Letters Jan. 28, 2010
Haiti connection
Dear ER:
I have read “Ariana’s Dream” story to my third grade students, not without tears. and they are inspired to send cards and words of love to all of you (ER Jan. 21, 2010). Not only is your story inspirational and touching, but an important reminder to us all that we are interconnected to each other. This is a good time to remember that we are all God’s children and each of us is responsible for and to each other. God bless each and every one of you and may God’s grace be with you.
Cathy Teitelbaum
Via web comment
First hand knowledge
Dear ER:
I know the Maison de Lumiere orphanage well, and I want to commend you on this article (“Ariana’s dream,” ER Jan. 21, 2010). It is an excellent and engaging account, and the photos are superb. You point toward something I have found to be true — when you experience God’s love as vividly as it shines at MDL, you are never the same.
David Beck
Web comment
Pay as you play
Dear ER:
Most of the Hermosa Beach School Board, except for Ray Waters, seem to at least partially get it. No new taxes or fees, particularly for something that should be a low priority like recreational equipment. All the other “miniscule” assessments and fees currently add over 10 percent to my property tax bill. Charge higher fees when renting out the facilities; or privatize. Kids and those who want to rent the facilities can bring there own recreational equipment.
Lee Hennis
Hermosa Beach
Harbor wars
Dear ER:
On February 16, the Redondo Beach City Council will make their final assault on our waterfront that began with the Heart of the City plan nine years ago.
There are already 920,000 square feet of development in the pier and King Harbor area. The City will soon give its final approval to allowing another 400,000 square feet, raising the height limit and allowing 3-story timeshares. All this in the face of a City-funded traffic study that shows this area is going to be gridlocked as a result — a study City staff failed to share with the Coastal Commission last July.
Measure DD, which passed overwhelmingly over a year ago with the largest voter turnout in Redondo history, amended the City Charter to require voter approval before the above zoning could go into effect. The then, entire City Council at the time opposed this measure, so it should surprise no one that they are now trying to circumvent its effects.
There is nothing left to do but to sue the City when it violates its own Charter. If you live in Redondo, or anywhere in the South Bay for that matter, and don’t want to suffer the view and traffic impacts of this upzoning, mail a donation to Building a Better Redondo (www.buildingabetterredondo.org) at 602 South Broadway Unit B, Redondo Beach, CA 90277.
If many give a little, and the suit is successful, this plan will face the voters – not just a few Council members.
Bill Brand, Councilmember
Redondo Beach
Holiday spirit
Dear ER:
On behalf of the Hermosa Beach Kiwanis Club, we’d like to express our appreciation to the South Bay community for your ongoing support of our Annual Christmas Tree Lot. We directly the contribute the proceeds to organizations such as the Hermosa Valley and View Schools, the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation and the Mira Costa and Redondo Beach High Schools.
We also provide college scholarships to graduating seniors who have financial need and an interest in community service. We serve the youth through the Sunshine Kids; Children’s Miracle Network; HB Little League and Project Touch. We sponsor youth organizations that teach leadership and service to others including the RBUHS Key Club, HB Aktion Club, Parras Middle School, Hermosa Valley School, Builders Clubs and the El Camino Circle “K” Club. We contribute to other non-profit organizations including Guide Dogs for the Blind, Canine Companions, Literacy Council, Richstone Family Center and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event.
We also want to acknowledge the City of Hermosa Beach for their continued support of our Tree Lot Fundraiser, now in our 24th year. We look forward to seeing you next holiday season. If you’d like to learn more about us, please join us for lunch any Wednesday at noon at the Kiwanis Hall.
Mickey McRae, President
Hermosa Beach Kiwanis Club
Holiday by any other name
Dear ER:
How many people actually knew the notice “Ceremonies and Observances” referred to adding two holiday’s to the calendar of school days for the Redondo Union School District (“Jewish holidays added to school calendar,” ER Jan. 14, 2010)?
No parent I spoke to knew it was going to happen and we were upset to hear this was going to be voted on. How can a religious group of with around two percent of the student population speak for teachers and force around 98 percent of the remaining students to take the day off? This calculates to less than one student per classroom. Who will pay to watch the 8,000 remaining children who should be in school? No teacher spoke saying attendance was a problem in his or her classroom for those days. Where is the separation of Church and State?
Most teachers see it as adding two more (unpaid) days to the length of the work year. Teachers don’t work a 40 hour week … they work a 283 day year, with many of those days being 10-12 hours long. Teachers who live in another school district, and have children who attend school on a different schedule than they teach are paying for child care while they’re working, and their children are in school when they are off.
The impact of this change strikes many people in many different ways. There is no evidence adding two Jewish holidays will improve the bottom line for the school district. The consolidation of non-student days that was initiated last year, was supposed to be a pilot, which was supposed to be closely tracked to ensure that there was a real cost benefit. To date, there has been no data provided to prove that it works.
Every parent and teacher needs to contact the school board and ask the school board to reverse the decision to add two Jewish Holidays to the calendar.
Name withheld by request
Redondo Beach
Sand Dune walk
Dear ER:
The dune at Sand Dune Park has been closed for 5 months, and will be closed at least 3 more. At a recent city council meeting, dozens of residents spoke of how they enjoy walking the dune for exercise. Yet some city council members seem determined to ban “workouts / exercise” on the dune. This is being proposed under the guise of preventing the dune from being a “regional workout facility,” but in fact they would seek to ban adults from walking up the dune for any reason.
I’ve lived on the plateau atop the Manhattan Beach’s Sand Dune Park for eight years. Since then, my standard morning exercise has been jogging down the hill, running along the waterline, jogging back up Manhattan Beach Boulevard, then running along the Green Belt until arriving at the bottom of the dune, where I finish my morning by walking up the dune. I’ve never once run up the dune, it’s just too dang hard. Other times, I walk to the dune and climb it several times, where I happily chat with other Sand Dune Park visitors about the city, their health and the wonderful views. There have been problems at Sand Dune Park due to over usage and a few bad apples. The solution is to address the peak usage issues and to focus on the actions of the few bad actors. The solution isn’t to ban exercise in a public park and prevent thousands of residents from enjoying a park they enjoyed for decades.
I bike on The Strand, run on the Green Belt, stroll along the beach and climb the dune. None of those activities make those places a “workout facility.” What are parks for, if not exercise? I can walk on any street or sidewalk in the city. I can walk on the beach. I can walk on the strand, the Green Belt and in any public park. Are we ready to ban walking in Sand Dune Park?
Jacob Rome
Via web comments
Apologize, then drill
Dear ER:
It is inconceivable that the City of Hermosa Beach would have attempted to “vote away” someone’s property without just compensation. A contract is the basic principle of our economic system and it cannot be broken simply by popular opinion vote.
Hopefully as a child you learned that if you unjustly take something from someone, the first thing you must do is give it back and apologize, which is where the city of Hermosa Beach should start with its negotiations.
1. MacPherson had a contract to drill for oil, so reinstate the contact and let them drill in the most ecologically, safe manner possible and make them a welcome addition to the city, not an adversary. Their facility could become a showpiece of responsible drilling and a great, high value neighbor (see their website about their green initiative and donations to charities).
2. The City of Hermosa pays the oil company a much lower negotiated settlement (for its breach) plus all legal fees. The amount of the settlement could be negotiated by the fact that the 10 year legal delay has increased the value of the oil reserve by more than 300 percent (1992 average of $19 per barrel versus $80.00 today). Additionally, part of the settlement could be paid via a scaled licensing/tax rate which would keep the city solvent and allow MacPherson to set-up operation with lower cost prior to oil revenues.
3. The City, instead of facing bankruptcy, now has a new source of revenue ($1 million to $3 plus million annually) well into future. This solution rights a serious wrong, improves the cities finances, creates local energy, lessens the need to raise taxes (from the homeowners), implements state-of-the-art green drilling, and creates more jobs thus making this a win/win/win for all parties.
Some critics might complain, but unless they have a better solution, drive electric cars, love our imported oil (from unstable countries) and want to buy out the remaining MacPherson oil contract, the City of Hermosa should do what is legally and ethically correct.
The city’s security, credit/bond rating would rise (lowering the cost to borrow), and everything from the schools, police, fire, roads and other capital improvement would all improve (in a this very uncertain economic environment) while closing a chapter that should have never haven been written by the City of Hermosa Beach!
I would start the negotiations with a genuine, heart-felt apology!
Mark Machuszek
Manhattan Beach