Letters to the Editor 5-24-18
Surfevolution
Dear ER:
So I guess Steve Switzer would not have chosen to use an expertly designed and crafted surfboard that’s about 40 pounds lighter than the wood chunks they used to stand on (“Surfing desecration,” ER Letters May 17, 2018). Nor would he have ever dared to slip on a ridiculous rubber outfit to insulate himself from the sub-60 degree water. And the surf back then must have been so much bigger, because wave warriors like Steve were so scared that they would leave cherished keepsakes for their loved ones in case they were lost at sea. Puhhleease! It’s called progress (and it’s still free and fun). Either get on board and help shape the future, or else eat my wake.
Spongebob
Pacific Ocean
AES AWOL
Dear ER:
Last November, the Redondo Beach Mayor, City Council, LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, State Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, and State Senator Ben Allen’s representatives announced plans to acquire the 51-acre AES Power-Plant site. They plan to coordinate state and county funding sources so this would create no new taxes for Redondo residents.
Everyone is very excited that the residents will enjoy this large, important location, rather than an out-of-town developer cramming it with condos and traffic. This may be the single most important opportunity for beautification and revitalization that Redondo, or even the entire South Bay, has been presented with – so this is truly historic and of great importance to the city’s future and the future of the South Bay.
We haven’t heard anything since about Redondo’s discussions with AES to buy the property. Negotiation details wouldn’t generally be made public, but it seems the residents are entitled to be informed how/if this important deal is progressing. Have we made an offer to AES? Are we in negotiations? Are we bidding against developers? Are there other bidders? When will the power lines come down? Any developer must realize it’s zoned as a park. The zoning can only be changed by vote of the residents. Redondo residents have repeatedly demonstrated they won’t rezone the AES site, and we will defeat any future attempt. If an unwitting developer decides buy it, and to leave the site blighted to wait us out, we will execute eminent domain – paying them only for parkland.
Robert Gaddis
Redondo Beach
Cape Town, California
Dear ER:
It has been over a month since I wrote my column supporting desalination (“Attacks on El Segundo desalination plant not fact based,” ER April 20, 2018). I would like to thank the literally hundreds of people who have contacted me with their support. Naturally there has been opposition. The opposition centers around three points:
- Cost: This is a concern, but costs are coming down. It is not cheap to import water hundreds of miles, and the cost of doing nothing could be much more.
- The toxic discharge will ruin the South Bay: The EIR and other facts prove this is “fake news” and a scare tactic.
- If we recycle more we won’t need a desalination plant: Increasing recycling is happening. I suggest people visit the recycling plant in El Segundo and learn what they are already doing in this area and with water conservation. In addition, you can’t recycle what you don’t have, and recycling does nothing to insure a locally controlled, reliable source of water. Only desalination does that.
There have been some interesting articles recently. Here are a few headlines. “55,000 acres of farmland were fallowed each year since 2000 due to water cuts.” “Droughts are expected to be longer and more severe in the future.” The Colorado River water shortage projection due to persistent droughts “prompted Bureau of Reclamation Chief Brenda Burman to prod the seven river states (California is one of those) to finish long-delayed contingency plans for worsening conditions.” Cape Town South Africa repeatedly “rebuffed” Israel’s offer to assist with their water crisis and is now running out of water. “The situation in Cape Town is almost a foretaste of what is likely to come in cities worldwide” said Jasper Knight a climate expert. “Drought crises in California, Brazil and Spain all suggest a future where water will be scarce.”
So do we want to be proactive or maybe someday be like Cape Town.
Russ Lesser
Manhattan Beach
Powell to the people
Dear ER:
Thank you former Mayor Wayne Powell for the courage to take a stand with accurate facts on an unnecessary, ill-conceived industrial desalination plant that the water company and others who stand to gain are aggressively pushing. Every respected environmental organization and the Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach City Councils have officially opposed this project. We trust a truthful leader like Powell who is always looking out for our community.
Suzanne Michel
Manhattan Beach
Greenbelt doover
Dear ER:
The May 10 Hermosa Beach community meeting about the Greenbelt Infiltration Project was disastrous and disorganized. The location and format of the meeting were changed at the last minute to take place entirely on the Greenbelt, and did not facilitate the proper questioning and answering of questions. We were sent from one station to the other and, once again, our questions were not properly answered. The questions we had previously submitted in writing to Kristy Morris and to the City Council have not yet been answered, and the deadline was May 17. The residents of Hermosa Beach demand a Community meeting in the City Council Chambers as soon as possible, where everyone can gather in one place to have our questions answered.
Maria Haase
Hermosa Beach
Underutilized acres
Dear ER:
Proposition MB is based on the brazen falsehood that the Manhattan Beach Unified School District cannot afford to attract and maintain qualified teachers without yet another infusion of taxpayer funds. In truth, the money raised is intended to address unfunded pension liabilities and the District has a surfeit of assets it fails to maintain and utilize appropriately.
Case in point: The MBUSD maintenance yard at Peck and Manhattan Beach Boulevards on the east side of town. Under the aegis of MBUSD, this prime 2.03-acre parcel has degenerated into a debris field of stacks of old tires, paint cans, pallets, scrap metal and sundry junk items, more befitting a sound stage for the old sitcom “Sanford and Son” than an asset managed by those to whom we entrust our children.
Informed decision-making requires the application of critical thinking and the ability to look beyond the proliferation of cute signs with trite messages. This land-baron entity cannot demonstrate sound fiscal management of its existing expansive assets and repeatedly employs deceit and fear-mongering to wring ever more money from the electorate. If you prioritize honesty, integrity and fiscal responsibility, please join me in voting “No” on MB.
Stephanie Robins
Manhattan Beach
Eye on the prize money
Dear ER:
I agree with letter writer Robert Bush that giving money without having specified what the money will be used for is not a wise approach (“Watch the money,” ER Letters May 17, 2018). It would make more sense that the Manhattan Beach School District put together a plan on how the $400,000 from the City is going to be spent. Then the district goes to the City Council and presents the plan so the public can comment. Then the Council can vote. That’s the type of process used when we awarded contracts at the Air Force base. Whoever wants money has to justify what it’s going to be used for, then if it isn’t used for that, then people can be punished for misappropriation of funds. From what I’ve seen at the state and local level, that is the exception rather than what should be the rule. As far as youth at schools having guns on campus, if that’s the case, then parents and the district should consider screening people before they go on campus. Currently anyone can walk on most campuses by just saying where they plan to go, get a label for their shirt, then walk on and do what they want. That seems too easy.
Caney Arnold
Facebook comment
Bring back tent cities
Dear ER:
I have a relatively simple and much less expensive solution to the problem than Los Angeles or San Fran Sick-O are proposing. Set aside several acres of land in the high desert and build the homeless a tent city, similar to the ones the UN provides for refugees. It could be like Manzanar and others that the government forced the Japanese-Americans into during World War II. They would be in a place all their own, well away from businesses, children and other working Americans. They wouldn’t be around to stab people like they did in Ventura and Redondo Beach (“Suspect in custody after Redondo Beach stabbing,” ER May 17, 2018. Cops would have more time to keep communities safe and deal with other disruptions. But don’t worry, neither the County nor Sacramento will do it. It’s too simple and solves a problem that they enjoy having .
Gary Mlynek
Redondo Beach