Letters to the Editor 9-22-22
Rebuke rebuke
Dear ER:
The Beach Cities League of Women Voters just lost all credibility (“Redondo rebuke,” Letters to the Editor, ER Sept. 15, 2022). It has allowed itself to become infiltrated with members of the Redondo Beach commercial development cabal that ruled Redondo city government for so long.
What this group does is to insinuate itself into respected organizations in order to plant their own agenda so it appears to be that of their infected organizations. In 2018, this same cabal used the popular Women’s March to promote members of their own group in the Redondo Beach Women’s March. Both of these organization take-overs were designed to take back the power that the Redondo Old Guard is so determined to maintain. Just sad that the local League of Women Voters has fallen for this political maneuver, discrediting the entire history of this once great organization
Barbara Epstein
Redondo Beach
Partisan League
Dear ER:
The inaccurate and biased letter from the League of Women Voters of the Beach Cities confirms that group has completely crossed over to being totally partisan (“Redondo rebuke,” Letters to the Editor, ER Sept. 15, 2022). All one needs to do is look at its current members. The Fourth District Redondo Beach Council recall candidate Tonya McKenzie is also a League member. This same puppet candidate was a moderator at the 2019 League of Women Voters Redondo Council candidate forum. Both candidates and attendees felt the 2019 event was one of the worst examples of partisanship ever seen by a group which is supposed to be nonpartisan. The Redondo Beach City Council wisely put the pot initiative and Fourth District recall on an October ballot to ensure voters would be able to focus on the importance to Redondo. The regular statewide November election will have so many other ballot initiatives, and that those related to Redondo will be buried at the end. As has been demonstrated in prior elections, fewer voters will cast votes for items at the end. The claim by the League of Women Voters that fewer voters will participate is not confirmed by facts. Why Easy Reader gave this compromised and biased group a forum for a letter significantly longer than typically allowed, and filled with false information is alarming. At this point The League of Women Voters of the Beach Cities should just call themselves a special interest PAC, and not bother to hide their bias and partisanship.
Wayne Craig
Redondo Beach
Cartoon misinformation
Dear ER:
Cartoonist Wuerker of Politco is up to his old tricks… again (ER September 15, 2022). This time trying to conflate the Biden College Loan Forgiveness Bill as magnanimous, putting money in the “pockets of Americans to help with college debt.” Biden already forgave the debt of 40,000 borrowers last week. The cost so far is $3 billion. Who does Wuerker think will pay that? Tax payers are already on the hook when a student defaults on a loan. The further implication is money going into the pockets of the rich to buy yachts and second homes?? Is he referring to institutions making the loans? There are bigger issues though. Half of all college grads are working in fields that don’t require a college degree. Colleges have benefitted from these student loans for years, in some cases offering degrees of questionable value. (Degrees in Gender Studies are worthless.) Many of these Ivy League colleges have Endowments in the billions of dollars, yet accept less than five percent of applicants. Surely, they could do more? If Biden has his way and just $10,000 per borrower is forgiven, it would cost the equivalent of what we have spent on welfare since the year 2000. How does this help Americans with college debt?
Gary Brown
Hermosa Beach
Elephant in the district
Dear ER:
On September 14, we witnessed everything that’s wrong with Special Districts in a single meeting of the Los Angeles Local Area Formation Commission. LAFCO unanimously approved BCHD’s municipal service review without requiring BCHD to demonstrate that its proposed building expansion to 800,000 sq. ft. has any benefits to the residents of the District. The Healthy Living Campus expansion is being done for the benefit of 80 percent to 95 percent non-residents, requires a $200,000 annual income in retirement to pay senior housing rent and includes 1.3 million non-residents, all being served on the backs of the taxpayers of Hermosa, Redondo and Manhattan Beach. The state’s Little Hoover Commission wrote a long report highlighting out of control districts. Like BCHD, most have perpetual tax money because we voters in 1955 didn’t put a sunset provision in the vote to build a hospital. For the want of one phrase, such as, “In the event the hospital fails, tax funding immediately ceases,” special districts are taxpayer cash looking for a cause. Little Hoover was right, Special Districts are a train wreck. What Little Hoover missed was that LAFCO’s (every county has one) may be the engineers.
Mark Nelson
Redondo Beach
Taking council for a spin
Dear ER:
Elliot Lewis, the Long Beach cannabis outside interest, is looking to buy a council seat by spending over $300,000 on a recall of Fourth District Councilman Zaine Obagi. When did elections in Redondo turn into Wheel of Fortune? “Vanna, I’d like to buy a council seat.” What stops Lewis from buying future school board seats? Unless Lewis buys this newspaper and refuses to print this letter, he can’t stop the facts. Councilman Obagi obtained funding for a new dog park. Who could be against that? Cats? Obagi had new stop signs installed. I can understand how NASCAR racers on Grant can be against that. He is helping lead the opposition to the Green Line in North Redondo. Otherwise metro riders might be commenting on dinners being made while passing residents’ homes, and asking if it is gluten free. Councilman Obagi helped get extra firemen on fire trucks. RBFD supports him. RBPD supports him. Vote No on the recall and No on Measure E.
Robin Eisenberg
Redondo Beach
Burton booter
Dear ER:
On May 13, 2021 chronic Manhattan Beach council candidate Mark Burton wrote letters to the editor chastising the Manhattan Beach City Council for their strong opposition to District Attorney George Gascon. This is the District Attorney who has refused to let his office prosecute over 100 legitimate arrests by the Manhattan Beach Police Department. Fast forward to September 8, 2022 when Burton ran a full page Easy Reader ad touting himself as “The Public Safety Expert We Need,” and also calling for a Manhattan Beach City Prosecutor. Well, District Attorney Gascon, will not allow our city to hire its own city prosecutor to pursue these over 100 arrests in court. Also, Gascon would not allow the Manhattan Beach City Council to contract with the City of Redondo Beach to utilize their City Prosecutor. Burton has unsuccessfully run for Manhattan Beach City Council three times. As the election nears, it behooves voters to check the facts, not listen to mere rhetoric. If they do so, Burton will look at defeat number four. There are several well qualified candidates seeking the two seats on the Manhattan Beach Council. Select two of them on November 8.
Bob Holmes
Manhattan Beach
Council qualities
Dear ER:
We are endorsing Rita Crabtree-Kampe for Manhattan Beach City Council. We have known Crabtree-Kampe and her Kampe family for many years. She is a leader and gets things done. She is non-partisan and not a politician. Crabtree-Kampe was on the board of MBSafe, making a difference to the people experiencing homelessness. She is on the streets of Manhattan Beach every day to help people realize a proactive change in their lives. She is not using this platform as a stepping stone for a political career. Her views and interests are solely for the betterment of our community.
Peter and Janette Ocampo
Manhattan Beach
Hadley has it
Dear ER:
We support Suzanne Hadley for re-election to Manhattan Beach city council in November. Suzanne was an excellent mayor in 2020-2021. Throughout her first term on council, she served with integrity, courage, and humility — including during the heated issues of Bruce’s Beach and lockdowns. She wants to keep our Fire Department local, and expand both our fire and police departments. Hadley has helped reduce our homeless population by working with MBSAFE to connect our less fortunate with county housing and services. With her leadership on council, she has helped the city hire a full time social worker; and the city now pays for two 24/7 shelter beds. She is working to block retail pot shops coming to town. Hadley is a fighter and will push back against Sacramento overreach; she is working against high-density housing. Hadley has an MBA. She owned her own retail shop for 20 years, so she understands what it takes to help our small businesses survive.
Rory and Marie O’Brien
Manhattan Beach
Council sneak play
Dear ER:
Redondo Beach is under attack by non-Redondo forces that wish to seize control of our City Council, and our business districts, and are seeking to flood our local beach towns with unrestricted sales of recreational cannabis. Some ugly name calling is taking place. Reportedly, paid individuals circulating a petition on behalf of a Long Beach cannabis outfit lied to residents that their fire department would be taken away in order to obtain signatures to get their Measure E, their cannabis measure, on the ballot, along with their desired recall election of Fourth District Councilman Zein Obagi, in hopes of sliding a cannabis-backed candidate onto the City Council. Redondo voters have a full plate without distractions, side issues, and character attacks being interjected via mailers seeking to confuse and fool voters into supporting these destructive proposals. Redondo Beach needs to fend off this contrived recall and Measure E. Vote wisely. Redondo Beach is not for sale.
Nancy Skiba
Redondo Beach
League of Women Voters
Dear ER:
For the League of Women Voters to state that which is not true regarding this election cost to Redondo Beach underscores exactly what you said, Barbara. The City SAVES money this way for two election items that shouldn’t even BE on a ballot in Redondo Beach. They were paid for entirely by a cannabis dispensary owner from Long Beach! Redondo Beach residents spent NO MONEY on either issue to appear on our ballot. This is a grab for power that the cannabis dealer has spent close to half a million dollars so far in our City to control our laws and our elected officials. Whatever anyone thinks on either issue should be voting NO and sending a message that WE cannot be bought by outside influences. Shame on the people who invited this scourge into our City!
Lezlie Campeggi Navarro
Redondo Beach