March 4, 2010
Bike Patrol
Dear ER:
The stakes for cyclists riding in South Redondo have gone up. During this winter the already poor north/south bike path has been closed or obstructed much of the time, forcing many more cyclists to ride on surface streets with the traffic. There are growing conflicts with motorists and an aggressive police force. On Sunday my wife and I both received citations for riding through an intersection, in which I felt was a safe manner. We asked the officer if we must get off the bike at each stop sign he answered that the rules are the same for bikes and cars. I knew that but didn’t feel he answered my question. In the end, the city of Redondo must make safe corridors through the city for cyclists, as other South Bay Cities have done.
Jim Wilson
Redondo Beach
Council health care
Dear Editor,
The Hermosa Beach City Council balanced the city’s upcoming budget through a hiring freeze and other gimmicks. The Council is raiding its insurance fund to the tune of approximately $600,000, which, in my book is using “smoke and mirrors.” What’s astonishing about the Council’s actions is that at the same time that they are failing to hire three police officers they continue to squander tax dollars. The Council could save over $250,000 right away by eliminating health insurance for themselves, canceling their contract for a public relations consultant to help publicize the Pier Ave. construction project, forgoing hiring a consultant to advise the city on purchasing a new telephone system and postponing installing a new telephone system. I am sure that these expenditures are just the tip of the iceberg in wasteful spending by the city.
Fred Huebscher
Council shows guts
Dear ER:
I’d like to commend the Hermosa Beach City Council for making some very tough decisions in order to balance the city budget. They’ve shown a lot more guts than our state and federal representatives.
However, I must also agree with the Police Officers Union that public safety must be the top priority for city government. Hence, I would hope that the Council takes a very hard look at the rest of the city budget and restores the police officer positions as soon as possible. Everything outside of public safety should be zero based for the 2010-11 fiscal year. As other city positions become open, those funds should be channeled into the police and fire department personnel budgets whenever possible. Also, the schools must solve their own fiscal woes as long as the city must cut public safety funding. Remember, the things we felt were necessities during the boom are now luxuries during the recession. Unfortunately, I am afraid that the current economic conditions will drag on for many years.
Finally, I want to also commend School Board members Jack Burns and Carleen Beste for suggesting a way to raise funds that doesn’t involve increased taxes. Parking will definitely be a bigger issue on Pier Avenue and turning the school parking lots into valet parking is a good idea. But let’s take it further. Charge people who use or rent the gym for parking. Charge for parking during school functions. Free parking is not a constitutional right. Maybe it’ll get people to carpool or ride their bikes. We’ve just turned valet parking into a green initiative!
Lee Hennis
Via email
City business
Dear Editor,
Councilman Peter Tucker said at last Tuesdays City Council meeting that we need to run this place like a business. What a joke. If the city were run like a business the city would be cutting salaries for its employees, renegotiating contracts and eliminating frivolous expenditures. If the city were a publicly traded company, the shareholders would fire the board of directors for incompetence for refusing to be prudent in managing the city expenditures. Next year, we the shareholders, have a chance to fire a couple of the directors. I hope we do.
Martha Webb
Hermosa Beach
Rabid reviewer
Dear ER:
Bad reviews like this are more a reflection of the maladjusted individual who wrote it that than a real reflection of the theatrical work reviewed (“Bark! The Musical,” ER Feb. 25, 2010). We loved this show. Remarkable performances by all. Bravo to the Civic Light Opera South Bay for once again bringing the finest in entertainment and creativity to all of us.
Don White
Web site comment
Where’s Better Redondo’s better idea?
Dear ER:
Do you remember hearing the saying “Going nowhere fast?” Well that is what we are doing in Redondo Beach. As a city in need of tax dollars, service improvements and reasons for citizens and visitors alike to spend money here, we are paralyzed.
Many citizens want to vote on what doesn’t go into our harbor area. But they aren’t sure what they would vote for. This continues to change as each vision is introduced. It gets shot down without real review by the Building a Better Redondo Group. I respectfully ask that this group please create a realistic idea of what you do want that will build a better Redondo with a stronger tax base and more tourist spending.
Condos are not proposed in the current harbor development proposals. A big-box development is not proposed. What is on the table is to move forward and work as a community to find what mix of changes will give us the best of all possibilities — a lovely harbor that provides tax income and business livelihood that supports and enriched the community.
I don’t know what the best solution is, but I do know that a strict no growth policy will wither our community and education, and that services and property value will stagnate.
Barbara ramsey-Duke
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
Regal, and ravenous
Dear ER
Over the past few years crows or ravens have been coming to our South Bay beach cities, a sight I had not previously seen in the past 60-odd years that I have been living in this area (Wild Things, ER Feb. 18, 2010). They have been nesting in the tall trees and swooping down and snatching up pet food left outside on apartment and condo balconies.
When I was a child, every summer we would go to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. There is one memory of those happy days that I would like to forget — a gathering of ravens tearing apart the carcass of a young deer.
Yes, the ravens are almost a regal bird – but it is the same kind of regal as a Genghis Khan. It would be a lot more pleasant to look forward to the Mourning Doves returning to our beach towns, wouldn’t it? I saw a pair yesterday for the first time in about two years.
Susie Pollard Frazee
Redondo Beach
Biblical interpretation
Dear ER:
The 8th Commandment is as interesting for what it doesn’t say as what it does. Specifically, it doesn’t say, “Thou shall not steal from the poor.” Not allowed to steal from anybody, including the rich. And while I appreciate Daniel Matson’s antipathy to rich oil companies (“Manhattan oil drilling proposal,” ER Letters Feb. 11, 2010), neither scriptures nor the laws of the nation or the state of California allow him, or us, to steal from rich, oil companies anymore than from the bag-lady. So while the courts have held that the City of Hermosa Beach can both be a “willing and able” partner in a contract to drill oil, and a force for the will of the people of Hermosa insisting on outlawing such drilling, exercising the former function doesn’t absolve the city of it’s breach of contract, and subsequent damage to it’s partner, when exercising the latter.
I also appreciate that while for many voters in Hermosa Beach Upton Sinclair is the last word on oil, [anti oil activist] Rosamond Fogg, and her ilk, have left the city a legacy of potential debt in the amount of $27,000 for every man, woman and child in the city. For my little family that comes to about $50,000. My wife and I would much rather spend the money educating our daughter instead of paying damages to MacPherson. For those who disagree that we should settle I ask you to contemplate what your life will be like when you not only never see a street paved again, but also are forced to give up our own police and fire departments because some court appointed receiver says that bankrupt Hermosa can’t afford them.
Sam Foster
Hermosa 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
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
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