Letters to the Editor 10-27-22
What do U know
Dear ER:
Hermosa Beach Proposition U seeks to repeal the civil service protections for city employees. The argument in favor says that current civil service law dates back to 1960 and needs to be repealed so the City Council can modernize the requirements. This is like the argument that we need to repeal Obama Care so it can be replaced with something much better. Except we are not told what the better option is. The fact is that if we repeal what protections we have, our city employees will have no protection at all. One of the criticisms of Suja Lowenthal, Hermosa Beach’s unpopular city manager, is that there has been a very high turnover of city employees. You can bet that should the City Council enact new civil service protections they will be designed by Lowenthal to give her a free hand to get rid of any employee she desires for any reason she desires. In short Proposition U will help cement City Manager Lowenthal’s control of the City. Until you know what the new civil service protections are, vote No on Proposition U.
Robert Aronoff
Hermosa Beach
Measure M is unconditional
Dear ER:
For those of you thinking about voting in favor of Measure M on the Hermosa Beach ballot, please consider the following. This measure was written by one company that favors one company – the company that wrote it. The city would have no say in where the Pot Shops would go nor any say in regulatory compliance. Wen a restaurant or bar in Hermosa wants to open, they must file for Conditional Use permit (CUP) with the city. They agree to abide by certain terms and conditions negotiated by the applicant and the city. If they violate those terms, the city has recourse to take action depending on the severity of the violation. Measure M does not require the Pot Shop owner to obtain a Conditional Use Permit. Without a CUP, The city would have no say in regulatory compliance. If the citizens of Hermosa want to allow Pot Shops in Hermosa, defeat this Catalyst Cannabis Company measure. Then ask the city council to have staff write a measure to be voted on by the citizens of Hermosa allows for cannabis shops, but with a measure of control that will protect our citizens.
Steve Izant
Hermosa Beach
MB Strong weakened
Dear ER:
Lack of civility is on full display this election season. An anonymous group in Manhattan Beach that sends out emails under the header of “MB Strong,” defends their right to anonymity with claims they would be harassed if their identities were known. Last week, they announced their support for City Council candidate Frank Chiella, which set into motion an ugly stream of activity. Incumbent (and polarizing) City Council candidate Suzanne Hadley, attacked MB Strong on social media, then belittled fellow candidate Chiella, and finally outed MB Strong. She named two of its principal authors who had previously carefully guarded their identity. She vindictively identified them, asserting they are not MB residents and therefore not credible. This rightfully rattled MB Strong, but also illustrates how antagonistic Hadley really is. She was willing to protect their identity as long as it served her purposes. Recently, in the MB Residents Forum on Facebook, she has also come out, all guns blazing, against any criticism of her, including recent posts questioning Hadley’s suitability for public office due to her lack of civility. This arrogance and vindictiveness by Hadley with anyone who disagrees with her, is evidence that she is not the type of servant leader we would want to see in our community.
Kim Brant-Lucich
Manhattan Beach
Three for the schools
Dear ER:
Please vote for Jen Fenton, Tina Shivpuri, and Wysh Weinstein, the only credible candidates for the MBUSD Board of Education. Fenton is an experienced board member who knows the lay of the land. Shivpuri is an experienced mathematician who can support the district’s fiscal services by offering ideas for aligning resources with instructional programs. Wysh has been in the trenches as a classroom teacher, making her an experienced advocate for parents and students. As a former school principal for 34 years, and currently a county office of education school leadership coach for new school administrators, I wholeheartedly endorse these candidates for the positions of school board members. The poet Emily Dickinson capture my sentiments for these credible candidates: “We never know how high we are /Till we are called to rise;/And then, if we are true to plan,/Our statures touch the skies.”
Tom Kaminski
Manhattan Beach
Out of step needed
Dear ER:
Hermosa Beach has three council seats available, with eight candidates vying to fill them. I’m glad we have a chance to bring in new faces and, hopefully, independent thinkers who won’t follow, “in lock step” senior council member Massey. I’ve seen enough of 5-0 and 4-1 votes.
The current council has a penchant for hiring experts before anything can be done. Our economy is in shambles. Now is not the time to add a .75 percent, no matter how much the city wants that extra $3 million annually. Candidates Rita Gervace and Raymond Jackson are the only council candidates in favor of this tax. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” — Abraham Lincoln.
Gary Brown
Hermosa Beach
Shivpuri’s resume
Dear ER:
I will be casting one of my three votes for MBUSD School Board Members for Tina Shivpuri. Shivpuri is a candidate who has shown commitment to MBUSD with a track record of making positive changes for the benefit of all students. I have known Tina for 12 years (Pennekamp/MBMS/Costa), and have seen her skills, knowledge, work ethic, passion and heart. She has held positions at elementary, middle and high school levels, and will bring the business experience of 20 years as a technology executive. Shivpuri is approachable and truly listens. She is collaborative. She seeks out viewpoints that differ from her own and will represent all stakeholders. Shivpuri will make sure that MBUSD has challenging academics, a range of extracurricular activities, is managed in a fiscally responsible manner, and most importantly, every student has a sense of belonging at MBUSD. I can’t wait to see what Shivpuri does as a MBUSD school board member.
Sandra Strassner
Manhattan Beach
Hadley in control
Dear ER:
I’m supporting Suzanne Hadley for reelection to the Manhattan Beach City Council. Hadley cares about issues I care about: keeping MB safe, funding our PD, keeping our FD local, voting No on that ridiculous Highrose development, and protecting our small businesses. Some candidates are politically ambitious. They want to “go along to get along” with County, and State elected officials. These Sacramento and LA County officials say they respect local control, but instead they undermine it. Hadley is a fighter who will protect MB. Hadley is smart, has her MBA and raised four children through Grand View, MBMS and Mira Costa. Her son is a captain in the Army. Please join me in voting for Suzanne Hadley for city council.
Andreas Koch
Manhattan Beach
MBSafe with Crabtree-Kampe
Dear ER:
Please consider voting for Rita Crabtree-Kampe for Manhattan Beach City Council. I have known Crabtree-Kampe for years, and she has a lifetime track record of community service. She was a founding board member of MBSafe, which has had a huge positive effect on reducing the homeless situation in our city. She is a graduate of Leadership Manhattan Beach which helps to make more effective community leaders. She supports a strong, fully funded MBPD. She will be an excellent council member. I am also strongly supporting Suzanne Hadley for re-election because of the decisions she has made during her first term, including supporting the police, keeping the fire department local, and supporting sound fiscal policies. She voted no on the ill conceived Highrose project and voted no-confidence in LA District Attorney George Gascon. She supports parents’ rights to know what their kids are being taught. She has owned a small business and knows what they need to thrive. She has been involved in the Neighborhood Watch program, which has helped reduce property crime. She also believes, as I do, that serving on the council should be community service, not a career, and once a person has completed two terms, allow other people to serve.
Russ Lesser
Manhattan Beach
Termination cause
Dear ER:
As a result of closed session negotiations, Hermosa Beach’s City Government, in an egregiously irresponsible, undemocratic move, put forth a city manager contract that changes the vote requiring termination of the city manager from a simple majority (3-2) vote to a supermajority (4 to 1) vote. This was done just a few weeks before an election where three council seats are on the line. If the City Attorney supported the change to the City Manager termination clause he must go. If Councilman Raymond Jackson supported this clause he should be thrown out of office in the upcoming election. If Councilman Massey or Detoy supported it they should resign or be subject to a recall. If our City Manager was responsible for placing a 4-1 vote termination clause into the contract and calling for council approval before the Nov. 8 election, she should be called on to resign. Even if a cogent argument can be made, the council vote should have been held after the election of three new Council members so that the will of the electorate could have been respected.
Anthony Higgins
Hermosa Beach
Shivpuri a trooper
Dear ER:
I am the parent of three MBUSD students. I first met Tina Shivpuri six years ago when
she helped start my daughters’ Girl Scout troop. I have seen firsthand what a
prepared, and calm leader she is. Beyond our troop Shivpuri has stepped up to help with all kinds of volunteer roles at school. She always does her job competently, and with compassion. Whenever finances are involved her business background is clearly evident, and she is diligent about staying on budget. When issues of safety or student well being have arisen she is the first one to stand up, and see how she can help, and what needs to be done to be sure our students feel safe and supported. I have attended or watched all of the candidate forums, and in addition to Shivpuri I have been very impressed with Wysh Weinstein, and Jen Fenton. It seems apparent that we have a very clear choice on the direction we want to go with our school district. We need leaders who will continue to support the academic excellence that we have known, while working to fix the problems that exist in our district. It is very clear to me that Shivpuri, Weinstein, and Fenton are the only ones who are prepared for the task at hand.
Nicole Brozost
Manhattan Beach
Redondo working together
Dear ER:
Congratulations to Dr. Nicole Wesley on her appointment as the next Superintendent for the RBUSD. There is a direct correlation between the School District and our Redondo Beach quality of life. The failure of Cannabis Measure E is a clear reminder that outside, special interests are not favored in our community. Our City convened stakeholders, the cannabis industry, residents, and staff over a four year timeframe to ensure our new cannabis ordinance is great for this city. The heavily regulated ordinance establishes that residents receive our fair tax revenue share while working in concert with RBPD. What a difference it can make when all five Councilmembers are aligned to protect our residents. Lastly, congratulations to Councilmember Zein Obagi Jr. on smashing the recall election. His positive, solution oriented campaign resonated with residents. Clearly his proactive actions for the area have noticeably influenced the residents of District 4.
Candace Nafissi
Redondo Beach
‘Beachhead of cooperation’
Dear ER:
I have been paying attention to how the current social atmosphere is being affected by the upcoming Manhattan Beach elections. I was raised, and educated in Manhattan Beach. Just because I choose to stand for the American flag and as a Christian show reverence for The Cross, does not make me a bigot. I believe there are movies that are inappropriate for the young. That does not mean I want to ban movies. Racial slurs, and calling someone a racist accomplishes the same thing — division. While I was at Aviation High School I was taught there are good things as well as bad things in the history of our country. I also concluded that it is hard for “equality” and liberty to coexist. Freedom to excel naturally means that some people will excel, and some won’t either by choice or by lack of ability. Hence, “diversity.” It would be nice if we put more effort into “converting” rather than “condemning.” That process could result in what President John F. Kennedy called “a beachhead of cooperation,” where “the strong are just, and the weak secure and the peace preserved.”
Louie Pastor
Manhattan Beach
Local knowledge missing
Dear ER:
A costly, $700,000-plus miscalculation on the part of Catalyst Cannabis CEO Elliot Lewis, cost Redondo taxpayers approximately $270,000 for an unnecessary, special election.He seemed to have made no effort to glean the real pulse of what the vast majority of residents want, and who we truly value as leaders of Redondo Beach. The number of ballots cast in the Council District 4 recall vote was the highest in the City, and more than in the March 2021 regular municipal election. What could Lewis possibly have been told, by whom, and with what evidence to have spent that kind of money to get so severely blown out of the water?
Lezlie Campeggi
Redondo Beach
New school
Dear ER:
Independent, pragmatic and practical. Those words most describe Rita Crabtree-Kampe, whom I’m endorsing as a candidate for Manhattan Beach City Council. Rita doesn’t endorse anyone in this election despite what’s been said. She is against book banning, which seems to have come up lately. In any discussion I’ve ever had with her, whether she agreed with me or not, she listened calmly. When I finished speaking she would thoughtfully use the facts she always seemed to have at hand, and either agree, or point out the loopholes in my logic. I see many of the same faces and names in steady rotation in Manhattan Beach. Same faces, same old ideas. I am ready for some newer thinking and a new voice.
Reggie Kenne
Manhattan Beach
Shivpuri respected, respectful
Dear ER:
As the parent of two MBUSD elementary students, I am incredibly concerned about this year’s school board race. Candidate Tina Shivpuri has my vote because I have known her to be incredibly smart, thoughtful, curious, and caring. Her experience in business will give her a keen eye to the fiscal and management issues within the district, and her experience as an MBUSD parent for a decade, across all levels of schools, gives her real world connections and knowledge of what teachers and students really need. I got to know Shivpuri as a fellow Pennekamp parent and as members of the school’s Culture of Care Committee. She proved up to the task in every regard. She is an active listener and a compassionate leader. She was able to garner support and cooperation from all levels, from students and teachers to school and district administration. Most importantly, she treats everyone she encounters with respect and dignity. She desires for every MBUSD student to feel they belong in our community, and have a role in helping our community succeed. Under her leadership, the children of our community will receive a top tier education, and become well-rounded leaders of tomorrow who are ready to enter the world outside our lovely city with all the tools they need to succeed.
Christy Feldman
Manhattan Beach
Dodger fan
Dear ER:
I just finished reading Paul Teetor’s great article about the Dodgers’ collapse (“Dodger fans mad as hell. ER October 20, 2022).” What a breath of fresh air compared to those fans who say, “They’re our Dodgers, win or lose.” When it happens year after year after year, there comes a time when enough is enough. One of my best memories is sitting in the centerfield bleachers with my Dad in ’73, and having Willie Mays, of the Mets, smile and wave to us. I stopped rooting for the Dodgers in the ‘90s, though my father was a die-hard Dodgers fan back to the mid-to-late 50s Brooklyn teams. During the 80s when I was in my 20s, they fielded some of the most boring teams, with players like Greg Brock, Dave Anderson, Franklin Stubbs, Mariano Duncan and Alfredo Griffin, to name just a few. They became unwatchable for me, after the great infield of the 70s. I did like the Dodgers early 90s teams with Mike Piazza, Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry, who unfortunately never did anything remarkable in the postseason. The Dodgers are responsible for the predominance of Dominican players in today’s game through their academies there. Of course they’re fantastic players, but there are very few black or Hispanic American players in today’s game. Maybe L.A. and San Diego would have benefitted from some inner-city or suburban academies? Then, of course, there were the McCourt years. While the rival Giants built a picturesque stadium situated in the Bay, and went on to win three titles in five years the Dodgers continued to play in an outdated stadium, using metrics, algorithms, and computer-generated data to pull a pitcher after so many pitches, regardless of the situation, even with a perfect game going. Joe Montana had a phrase for it: “Apple Annies” — teams good enough to get to the big game, but who fold under the pressure, which is infinitely worse when you guarantee you’re going to win the World Series in spring training. As Teetor put it so well “A guarantee is a promise that something will happen the way the guarantor says it will.’ Exactly! Babe Ruth called his famous home run shot. Joe Namath guaranteed an AFL win in the Super Bowl. Pat Riley guaranteed the Lakers would win back-to-back titles. Roberts, call your own shots using knowledge of the game gained through experience. Stop nonsensical pitching changes, and stay out of the guarantee business. It only motivates the other teams that much more. Teetor’s is right. The Dodgers are a horror movie. But in about four months, spring training will begin, and there will be new hope. Fans will attend in droves, certain this year will be the year.
Cordova
Redondo Beach
Horn quieted
Dear ER:
This is an amazing article for an amazing man (“Hermosa Beach’s oldest Rotarian Bob Peterson lays down his horn at age 99,” ER Mar. 23, 2021). I sat in front of him on bassoon for all of my 23 years with the orchestra and now that we have returned to rehearsals, playing and concerts, Peterson is sorely missed. There’s a void behind me and we all feel it. Beach Cities Symphony honored his memory last Friday, October 15, when BCSO returned to the stage after being shut down for over two years. We playedMozart’s Horn Concerto No. 2 in Peterson’s memory.
Erica Snow Robinson
Redondo Beach
Redondo doing its part
Dear ER:
Redondo Beach is at 12,000 people per square mile (“Pustilnikov files for 2,320 housing units, hotel, office complex, park at AES,” ER Aug. 22, 2022). We are the only beach city with more multifamily units than single family units. Redono has a higher percentage of multifamily units than the average of all 161 Southern California cities In SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments).. We are the only beach city with Section 8 housing. We have more senior housing than any other beach city. We had the first homeless court, and pallet homes for the homeless. We are converting a hotel into transitional housing for the homeless. Our housing is more affordable than the other beach cities. We are one of the first cities in the state with a certified housing element. We are the only one of the beach cities that has high rise and large condo complexes on the waterfront, with well over 100 units per acre. Redondo is not NIMBY. We have done more than our fair share of heavy lifting. And with large residential projects in the construction, approved, or in process, we continue to. Look at Manhattan Beach and El Segundo stats. Time for others to do their fair share.
Jim Light
Redondo Beach