Walking the streets
Dear ER:
I would like to thank Mayor Jeff Duclos for the wonderful example he sets as a councilman and especially as our Mayor. Before Mr. Duclos became a councilman, he joined the Hermosa Beach Police Department’s Volunteers in Policing (VIP) Program. This was a pilot program started by former Chief of Police, Greg Savelli and the Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Watch coordinators.
Many people who run for council get involved with various local nonprofit organizations and volunteer their time in order to get to know people. Soon after they become elected, this participation drops off as they find their time needed elsewhere. I appreciate that our Mayor has continued as a VIP. He experiences his community by walking the streets of Hermosa Beach during the day and most importantly, at night! This gives you a unique perspective as to the ‘pulse’ of Hermosa and what our police and fire must deal with on a daily basis when interacting with residents and visitors. As a founder and coordinator of the HBNW program, I feel he has been an advocate for the continued support of keeping our police and fire departments within our city limits.
Kelly Kovac-Reedy, co-founder
HB Neighborhood Watch
Conflict of interest
Dear ER:
The Chamber of Commerce started and ended the candidates’ debates by thanking AES, with its posted ads, and others for sponsoring the candidates’ forum. This seems like a complete conflict of interest, especially when AES appears to be backing certain candidates. Bill Brand’s opponent in District 2, Jackson, is the incoming president of the Chamber of Commerce, which means he would have to choose between Redondo residents and corporate profits. One of Jim Light’s opponents and Bill Brand’s opponent, Jackson, had the same talking points. They both began with the phrase, “nobody wants a power plant in their back yard, but…”, claimed to be good at communication and compromise, and trivialized the importance of AES to Redondo Beach and the South Bay.
The obvious choices for Districts 1 and 2 are Jim Light and Bill Brand, who co-authored Measure A. I’ve seen many changes from when the power plant first opened and there were only beach cottages to the current condos blocking the view to the ocean. Boat owners used to get calls from the harbor master at night whenever there were ocean swells when they first opened King Harbor, because it was not a natural harbor. I used to wonder how so many poor decisions were made in Redondo and it appears there has been more input from the Chamber of Commerce than from the city council. We need council members that will choose residents over corporations, so it’s important to keep our representatives separate from the corporate sector that the Chamber of Commerce represents.
Now that I’ve got the right to vote on some of the decisions, I fully support Yes on Measure A because we don’t need dirty power plants that not only don’t serve our energy needs, but that pollute our air and water as well. Rezoning will give us a say in the future we want for Redondo. Jim Light and Bill Brand have a vision for Redondo that will not encourage the kinds of greed-based developments Redondo has made over the years and the time is right to change the direction from corporate greed to community needs.
Carol Peterson
Redondo Beach
Hermosa Beach is blessed
Dear ER:
When you run for city council, it’s with the knowledge that, if elected, you will also have the opportunity to serve as mayor. It is more than a shift in title and responsibilities. Having now experienced being your mayor, I found it to be deeply rewarding and profoundly different from being a city council member. Being mayor has provided me with insights and new experiences that will better me in service to my city and in life. It has meant more than I could have ever imagined. I cannot thank the people of Hermosa Beach enough for the opportunity to serve my community in this special way. But if I’ve learned or been reminded of anything during the past nine months, it is that your mayor and city council do not run your city. Your city staff does that. City council members come and go. The City Manager and staff are a constant. City employees are not just the face of our city, they are its soul. Hermosa Beach is blessed with outstanding employees. We must always be mindful of how the best cities – or businesses, for that matter – function: You hire the best people you can, give them as much responsibility as they can and are willing to handle, and you keep them. I believed this going into my tenure as mayor. I believe it even more fervently today. Thank you to city staff, to public works, and especially our first responders for making and maintaining Hermosa Beach as a city that we love and can be proud of. I believe in you and I will always support you.
Jeff Duclos
Former mayor
Hermosa Beach
Toyota buy-out
Dear ER:
Congratulations to Esther Kang for turning an extremely positive story into a negative one. Her title characterization, “Elway scrambles out of MB” is totally inaccurate! The partnership between Darrell Sperber, Mitch Pierce, Jerry Williams and John Elway was, very simply, a five-year agreement ending in December of 2012. Mr. Sperber exercised his contractual rights to buy-out all of his partners and assume sole ownership. This is a testimony as to how well the dealership is doing and it actually benefits our communities by keeping all of the funds local. Ms. Kang makes it sound as if John Elway couldn’t wait to get out of town. This is unfair and far from the truth.
Manhattan Beach Toyota now becomes one of the few “mom and pop” stores upon which Toyota was originally founded. We remain dedicated to putting the customer first and making sure every guest has a truly exceptional experience.
Al Wise, Director
Marketing and Public Relations
Manhattan Beach Toyota
Editor’s note: The headline was written collaboratively by Managing Editor Ed Pilolla and Editor Mark McDermott.
Curb the unfair tickets
Dear ER:
Imagine waking up on Sunday morning, going to church, picking up the paper, getting donuts and coffee and just beginning to relax and enjoy your day off. Then you look down the street and see a meter-maid on foot walking up the street passing out tickets to everyone parked on the street, roughly 25 cars, and this was just my block; they may have done the whole city. A review of the signs shows that there is nothing restricting parking at that time but all 25 cars on the block received a parking ticket. Upon asking the parking enforcement what they were for the reply comes, “their wheels aren’t turned toward the curb.”
My father has lived on the same block for 40 years and explained that he had never been ticketed for this and that it is wrong to ambush people and commit selective enforcement to raise their revenue. The reply was “too bad, we warned them.” I find this highly unlikely since not one of the three cars I have parked on the street ever received anything on the windshield, nothing by mail and no notice anywhere in the city. Also, not one of the neighbors were warned either and we all stood outside trying to figure out why those vampires want to suck out our hard-earned money. They are worse then a lawyer with a gambling problem. But I digress… I wonder if it has anything to do with them being called out for making 100k per year by Kit Bobko on the radio that Friday? I would like to invite everyone who received a ticket to file a grievance and force the City of Hermosa to spend the week it will take to investigate them. I will be down there this week looking to find the flyer warning us to turn our wheels toward the curb. While I don’t like to call people the “L” word, I am not afraid to use it if I need to.
Casey Clark
Hermosa Beach
Climate change needed
Dear ER:
In my 30 years as a Redondo Beach business owner, I have never felt this discouraged about the problems facing merchants along the PCH business corridor.
Two years ago, robbers entered my store in broad daylight, at gunpoint, bound and beat me then ransacked my business. Months earlier a nearby merchant suffered a similar violent, daytime robbery. Police caught one suspect hiding near Parras Middle School.
Since then, the city has reduced (yes, reduced) police staffing, leaving merchants and local neighborhoods feeling even more vulnerable.
The adverse economic climate has increased the number of business failures and presence of the homeless in the area. Most shops in my location stand vacant; camps set up behind empty storefronts and panhandling on the sidewalk intimidate customers — a terrible environment for business.
Riviera Village business owners seem to get attention while PCH businesses get clobbered. I have watched 50% of my sales evaporate. I’d like to see a united business front between the PCH corridors to Riviera Village.
City council candidate Kimberly Fine visited my store to discuss police staffing to improve both business conditions and residential neighborhood safety. She has reached out to local churches to work with the unfortunate homeless. She wants to work with all businesses – not just Riviera Village to revitalize our commerce.
Voters, please consider all the issues facing our city and elect a council committed to the interest of all Redondo Beach businesses and residents. My business depends on this climate change. Am I alone?
Vicki Anson
Vicki’s Antiques & Fine Art
Redondo Beach
MB for MB
Dear ER:
We have six candidates vying for three open seats on our Council, but only one candidate stands out as having a highly successful, lifelong career in effective public decision making: Mark Burton.
Mark Burton is recognized as an expert in open-government mandates like the Brown Act, and has decades of leadership experience in not only compliance, but educating fellow public service professionals on the full and complete disclosure of the public’s business.
All candidates establish platforms, but only Mark Burton has the professional credentials that define he will bring an added level of integrity, ethics and good decision making to our City Council.
Take one look at burtonforcouncil.com and I’m confident you’ll join me in enthusiastically voting for Mark Burton. MB for MB!
Gerry O’Connor
Manhattan Beach
Public servant
Dear ER:
Elected, Mark Burton will be the only member among other candidates and the present and prior city councils with a public service career. Consequently, his legal and practical experience will make the MBCC a stronger force in promoting political and managerial accountability.
Specifically, his expertise will ensure MBCC political accountability by adherence to open government laws, critical to strengthening engagement of residents in determining policies that promote community values, not those of special interest groups. Further, his legal background in labor relations and law enforcement will guide the MBCC in achieving cost-effective agreements with city employees representing 70% of budget expenditures and increasing public safety.
In addition, Mark recognizes local government can no longer be insular but must network with the private and non-profit sectors, and other stakeholders (education, volunteers, and county, state and federal agencies) to achieve public service excellence.
His public sector managerial expertise will ensure Mark demands management accountability from the city manager and department heads in the use of public funds. For example, present and past city budgets have failed to incorporate measureable results-oriented performance objectives in providing public services. Thus, the MBCC has failed to provide the basis for determining if we are getting value for our taxpayer dollars.
Mark’s record of accomplishments demonstrates his character for public service. He has a high tolerance for promoting consensus from criticism and controversy; and, the ethics to abhor the temptations and pressures that test character on a daily basis.
Edward C. Caprielian
Manhattan Beach
Change Redondo zoning
Dear ER:
Several No on A supporters would have residents do nothing while they wait for state agencies to decide their fate. These No on A supporters don’t realize that state agencies like the CEC are geared for approval, so this is a sure path to a new power plant that will increase particulate pollution by 15x. In fact, there is only one plant that was denied a permit without strong local opposition.
If you read the CEC’s response to the City of Redondo’s letter pointing out glaring holes in AES’ environmental analysis, you will see the city’s requests were largely ignored.
Strong opposition has defeated a new power plant in 126 out of 131 cases, but unfortunately, the City of Redondo has done too little too late (ask officials from Carlsbad – nopowerplant.com did). San Francisco and Chula Vista started years before power plant applications were submitted in their areas.
Redondo’s only hope is to change the zoning (as recommended by officials from San Francisco, Chula Vista and Carlsbad). The City Attorney’s impartial analysis of Measure A points out that its rezoning will force the CEC to do a needs assessment (that they will otherwise will not do). With this needs assessment, the CEC can only override local zoning if they find there is no other way to supply the power. At this point, Measure A is the only way.
Christine Wike
Hermosa Beach
Related: Debates launch the Redondo Beach political season
