Letters to the Editor 12-20-18
Safety first
Dear ER:
Awesome article [“Beach Business – Heads, they win,” ER Dec. 6, 2018] and yes, I did wear my helmet and pads a lot back in the day.
Cindy Whitehead
Web comment
Green Line gripe
Dear ER:
The reason there are so few South Bay riders on the Green line is because it ends at Marine in an industrial area before it gets anywhere near any significant residential areas. It also should have been the line to get to LAX, but due to political and other pressures at the time, it turned east right where it should have continued onto LAX, effectively diminishing the value of the Green Line for the majority of South Bay riders [“Greenlighted: Metro votes to keep most of the Green Line open for South Bay riders until 2021.”] Then what?” ER Dec. 13, 2018].
Bob Atkins
Web comment
Funding infrastructure
Dear ER:
Congestion pricing works best when the idea is to reduce traffic flow in a central downtown area, particularly one, like Manhattan, where it is difficult to avoid the devices, such as license plate readers, used to generate the fees [“Greenlighted: Metro votes to keep most of the Green Line open for South Bay riders until 2021. Then what?” ER Dec. 13, 2018].
Our traffic patterns are far less focused (and manageable) than that, so, perhaps, a better funding mechanism is “use taxing.”
In that scenario, for example, a penny might be added to every unit of fuel (gasoline, hydrogen, electricity) sold in the county for exclusive use to fund transit. Then, the users of the roads would be funding the new infrastructure.
Bob Pinzler
Redondo Beach
(Former councilmember)
Fly away, Birds
Dear ER:
The politicians should stop kicking this can down the road and make a decision [“City taken aback by ‘Bird dump,’” ER Dec. 17, 2018]. The biggest problem I see is that the appalling state of many of our roads make them unsuitable for these small wheeled vehicles.
Richard Janecki
Web comment
Bird menace
Dear ER:
Glad to know the city has acted [“City taken aback by ‘Bird dump,’” ER Dec. 17, 2018]. The scooters really must be strictly regulated. They are an absolute menace in Santa Monica.
Sandy Runyon Lough
Facebook comment
Birds and Bones
Dear ER:
These scooters are very dangerous [“City taken aback by ‘Bird dump,’” ER Dec. 17, 2018]. I work at the Marina Hospital. We are seeing lots of bad fractures from these.
Karen Simon Roseman
Facebook comment
Birds, bones II
Dear ER:
If they are allowed, for “Bird” to do business and some people to have fun using them, pedestrians walking on sidewalks will be at risk of breaking bones. Especially older people [“City taken aback by ‘Bird dump,’” ER Dec. 17, 2018].
Inci Haksoz
Bird’s not the word
Dear ER:
I agree 100 percent with Redondo Mayor Bill Brand. All that weekend long, adults and minors recklessly rode the Bird scooters on sidewalks and in the streets, and also on the Harbor Drive bikeway where motorized vehicles of any kind are prohibited [“City taken aback by ‘Bird dump,’” ER Dec. 17, 2018].
Riders have shown that they will not abide by the rules of the road, and they leave these scooters everywhere, blocking sidewalks and handicapped ramps. So these electric scooters should be banned completely from Redondo Beach — permanently.
Andy Lesser
Web comment
Waves this big!
Dear ER:
Known to exaggerate? Not Mike Purpus [“El Porto delivers perfect conditions for SB Surfriders/Jack’s Surf contest,” ER Dec. 13, 2018]. By the way, I like a little exaggeration with my coffee each morning!
Daniel Rugenstein
Facebook comment
Siri says
Dear ER:
Good [“Sepulveda Boulevard name change nixed in Manhattan Beach,” ER Dec. 13, 2018]. I love the way Siri says Sepulveda!
Stephanie Marra
Facebook comment
Ticket-free truck route
Dear Easy Reader:
In Hermosa Beach, 27th Street has always been a busier residential street than most. Aas a result its quality of life and property value were slightly depressed relative to much of North Hermosa. But historically the main impact to property values was from automotive traffic, not truck traffic and failing roads.
Over the years, millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent renovating and promoting the Hermosa Beach downtown business district.
As a consequence of all the stop signs on Pier Avenue and the curbside extensions that limit truck turning radius, delivery trucks for Hermosa Ave and Plaza area businesses routinely use 27th Street for access, in violation of the both the direct route laws and the No Commercial Vehicles over 3 Tons” signs posted east and westbound on 27th since the mid 1980’s.
Per a recent Public-Records Request, not a single ticket has been issued on 27th Street for an overweight commercial vehicle since the signs were posted. The truckers know this.
Is it too much to ask that the City Council and administrators to work with the Chamber of Commerce to ensure that delivery trucks that service the Downtown Business District use the Pier Avenue truck route unless there is an overwhelming reason to do otherwise?
And was it too much to have asked that the 2017 Plan-Hermosa EIR have considered the cumulative impact of heavy trucks, given the cities plan to grow downtown Hermosa?
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) governs the EIR process. Appendix G of CEQA and other legal rulings clearly state that safety hazards, effects like near-roadway pollution, noise and vibration must be considered.
There is no exception for truck-impacts, especially on highly utilized, vulnerable steep, narrow roads with obstructed sidewalks like 27th.
The Plan-Hermosa EIR’s failure to consider truck impact was arbitrary and absurd.
It was a significant process error.
And the arbitrary and absurd approval of the 2017 Plan Hermosa EIR is the very definition of “abuse of discretion”.
The California Supreme Court has ruled that abuse of discretion relating to process errors is grounds to overturn an EIR.
I’m no lawyer so I can’t say.
But the failure to consider truck impacts in the Plan-Hermosa EIR has an impact.
The Pier Avenue Plaza Hotel contractor wants to use 27th Street for an estimated 7,500 truck trips.
Anthony Higgins.
Hermosa Beach
Blowers in the wind
Dear ER:
A few months ago, I received a flyer stating that mechanical blowers are prohibited in Manhattan Beach (MB Municipal Code 5.48.330, punishable with a fine up to $1,000). This was welcome news to me, as I have always hated their noise and air pollution. But before I would call to report a violation (310-802-5159), I set out to share this information with my neighbors and their gardeners.
This is what I learned: Some gardeners were aware of the prohibition, but said that they ignore it because it wasn’t ever enforced. Some homeowners told their gardeners to stop using the blower, but flip-flopped when they didn’t have a pristine yard. Gardeners stated that clients weren’t willing to pay for the extra time that achieving this with a rake and broom would take. One owner said that without the ability to use a blower, his gardeners would be prevented from making a living. Most clients are out during the day and saw no problem with blower use.
I tried to convince people to do the right thing. While the web has many articles on the environmental hazards of blowers, only Manhattan Beach Code Enforcement dealing with the violators will curb their use.
Kim Lewis
By email