Letters to the Editor: 2-25-2021
Fundamental lesson
Dear ER:
Thank you for the recap of the reality of the Kobe crash (“All Ball Sports: Kobe’s all too human pilot, “ER Feb. 18, 2021). As a lifelong Lakers fan, and player of the sport, the tragic loss of Kobe made me realize how much of an impact he had on me, my feelings of striving to the best I can be and to never compromise. I spent six years coaching high school volleyball, both boys and girls, at my alma mater Redondo Union High School. The one thing I taught my winning teams year in and year out was the execution of the fundamentals, everyday in practice, and in competition, and of course in life. The point being that even helicopter pilots need to follow the fundamentals, the basics as the training dictated. The lesson for us all is stick to the fundamentals in all that you do and through that discipline will come success and even greatness. We miss you Black Mamba for all that you stood for and inspired us all to be.
Lenny La Rocca
Redondo Beach
Healthy oversight
Dear ER:
BCHD says their massive, 800,000 sq.ft. overdevelopment plan will be released on March 8. The final plan is still a mystery, but over the past six or so months they dribbled out designs. It’s expected to be a 6-story, about 90-foot tall tower running from Prospect to Flagler, along Anza, an 8-story, 800 car parking garage at Prospect and Diamond, and a 4-story health club/meeting facility roughly in place of the existing South Bay Hospital, which they plan to tear down. According to BCHD CEO, the board has given him guidance to avoid a public vote, and instead to rent land to a developer so that no taxpayer approval is needed. The South Bay Galleria-sized development is smack in the middle of residential neighbors in Redondo and Torrance. Over 1,200 of those neighbors have signed a petition against the massive overdevelopment. You can follow the project and neighborhood opposition by joining the mail list at TRAOnews.org.
Mark Nelson
Redondo Beach
Corner of Quartz and Guacamole
Dear ER:
I read with profound intrigue the mystery surrounding the USPS Master Address File’s shift from Avenue E to the totally non-existent “Ave. P,” and the ensuing inconveniences experienced by Avenue E residents (“P is for E, and P is for problem,” ER Feb. 18, 2021). It might appear upon cursory glance that this was simply a matter of human error. Seriously? What are the odds that one day we wake up to find that Diamond Street has been renamed “Quartz Street,” or Guadalupe Street has been turned into “Guacamole Street”?
If we read the article with an eye towards the classic Sherlock Holmes’ discipline of “Laws of Deduction” we find the following; First, since City officials and our local congressional Representative Ted Lieu have no idea how such an unprecedented clerical error could have happened we can very safely assume that such a decision was not made in any committee, nor by any board of officers. Fortunately, this reduces the action to only one individual within the duties of the USPS Master List data entry program. Occam’s Razor likely will show that the disruption was deliberate and such an action would be a federal offense. Intriguing, indeed! I hope that the Postmaster General in cooperation with the Secret Service will investigate as is appropriate and correct what appears to be an act of malice.
Augustin P. Garnier
Redondo Beach
De-flower Rosecrans
Dear ER:
I would like the Manhattan Beach City Council members and Mayor Hadley to consider replacing pollinating flowering trees that run the length of Rosecrans Ave. with non-pollinating softscape. The last several weeks have been excruciating for people with seasonal allergies in the northside of the tree section, down to the North End. Why? Because without regard for the health and well-being of its residents and visitors, the city planted nonindigenous, flowering trees. Every year the city puts children and other people in great suffering for months, some in respiratory distress where they need medications. Children are wheezing, coughing and have difficulty breathing because of these tree pollens. It causes asthma attacks so strong that unless some constituents are on immediate, strong medication, they will suffer a severe asthma attack. You have made your citizens wear masks for the last 11 months because of your belief that it protected constituents’ health. Why is the health of some taking precedent over the health and well-being of others?
Manhattan Beach City Council should no longer accept being a city that allows its residents to have difficulty doing what most people take for granted, breathing. Please make the well-being of people more important than the visual need to see flowering trees. Take immediate action and replace those trees with a non-pollinating tree.
Name withheld by request
Manhattan Beach
Vaccine politics
Dear ER:
It is clear politicians are using their decision not to vaccinate teachers as a bludgeon against the unions. There is no other logical explanation. As a teacher, we work closely with students, physically and academically. Not vaccinating teachers before re-opening the school is a recipe for disaster and teacher infection and hundreds then calling in sick. Do you really think substitute teachers would accept positions in such a toxic environment? The infection rate of LA youth is 30 percent. Do the math. The CDC is, once again, under political pressure not to do what they morally and scientifically know is right. Politics trumps science. These same politicians attacked the justified teachers strike. Science says vaccinate teachers. Even the LA Times says that vaccinating them would only use 1 percent of our allotted vaccine quota. Since there’s a vaccine shortage, why doesn’t the government force Moderna/ Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson to share the formula with the many other production facilities in the US and world?
Jonas Salk gave the polio vaccine formula free to the world. Why are we hindered now by the “Intellectual property” of big pharma that is costing thousands of lives?
Mark Friedman
Redondo Beach
Webb of advice
Dear ER:
I’ve known Mike Webb since 2004, when he was our Redondo Beach City Prosecutor. I supported Webb for City Attorney in 2005, and now support him for re-election. Webb ran unopposed two previous times for the plain and simple reason that he’s been recognized as doing a good job. While I was chair of the Redondo Beach Preservation Commission, he advised me I had come close to violating the California Open Meetings (Brown) Act. He then personally addressed the entire commission, explaining how to comply with the Act. His advice was right on, but it was up to us commissioners to follow that advice. The same applies to the City Council. Webb gives excellent legal advice, but he does not have the power to make the Council follow that advice. So, don’t fall for any of that negative campaigning bunk that’s been trying to disparage him. He’s a good guy and an excellent City Attorney. That’s why he’s supported for re-election by our current and two former Mayors, the Redondo Beach Police Officers’ Association, the RB Firefighters Association, LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Former LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, CA State Assembly member Al Muratsuchi, and me.
Andrew Lesser, M.D.
Redondo Beach
Presidential backing
Dear ER:
As the former President of the Redondo Beach Board of Education and
someone with decades of experience advocating for our children, I’m
voting for Rachel Silverman Nemeth and Dan Elder for School Board.
Serving on the Board of Education takes dedication, experience, and
years of educational community engagement to understand how our
schools are run. Rachel and Dan have invested their time and energy
into our schools for years and are ready to handle the challenging task
of safely reopening schools so we can recover from the effects of the
pandemic. You can learn more about why they’re so
widely supported at rd4rb.org.
Anita Avrick
Redondo Beach
R and D bring R and D
Dear ER:
I have spent the last eight years, along with my colleagues on the Board of Education, doing my best to keep the quality of education high. Redondo Beach residents are fortunate to have Rachel Silverman Nemeth and Dan Elder running in the March 2 election for the Board of Education to maintain and improve on this excellence. I have known Rachel for many years, Our children attended district schools together. Rachel has served on several School Site Councils. As a family law attorney, Rachel is well-versed in advocating for families with school-aged children. I am confident she will use her experience as a positive influence while on the school board. Dan is also a long-time supporter of our community, having provided leadership as the chair of both the RBUSD Bond Oversight Committee and the Redondo Beach Planning Commission, along with several School Site Councils. His experience in technology will be a particular asset to the school board. They are well organized, great communicators, and practical thinkers who follow through on commitments. Rachel and Dan will make excellent members of the Board of Education. I urge you to mail in your ballots by March 2 and vote for Rachel Silverman Nemeth and Dan Elder for school board.
Michael Christensen
RBUSD Board of Education
Redondo Beach
Family support
Dear ER:
We are writing to share our enthusiastic support for Rachel Silverman Nemeth for the School Board. Redondo Beach is so fortunate to have a candidate of her caliber and dedication. Rachel’s commitment to the Redondo Beach Public Schools goes far beyond the interests of her own children; she cares deeply about the quality of education for all students, and will advocate fairly and passionately for students, families, teachers, and administrators. She is dedicated to maintaining our schools’ educational excellence.
We have had the good fortune to be friends of Rachel and her family for the past 10 years and know her to be an excellent listener who fully considers options before making important decisions. We have seen Rachel work to maintain relationships with teachers and administrators. We believe she will be a voice of reason and serve as a unifier among the students, parents, educators, staff, and administrators. Rachel is a wonderful parent who has dedicated herself to excellence in our school district. She does not come with an agenda, but rather a pledge to listen to the needs of all stakeholders in the school district and to act upon those interests.
Please return your ballot before March 2nd and vote for Rachel Silverman Nemeth for School Board.
Mike and Kyoko Copnall
Redondo Beach
Relationship game
Dear ER:
I want all our kids to succeed, that’s why I’m voting for Rachel Silverman Nemeth and Dan Elder for the Redondo Beach School Board. As a parent who’s been deeply involved in our schools, I’ve seen how hard they work to bring our entire school community together and rally them for our kids. They’ve earned the trust of so many parents and community members like me because it’s clear how much they care about all our kids and towards improving our schools. It takes time to build relationships between so many members of the educational team. Administrators, teachers, PTA, RBEF, parents, staff, and many others need to work together towards a common goal and it takes real leadership to make that happen. Rachel and Dan have been long-term partners in education and are willing to step up and serve. Learn more about them at rd4rb.org and join me in voting for them!
Sondi Kroeger Foley
Redondo Beach