Letters to the Editor 9-8-2016

Family farewell

Dear ER:

Thanks to Scotty, Shane and the whole McColgan family for providing such a special venue to perform at (“Popular Manhattan Beach sports bar Sharks Cove to become upscale Mex restaurant,” ER September 1, 2016). I had such great times musically with Scott Whyte Band, Sand Section, Kevin Miso, Latch Key Kid… the list goes on and on. The bar, wait and door staff were like family and every night was an adventure. It was a great run.

Kevin Sousa

Hermosa Beach

Power politics

Dear ER:

I attended the Hermosa Beach city council meeting on August 16, which focused on the Community Choice Aggregation program. This program which would effectively put our city in the energy business. Thank you Councilman Carolyn Petty for showing fiscal responsibility and caution in the face of unbridled enthusiasm from the other council members for an experimental program that could leave our cash-strapped community in debt. All in the name of carbon neutrality. Petty has been criticized for being “disrespectful” to the representatives from Lancaster, which is already involved in this program. Really? She questioned some very fuzzy figures they presented. A $6 million dollar projected loss all of a sudden turned rosy for the meeting. Why? Hermosa Beach would become Lancaster’s partner, should we proceed with this project, and it would benefit Lancaster financially.

Petty questioned our city manager about where the $450,000 in working capital would come from, which is needed to enter this partnership. There was no answer.

We are a small city that is on the verge of losing its fire department. Though this is not yet a done deal, four of our councilmen are certainly heading in this direction. What’s the rush? Why not wait a few years to see how other cities fare in this program? If it works, it will still be available. Martha Logan

Hermosa Beach

Get real, Bill

Dear ER:

I’m torn between moderate development in Redondo and apparent efforts to block, piecemeal, every step in every significant improvement in this city for more than a decade.

I agree in principle with with Councilman Bill Brand downsizing Redondo’s development, but a “charming, sleepy beach culture” we ain’t, and haven’t been for 40 years  (“Bill Brand announces candidacy for mayor, waterfront recusal,” ER September 1, 2016). This “beach aerospace town” went out when the Beach Boys Dennis Wilson died and the Redondo pier caught fire. It is just not realistic to recapture a seaside village with charming little shops on real estate worth $4 million an acre.

The time for Redondo to sit back, take a breather,  and plan has passed us by. We missed that chance by a generation. It’s time for Redondo Beach zealots to realize that it’s far better to have a balanced approach to development rather than a polarized approach. Let’s work within the system, play by the rules and be productive. In other words: lead, follow, or get out of the way. Don’t just delay, complain, and obstruct.

One of the key recreational activities that people look for these days is a place where they can go shopping and enjoy the view. Upscale shopping is now a hobby for people of all ages. Teens with disposable dollars want the next pastel Bluetooth earbuds and they want to buy them in a clean, modern venue where they can take a selfie with a wave in the background. Parents want to buy Jack N’ Jill Snuggies for their toddlers and watch them dabble in a multicolor fountain with built-in Baby Mozart music in surround sound. Generation Somethings want to park their cars and with as little walking as possible, someplace with sushi and a sunset. And aging seniors want to have the van drop them in a place to watch a movie, get an ice cream or Chardonnay, and sit on a park bench and watch all those other groups buy stuff.

The guys and gals who used to stack their surfboards in the back of a woodie and watch the sun go down now power workout in the 24 Hour fitness in 35 minutes so they can spend their time in the Abercrombie and Fitch watching each other try on tight fitting sleeveless T-shirts that cost $85.

Yes, King Harbor is a marina, but the cash register will ring 1,000 times for every boat that goes out of the harbor. That’s a lot of people who will want to come here and enjoy the view, Bill. And spend.

I will be with them. And so will a lot of seaside-hugging Redondoans, I bet, including you.  

Call it a “mall” or call it a “lifestyle center.” The label doesn’t matter. It’s time for us to stop pretending and have a dose of reality here.

No one is going to buy an abalone shell with a cute mermaid bobblehead attached to sit on their what-not shelf. Let’s give the citizens in a community with an upper-middle-to-high economic measurement what they want. And what they deserve. Others can come too. Nobody is excluding them.

By the way, I think you’d make a good mayor, overall, and I think Steve Aspel has been a good mayor, too. You guys are very different, but I still like you both.

But the bottom line is the mayor needs to reflect the community in which we live, not the world we wish for long gone by.

Charlie Szymanski

Redondo Beach

Brand new seat

Dear ER:

As a long-time Redondo resident and District 2 voter, I was very happy to see that District 2 Councilman Bill Brand is running for mayor and not at all surprised to see him recuse himself from further votes on the CenterCal Waterfront Project. That’s the kind of person he is and the kind of mayor he will make. I’ve been involved in this city for over 30 years and I appreciate Bill’s work on important matters like Heart of the City, R4 and R.O.W. And while I don’t question the current mayor’s love of Redondo Beach his vision for our city’s future and mine just don’t match up. Our biggest problem now is who is going to take Brand’s place in District 2. It won’t be easy.

Ross Yosnow

Redondo Beach

Correction

Last week’s story “Two MBUSD school bonds headed to voters” incorrectly stated the bonds would appear on the March 2017 ballot. The bonds will appear the November 2016 ballot.