

Andrea Jacobsson

Hermosa Beach

 

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