Letters to the Editor 1-23-25
Rebar, not barbed wire
Dear ER:
I read with sadness that Thelma Greenwald passed away last October. Though I didn’t know Thelma well, we had a lot in common — the house in Hermosa Beach at 9th and The Strand; and yes, it was my dad who put that coiled rebar (it wasn’t barbed wire) around the perimeter wall. Thelma always welcomed me and asked questions like “What is this light switch attached to?” and “Where did the Tiki next to the front door come from?” Some things I knew (the Tiki) and some (the light switch) I didn’t. But I do know about the rebar. Here’s the inside scoop: My father bought the house around 1963 so my sisters and I could play at the beach all year long and we loved it. Dad loved the house too, but he couldn’t take all the people gawking in the front window and leaving beer cans on the wall. Being an engineer, you’d think he would come up with a simple solution. Not to be.
First, he planted fast-growing ficus to block the view into the house…nope. Then, he bought a very large but very gentle German shepherd who enthusiastically licked passersby…nope. Then came the coiled rebar. It did provide somewhat of a barrier but it was a losing battle. Dad eventually sold the house and I thought no more about it until I stopped by after returning to the South Bay. The genius of the whole affair is all it needed was bricks on the wall stacked to a point, which the Greenwalds did – no more beer cans. Gawkers, well that’s The Strand.
Lynne LaFleur
Palos Verdes Estates
Transparency in criticism
Dear ER:
The proposal to add nearly 1,000 new apartment units in the less than 4 square mile area of Manhattan Beach is certainly a matter of significant public interest, and respectfully, former Mayor Mark Burton is fully within his rights to address it, especially given the potential negative impact he perceives on our community which I share. His suggestion that transparency and the City’s usual communication processes are lacking — despite those processes being legally mandated under both State and Municipal law — is a serious and noteworthy observation.
I raise this issue because of the misinformation, Monday-morning legal armchair analysis, and the growing sentiment that staff or the City Council deliberately withhold information out of fear of community backlash. This perception shapes public opinion, ultimately leading to unnecessary taxpayer expenses. Need proof? Ask any qualified, knowledgeable person familiar with the planning and legal processes involved in development. To this day, we still don’t know the full cost of the Verandas debacle. I am publicly asking any current City Councilmember or past candidates to let us know what that cost us. One current and other former City Council members knew the City had no legal standing, broke the law, and chose not to be forthright with the public, costing residents untold taxpayer-dollar that went to developers and attorneys.
Multi-unit and affordable housing projects are complex, legally restrictive, and often controversial. Unfortunately, local municipalities are poor at explaining these issues clearly to the community, often leading to public unrest. The result is a cycle of legal challenges, unnecessarily costing local taxpayers millions in predeterminable legal fees.
My concern is that suggesting the City Council and City Staff are hiding something from the public is an assumption. What specific evidence does former Mayor Burton have to support the claim that a lack of transparency has occurred? As a former Mayor, he is well aware that such actions expose City officials and its citizens to substantial penalties and fines. Just two years ago, the State Attorney General publicly informed Manhattan Beach of the risks associated with such actions. If Burton’s concerns are valid, show us. If so, what does he propose as a solution to improve the notification process? The residents of Manhattan Beach will always have opportunities to weigh in publicly on any proposed development, as they rightfully should. Blaming staff gets us nowhere.
Stewart Fournier
Manhattan Beach
RB picks
Dear ER:
As a long-time Redondo Beach Dist. 2 resident I’m sorry to lose Todd Loewenstein due to term limits. He has been a tireless public servant (8 years on the council and 8 years on the school board) and he will be missed. But he deserves a rest.
I’m happy to say that Todd is supporting an excellent candidate in Chadwick Castle. A long-time Redondo resident, Castle is currently chair of the Redondo Beach Budget and Finance Commission, overseeing a $100 million city budget. I believe he will continue with Loewenstein’s vision for the city as Dist 2 rep.
As for the next mayor, Jim Light has been the right person to serve as place-holder for the past year and I wish him all the best, but I feel that Nils Nehrenheim, currently Dist 1 councilman, has the energy, ideas and toughness for what lies ahead. So I’m supporting Nils for mayor.
Ross Yosnow
Redondo Beach
Unhealth finances
Dear ER:
As a 4-year volunteer at BCHD, I learned from the inside that BCHD makes some pretty poor decisions. For instance, BCHD had no need for any election expenses last November. No one wanted to run for the Board, so no election was needed. Instead, BCHD spent $600,000 on lawyers, consultants, and fees to put the voter-rejected Measure BC on the ballot. It turns out that $600,000 of District taxpayer funding is enough to pay two BCHD executives for a year. Taxpayers would be well-served by cutting the cost of the BCHD CEO and CFO and reducing the budget by $600,000. BCHD’s $2.4 million per year in executive pay is excessive, and cutting $600,000 from the budget would be a benefit to District taxpayers.
Mark Nelson
Redondo Beach