Letters
Protectionism?
Dear ER,
I cringe when I see the signs popping up around town that say, "Protect Marriage." As someone who has been married for 12 years, I have to think, "What are we protecting marriage from?" Is it divorce? Immature decision-making? Infidelity? Teenage children? Or just the business of everyday life that prevents people from truly communicating their love for each other? These are the things that hurt and destroy marriage.
No, these signs are about a hateful and unnecessary ballot initiative: Proposition 22. Prop. 22 protects marriages from no one and nothing. People of the same gender who love each other and want to make a commitment to each other are already precluded from the legal benefits of marriage. Please let's show that we can take care of our own glass houses before we start throwing stones at other people's love. Vote "No" on Prop.22
Venessa Poster
Redondo Beach
Dog tag
Dear ER,
As a pet owner in Redondo Beach, both my husband and I are very aware of the noise our dogs contribute to the neighborhood. In the past two years we have received several complaints, consisting of hand-delivered notes left on our door from Animal Control, calls from the Redondo Beach Police Department as well as calls and letters from the City Attorney's office and the mediation service mentioned in your article on February 10th. What each agency dispatched to our home to deal with the complaints has failed to note, however, is the heavy dog population within a one-block radius of our home.
In our building alone there are six dogs. There are dogs in each home on each side of our building. There is no way for a neighbor two houses over to distinguish which dog is barking, let alone a City official driving by.
After the first warning we received (over eighteen months ago), we took serious efforts to curb not only our dogs' barking but the level of discomfort our neighbors endured. We shut our two dogs in at night when we weren't home and made sure that they didn't bark excessively when we were. At present, our dogs bark only when a delivery is being made, our doorbell rings or people walk in front of our door (our door sits 75 feet from the street).
We felt confident that the steps taken were effective. Regardless, we continued to receive complaints. Upon inquiring with the City and City Attorney's office, we were told that the complainant could not or would not be identified to us, thereby reducing our chances of neighborly discussion. Letters we have received from the City threaten criminal prosecution, fines, and loss of animal licenses.
The only thing that the current policy regarding barking dogs in the City of Redondo Beach has done is to ensure our belief that we have been unfairly targeted not only by our neighbors but also by the city. As I write this letter, two dogs are unrestrainedly barking -- and they aren't mine!
We were advised by the mediator to call the police every time we heard loudly barking dogs so that we could verify each incident that didn't involve us and have it noted for the record. While we are enthusiastic towards resolving the issue, calling the police every thirty minutes or so doesn't seem like a good way to pass the afternoon.
If there is a need to pass a law in the City of Redondo Beach to send a message to pet owners, then fine; I applaud all efforts by city officials to keep our beach cities enjoyable to live in. What is imperative, however, is to determine the true offender(s) rather than pin complaints on whoever seems most likely.
Michelle Acosta
Redondo Beach
Fight over-flight
Dear ER,
I saw the excellent letter from Earl Waggoner of Manhattan Beach. The information he provides is correct. The context in which the new traffic patterns are being experimented with is much more complex than the Air Transport Association concerns and lobbying efforts alone. That is certainly one component of what is going on, but at the core is the perceived need for LAX to expand its capacity to handle more traffic. This expansion is being realized in a master plan consisting of many small steps. Each step alone doesn't seem very significant, but when placed in the context of the master plan, the overall impact will be egregious.
LAX and the ATC have redesigned the airspace and the arrival and departure routings so that many, many more noise generating overflight paths are possible, as Waggoner identified. They are now implementing all of them simultaneously, thus making it difficult to identify the single "new" flight path causing problems.
LAX will impact many different communities with a coordinated agenda. They can count on each adjoining community to have their own separate agenda, making them able to deal with a fractionated, balkanized opposition. Waggoner illustrates this by attributing the recent noise to a single cause and a single agenda.
What is needed is first to realize that this is happening. Second, we need to do the work to gather the data to piece together the complete picture -- including the history of what has happened to date in the airspace redesign. We need to understand what the agenda is for future LAX expansion plans. Only with a complete understanding is it possible to begin to coordinate an effective opposition.
Such a coordinated opposition must take place on every front the airport expansion interests are able to open. Seeing the issue as a single problem is simplistic, and plays right into their hands. I'm reminded of a carnival game in which you hit a badger on the head when he pops up though a hole. Every time you hit him, he pops up somewhere else though another hole. To stop this expansion, we have to have mallets ready at every hole. If not, well, get used to living in the downwind, noisy, traffic pattern of LAX all day and all night. It's here folks, and it's the eleventh hour. If we can't find ways in which they have moved too fast and overstepped their reach and authority, it may already be too late.
Charles Fogg
Hermosa Beach
Acid test
Dear ER,
Recently, a number of articles have appeared in the local newspapers questioning its effectiveness of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. A few studies casting doubt on the program's effectiveness were cited and a local resident suggested that the Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) should fund a plan to administer drug tests to Redondo Union High School (RUHS) students rather than continue to support the popular drug prevention program.
I would like to clarify the purpose of the DARE program and the important role that it plays in the Redondo Beach Police Department's plan to decrease substance abuse problems in the city. The DARE program is a vital component of a comprehensive solution to the drug abuse program. Utilizing the DARE program, we have developed a strategic plan to deal with drug related problems by taking a two pronged approach.
* Reducing the supply and use of drugs through an aggressive enforcement program targeting users and dealers
* Reducing the demand for drugs by educating our youth about personal safety and Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
The DARE program, which was originally designed for elementary school students was first implemented in Redondo Beach in 1986 with two DARE officers teaching the core curriculum to sixth grade students at two elementary schools. As it was recognized that the program could be more effective if it was made available to all students, the program was expanded over the years to a current total of ten DARE officers reaching students in kindergarten through 12th grade at every school in the city. This year marks the thirteenth year that uniformed officers have been in the schools establishing positive relationships between students and law enforcement, teachers, parents, and other community leaders.
Although I appreciate the Beach Cities Health District's need to evaluate their funding grants, I am concerned about the suggestion of replacing funding support of the DARE program with a program to fund a drug testing program at RUHS. Funding of the DARE program by the BCHD fulfills their mission statement by promoting the health and wellness of our community through educating approximately 7,000 students annually in Redondo Beach. It is also consistent with the Community Oriented Policing philosophy and mission statement of the Police Department. This is a terrific partnership.
DARE is a good investment because it works. While previous articles that appeared in one local newspaper refer to "numerous studies that have cast doubt on the program's effectiveness," it fails to mention that to date more than 50 independent evaluations have show that students learn to resist drugs and violence through the DARE curriculum. Arming our youth with the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs and violence today will help them to enjoy a safe and healthy tomorrow. I believe that prevention is cheaper and more effective than enforcement. I also look forward to continuing partnership with the Beach Cities Health District as we both enjoy all the benefits the DARE program has to offer the citizens of Redondo Beach in the future.
Mel Nichols, Chief of Police
Redondo Beach
