Letters Feb. 11, 2010
Outta heah
Dear ER:
I started your latest “Bondo” article, but couldn’t get past the first page (“Curtain calls,” ER Feb. 4, 2010). Who is this Jeryll Adler chick?
Hey, honey, we dig our “vast intellectual wasteland” just the way it is. Or was, until carpetbaggers from point east came this way in an “intellectual pursuit” of “an academic and entertainment environment,” trying to change our simple paradise into the same shit-holes they fled. The fact that this place engenders “a complete dearth of anything that appeals to (you)” is precisely why we live here.
Culturally speaking, what was the problem with New York, or even Santa Monica? As they say back where you came from, “Git outta heah.”
Ray Devore
Manhattan Beach
Manhattan oil drilling proposal
Dear ER:
First off, Mark Machuszek, you live in MB, so when you vote in favor of approving speculative drilling in your beloved city, then maybe I’ll spend more than two minutes considering your lame argument before I completely take you to task on McPhearson oil’s bogus lawsuit (“Apologize, then drill,” ER letters Feb. 4, 2010). There was an excellent non partisan article in Easy Reader a few months back that detailed the ongoing battle between the oil speculators and the city of Hermosa Beach, dating back to the days of the Biltmore Hotel (which is something you’re probably scratching your transplant head over). Shell Oil footed the bill for a ballot initiative to drill. It was shot down by the residents in the ‘50s. They spent a lot of money on this, but it was at their own expense. McPhearson, 30-plus years later rolled the dice as well, but they did so through the city council rather than through a resident vote. The citizens rallied together and shut the project down. And sure, maybe these people were a bunch of tree hugging hippies, but regardless, it stated in the original contract, that the residents of Hermosa retained the right to overturn the allowances granted by the local government. Before I go any further, this proposed angle drilling technique, was from my understanding, a crapshoot at best, anyway. The oil company invested pocket change to aquire these drilling rights — they gambled and lost. Just like the the Big Banks who gambled on the housing market and sent us into the second Great Depression. I personally feel like greedy corporations who care only about themselves have taken enough of my hard earned tax dollars. McPhearson is no different. They gambled and lost — they can get their bailout from some other sucker. But not me….
Daniel Matson
Via website comment
Stand up for the chief
Dear ER:
I was saddened last week when Hermosa Beach Councilmember Howard Fishman and Mayor Pro Tem Peter Tucker placed an item on the agenda for the City Councils January 26 meeting that in essence reprimanded Police Chief Greg Savelli (“City sticks to guns with eatery,” ER Jan. 28, 2010). Fishman and Tucker attempted to get Police Chief Savelli to withdraw a letter that he had submitted two years ago to the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Board asking that Il Bocaccio, which is now owned by the Ron and Greg Newman, be prevented from serving alcohol beyond midnight.
Fishman and Tucker’s placing this item on the City Council agenda amounted to a public reprimand of the chief. Luckily, their fellow Councilmembers had more sense and voted down Fishman and Tucker’s request.
I think our Chief is doing an outstanding job and I was appalled by the conduct of Fishman and Tucker. I urge all to contact Fishman and Tucker and express your displeasure with their conduct: kkfish@earthlink.net and peter@electpetertucker.com.
Fred Huebscher
Hermosa Beach
Dune potatoes
Dear ER:
The myth of this seemingly endless Manhattan Beach Sand Dune debate is that there actually is a debate to begin with. The majority of Manhattan Beach residents agree to solve the peak usage issue, but not at the expense of simply walking up and down the dune. During the past six months, numerous low-cost, and easy to implement ideas that allow recreational exercise by adults and children alike have been submitted. However, the Parks Department has indicated their new instructions are only to present plans to reopen the Dune not for people, but for vegetation. While Council Member Portia Cohen remains determined to capitulate to the close-the-dune minority, the other council members do not appear to be reflecting the majority opinion expressed at the Jan 19, 2010 City Council meeting.
Closing a section of a public park because recreational exercise has been too much of a success seems perverse considering that it is not exercise, but over-usage that is the actual problem. Heart disease, obesity, and diabetes continue to afflict our community and the Dune has proven it’s unique attraction to help manage these epidemics.
Additional myths of usage, costs, and environmental issues have replaced the actual facts and public comments made by Manhattan Beach’s department heads. The website, www.sanddunepark.com, continues to try its best to make these facts transparent as well as to encourage our city leaders to embrace recreational exercise.
Perhaps we are too naïve to think that facts and majority opinion still matter in local affairs, but they should.
Bill and Ana Hory
Manhattan Beach
Go green, Redondo
Dear ER:
Redondo Beach has the rare opportunity to create an outstanding community. This new community will be located near existing transit routes, adjacent to exiting bicycle networks, within walking distance of a number of diverse uses and existing housing, energy efficient, water efficient, and reduce storm water runoff. This new open and connected community will reduce vehicle miles travelled and provide a reduced parking footprint. By creating this community in the Harbor Area, the current residents of Redondo Beach will be proud to be part of establishing and maintaining our city’s survival.
The residents of this community need to seize the day and create this LEED Neighborhood Development certified community. It is inevitable that this area will be developed. If the current residents do not take this opportunity, future residents will.
But what will Redondo Beach look like then. Nearby cities have been recently classified as ‘blighted’ in order to ask for Federal hand outs. I believe that the time is now for the residents of Redondo Beach to come together as a team to create our shining jewel along the sunny California Coast.
Shane Michael, LEED AP
Redondo Beach
People’s history
Dear ER:
Recently, Redondo Councilman Steve Diels accused Building a Better Redondo of revisionist history — that we originally supported the harbor upzoning (“Council spars over harbor development,” ER Feb. 4, 2010). Diels relies on one statement in one email. He conveniently neglects that 90 percent of that same email called for an accurate impact analysis prior to finalization.
Compare that to the revisionist history of our Council: “Redondo Beach residents deserve a say in whether large-scale development takes place in our town to assure our continued quality of life.” Sounds like a BBR ad doesn’t it? This statement was signed by Mayor Mike Gin and Councilman Steve Aspel in their argument for City Measure EE.
Measure EE stated: The People of Redondo Beach should have the power to decide, after careful independent evaluation of certain major changes in allowable land use, whether those changes are justified. Then council members Aspel, Pat Aust, Diels, Gin and Matt Kilroy all voted to put Measure EE on the ballot, against the people’s measure, DD. Under EE, the harbor rezoning would have required a vote of the people. Why would those who created and voted for EE now deny residents their right to vote on the largest rezoning Redondo will see for some time?
A recent traffic study shows the harbor upzoning will create gridlock. As Measure DD and EE both say: residents should have the right to decide whether the benefits of the upzoning outweigh the gridlock it will create. Should the council ignore the charter requirement for a vote, residents must sue to force compliance. See www.buildingabetterredondo.org for how to contribute to this lawsuit.
Jim Light
President BBR
Redondo Beach
Diss-approval
Dear ER:
As a Redondo Beach resident, I always look forward to reporter Mark McDermott’s article on the latest happenings in my town. No other reporter in the South Bay gets it right more often. But he does make mistakes, and he made a doozy last week.
The Coastal Commission did not approve the zoning for our Harbor at the July 9, 2009 meeting. I was there. The second action they took was to deny the ‘implementation program,’ or zoning, as submitted. This was unanimous. Anyone who wants to see it can watch the archived streaming video at http://www.cal-span.org/cgi-bin/media.pl?folder=CCC .
They will also see where several of the commissioners requested that the motion that did pass be accompanied by the statement, “Nothing in this supercedes the city charter.”
This was to satisfy those of us who drove all the way to San Luis Obispo on a weekday to ensure the Commission was aware of the new City Charter that required a public vote locally before any zoning could be approved. Since the Coastal Commission denied this zoning, it can only become effective if the Council approves it, and then the Coastal Commission certifies it.
Now that our new city charter requires a public vote, once the council accepts the modifications and approves the zoning again, it should go before the voters for final approval before being sent back to the Coastal Commission for certification.
If the Redondo Beach City Council refuses to send it to the voters after approval, the citizens and Building a Better Redondo should file a lawsuit.
Melanie L. Cohen
Redondo Beach
Editor’s response: Easy Reader stands by its reporting of the Coastal Commission’s action. The July 8, 2010 California Coastal Commission agenda states, in regards to the Redondo Beach Coastal Zone, certification, “Approved with modifications.”)
Grown up hour
Dear ER:
I can’t believe the childish remarks from some of Redondo’s elected council members (“Council spars over harbor development,” ER Feb. 4, 2010). Council member Bill Brand is being targeted by his fellow council members because he believes the council should respect the law and put an overdeveloped project up to a vote of the people.
It does not matter whether one believes that Measure DD should have ever passed. Or if the project is overdeveloped. It now is a matter of respecting the law. Council member Brand is acting in just the way that I would have expected him to since we elected him last year in the first round.
The surprise is the unprofessional conduct of some of those who differ in their views. People should attend the council meeting of Feb. 16 and tell them to put it to a vote.
The cost of an election to put it to a vote is the price of democracy.
Dean Francois
Redondo Beach
The American way
Dear ER:
Here’s to BBR and the American Way As a resident of Redondo Beach for 45 years, I have seen much development. As a teacher for 15 years and a caterer for 26 years, I feel I have seen a lot of changes. Little by little, there are fewer views to be had and more congestion of homes and traffic galore.
When I heard of Building a Better Redondo I jumped right in. I collected 250 petition signatures and donations from fellow neighbors who were most grateful that there is such a group. Obviously, for us to get this new measure voted in, Bill Brand is our (Guardian Angel) representative. I have always hoped that we would be heard and the council would not continue to allow all these large buildings. They do take away more public views, bring in more people (congestion) and traffic (smog). I used to believe that our city officials cared what we, the people, want. But sadly, we are all seeing that this is just not the case.
Hurray for you Councilman Pat Aust, I do hope you are on our side. I’ve also learned that talk is cheap and easy.
Reggie Lucero
Redondo Beach
Scenes move on
Dear ER:
They kicked out the Westside Burrito connection in Bremerton, WA, too (“Wild in the Streets, ER/Beach Feb. 11, 2010). The reason we had so many places to play music there was the town was a ghost town. The civic economy was completely destroyed with the arrival of the mall (another great Seattle export).
Music tends to be pretty viral, so don´t get in a huff when the town becomes yuppieville. The scene will move on and start eating fresh meat somewhere else just down the road where the rent is cheap and there´s burritos by the plenty. It will ache and people will bitch but that makes the tunes better in the end anyway. Ryan
Via website comment
Sand dune is special
Dear Editor,
Sand Dune Park provides an exercise experience like no other. That is why it’s so popular. Anybody has climbed to the top of the hill and felt the ocean breeze on her or her face knows what we’re talking about.
There may be issues of over use. There are many ways to fix this rather than giving up before we even try.
One of the goals of any public park is to become inviting enough to attract the public to enjoy the facilities. Everybody can agree that Sand Dune park has been a big success. How can we even contemplate rewarding a vibrant and successful park by shutting it down? The city counsel should change whatever needs to be changed to deal with the issues to keep this vital park open to all users.
Closing down the hill for exercise is not like closing a quarter mile dirt track that can be built anywhere. This place is one of a kind and should be treated accordingly.
Mickey Fine
Manhattan Beach
Mozart to Jung
Dear ER,
I enjoyed “The virtual adventures of Sungha Jung” (ER Jan. 21, 2010). A 12-year-old master guitarist is a remarkable rarity, for which we must be grateful. That he is developing a career, with the wise and rich collaboration of Trace Bundy, is deserved and worthy of admiration.
The piece reminded me of another musical master whose birthday was celebrated last week, Jan. 27. At 12 Mozart was recognized throughout Europe as an astonishing performer, and accomplished composer. He had produced about 100 compositions in a wide variety of forms. And during that 13th year, in addition to composing his twelth symphony, he tackled one of the most complex and challenging forms of artistic expression – he composed an opera – “La Finta Semplice.”
I don’t know if our present virtuosos, Sungha Jung and Trace Bundy accept requests. But since they do Pachelbel’s Canon, I’d humbly suggest a two guitar arrangement of the “Queen of the Night” aria: “Hell’s vengeance seethes in my heart” from The Magic Flute.
JB Kennedy
Redondo Beach
Vote or sue
Dear ER:
Like most Redondo residents voting in the November 08 election, I voted for Measure DD because it gave me a vote on the increasing density in our city… democracy before development. In all, 17,412 of us voted for Measure DD, more than voted for any previous city candidate or issue. In contrast Mayor Gin received just 6,086 votes. Even if you combine ALL the votes for ALL five councilman AND the mayor, the combined council only received 10,684 votes. The vote for DD along with multiple city surveys reflect Redondo resident concern about overdevelopment.
Now our elected officials intend to ignore us by passing a massive harbor upzoning without the vote required by DD, which is now part of our City Charter. The Council hides behind a dubious legal smoke screen to justify this outrage. It’s bad enough that they have misled the public and coastal commission about the gridlock this will cause in our city. Now they are purposefully ignoring the will of the people.
Our Council has a moral obligation to follow the city charter and represent the will of their residents. I am disgusted by their blatant disregard of the law and their total lack of integrity. I call on all conscientious residents to attend the Council Meeting on February 16 and demand a vote.. But, more importantly, join me in donating to BBR’s lawsuit that will force the city to put this upzoning to a vote as required by the Charter. See www.buildingabetterredondo for details.
Alexander Starr
Redondo Beach
Mike’s blue ribbon
Dear ER
In a time when public schools and small businesses alike are suffering financially, the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation salutes Mike Lacey, owner of Hermosa’s own Comedy & Magic Club, for generously donating 240 tickets to the HBEF’s 2nd “Mom’s Night Out” fundraiser. The sold out event featured fantastic talent, great food and raised over $7,200 for Hermosa’s public schools. Thanks to Mike, Andrew and the rest of the Comedy & Magic staff for their support of our public schools. We couldn’t maintain our blue ribbon status without the support of local businesses like yours.
Diana Allen and Donna Cunningham
HBEF Event Co-Chairs
Hermosa Beach
False savings
Dear ER:
I see no benefit to closing a good program like Every Woman Counts if the reason is to close the state budget deficit. This is a great program, which provides mammograms to women. Why would we want to jeopardize something that helps them so much? Please get the word out that there are other ways of cutting the deficit.
Dan Esposito
Manhattana Beach