Letters to the Editor 11-10-22
Show us the sources
Dear ER:
An independent press is a cornerstone for a democracy. In order for the public to trust the press, journalists must provide reporting based on credible information, and should corroborate information with multiple sources, cite their sources of information. They should avoid taking political sides, and not act on behalf of special interest groups. Journalists should show impartiality, and balance in their reporting. Not every fact that can be published should be published. Journalists cannot print false statements that damage a person’s reputation.
The ER published a hit piece provided by the opposition, on only three of the six school board candidates — 4 days before the election, which was widely distributed in order to sway an election; parts of the story have already been retracted. E-mails to the editor asking about their policies include: Was the data unsolicited or solicited? What/who was the source of the data? When was it received by Easy Reader? When did the Easy Reader decide to publish the data? How was the data fact checked? Were all political candidates’ backgrounds checked? If not why only those three? Please explain how the data printed is relevant to serving on the school board? What is the ER’s policy on publishing stories that might influence an election? To date no answers. It’s truly disappointing to see the EasyReader lose the trust of the community, and it’s focus on providing news to the community.
Lee Phillips
Manhattan Beach
Assume not
Dear ER:
Wow! Multiple pages of type used to smear candidates for the Manhattan Beach school board running as the “Trifecta.” I assume that Easy Reader also spent hours combing through the backgrounds of the other three candidates, and they are incredibly squeaky-clean, therefore no story on them? I have no dog in the fight. I live in El Segundo. This comes from an old man who wrote about the MBUSD school board meetings for four-or-so years for a local paper, when Dr. Mathews was in charge, and found all involved to be gracious, forthcoming, and trustworthy. I am assuming we will see an expose on the other three candidates after the votes are counted?
Duane Plank
El Segundo
Spot on
Dear ER:
Great article, spot on (“Troubled Trifecta: a slate of school board candidates in Manhattan Beach comes under scrutiny [UPDATE],”). Why would anyone vote for them?
Karen Ford Cull
ER News comment
Spread the word
Dear ER:
Shame on Easy Reader for once again publishing false information in your crappy newspaper. I stopped reading your newspaper after you published the Black Man Avenue article which was totally false (“Bruce family representative ticketed on ‘BLK MAN AVE,’” ER May 20, 2021).
Now, I hear you have published some very damaging information about the Trifecta group running for the Manhattan Beach School Board, just a few days before the election. You should be ashamed of yourself for allowing this type of journalism. You are creating divisiveness and racial divide in this beautiful little town of ours. We don’t need newspaper outlets like yours in this town. I will be spreading the word to everyone I know not to read your paper.
Julie Watts
Manhattan Beach
Stick to the issues
Dear ER:
The article about the “Troubled Trifecta” is so one sided it doesn’t qualify as journalism. If the Easy Reader wanted to endorse WJT (Wysh Weinstein, Jen Fenton, and Tina Shivpuri) they should write an editorial reflecting that opinion, not a pseudo news article at the 11th hour just prior to the vote. Easy Reader should be non-partisan. It should only write articles listing the important issues the MBUSD Board will contend with and each candidate’s views on the issues.
Debra Geist
Email comment
Lucky pickle
Dear ER:
I am hoping for some of Manhattan Beach’s luck in getting pickle ball to rub off on our players in Redondo Beach. Redondo players have been asking for about two years. No pickle ball courts for them, so far.
Barbara Epstein
Redondo Beach\Healthy politics
Map to health
Dear ER:
The Beach Cities Health District helped place our beach cities on the map as one of the 10 healthiest places to live in the U.S. (“Incumbents Bholat, Chun, challenger Martin vie for two BCHD board seats,” ER Nov. 3, 2022). They help residents from kids to seniors with so much. In June 2016,” according to the Little Hoover Commission report that was submitted to Gov. Jerry Brown and the legislature, “U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy visited the (Beach Cities Health) district, and told representatives, “We tend to believe that America’s health problems are too big and intractable. You have proven that communities can take charge and reverse the trend.” Thanks to Beach Cities Health District trustees Dr. Noel Chun, Dr. Michelle Bholat for making the beach cities better.
Marie Puterbaugh
Redondo Beach
Time to sell
Dear ER:
It’s probably time to dissolve the Beach Cities Health District, and put its $5 million a year in property taxes into a health fund administered at little to no cost by the three Beach Cities (“Incumbents Bholat, Chun, challenger Martin vie for two BCHD board seats,” ER Nov. 3, 2022). We don’t need $2 million-plus in executive salaries at BCHD to administer $5M in property.
Mark Nelson
Redondo Beach
Smoke stack signals
Dear ER:
Uh oh, looks like Leo Pustilnikov and his investors in AES have not paid AES. They owe AES almost $37 million, and growing. AES sent them a foreclosure notice.
Jim Light
Redondo Beach
It’s begins
Dear ER:
I’m excited to announce my campaign for Redondo Beach City Council. The election is March 7, 2023. Over the last decade, I have met residents during my tenure as Vice President of the Beryl PTA, through Rescue Our Waterfront, which I co-founded, at residents’ front doors discussing how we can fight the Green Line extension, or at one of our annual neighborhood block parties. I’ll be using my years of professional community relations experience to establish a culture of responsiveness at City hall. My number one priority is to protect our most beloved asset: our quality of life. Among the many issues I will be focusing on: I will serve as a fierce advocate to stop the Green Line extension from running in our backyards, and stopping overdevelopment, which ruins our neighborhoods and leads to traffic, and continues to overcrowd our schools. When elected, I will join the team of resident-focused councilmembers whose majority representation has already resulted in dramatic improvements to the City. My mission will be to continue that momentum of resident focused leadership. I’ll be knocking on every door to residents well before the March election. Meanwhile, feel free to call me at 310-245-5871, or visit my website for more information: CandaceForCouncil.com.
Candace Allen Nafissi
Redondo Beach
Biking 101
Dear ER:
License and registration of all bikes would help a lot in educating all who ride, as well as make it much easier to track down offenders (“Redondo Beach city council takes first action on e-bikes,” ER November 3, 2022). More and more roads are being narrowed to allo bike lanes, and while this is a good idea, shouldn’t those who use those lanes contribute?
Gerri Baluch
Redondo Beach
Back to the future
Dear ER:
We are tired of high gas prices. What we would really love to see is the return of the National 55 m.p.h Speed Limit, a gas-saving law in the 1970s. We feel it needs to make a comeback to not only battle high gas prices, but to prevent traffic fatalities. The more slowly we drive, the more we save on gas, and on accidents.
Alexandros Martinez
Redondo Beach