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Letters
Homeless cars
The problem of homeowners parking on the street while garages are used for other purposes, and driveways often left bare, as noted in recent letters to the editor, is obviously widespread. In this era of people operating businesses from their homes (garages), and/or accumulating sporting equipment for storage in or around their garages, the street has become home for their vehicles.
On our block, these "homeless" of all shapes and sizes frequently remain unmoved for days, even weeks. Since we have one-side-only street parking, this ugliness is visited upon many homeowners who do not contribute to it, but who must bear the brunt of it. Furthermore, with these vehicles crowding each side of their driveways, the residents are hardly able to see oncoming traffic while backing out.
However, we all suffer the negative effect on property values: neighbors on nearby streets say that our block of beautiful homes is "terrible," and a prospective buyer of an impacted house stated that he would not live here because of this particular problem.
We will appeal to the council to alternate the one-side street parking yearly. This will perhaps encourage all of us to show more consideration for our neighbors by making room for our vehicles in our garages, or at least by parking them in our driveways.
Redondo Beach
Annoying anointment
In my time I have been called a Jew bastard, a commie-symp and a neo-fascist, and everything in-between-but never unctuous (ER Letters April 20, 2000). You live long enough, everything happens.
Manhattan Beach
Cause and crime
People who should know better have been advancing some disturbing ideas. One is to drastically reduce the size of our Redondo Beach police force, justified by the drop in crime in the city. I even heard one councilman comment, "Our police do not have enough to do."
The main reason that crime in this city has dropped is because we do have a strong police force. This translates into fast response times and that is the enemy of criminals. As a result many are either caught or go to some other city where policing is more convenient for them. Many, if not most, of the crimes are committed by criminals from outside the city. Even the bad guys are commuting now days. I have in the past referred to Artesia Avenue as an ATM for criminals.
We are talking about only 105 sworn officers for a city of over 60,000 population. And those 105 officers have to cover the city 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you factor in days off, vacation, and sick leave they are really spread pretty thin. As for not enough to do, I for one am glad to see they have the time to cruise my street.
Crime may be lower than it has been in recent years, but it is still too high. Our police force is the cheapest insurance we can have.
Redondo Beach
Unintended consequences
I live just up the hill from the Metlox property on 13th Street. I have watched and listened to the city council as they developed their approach of purchasing the property to control the commercial use of the Metlox property. I have listened to them in their long process of selecting developers for the proposed commercial development and their reaction to our input by downsizing the project. Now they have a "beautiful" project in review for environmental impact. The project has about 50 per cent open space that includes a downtown plaza. It is quite attractive.
Now we have a special election that will stop the long process that has taken place in full view of the citizens of our city. What will the result be if the residents vote "yes"? A public-use property only. And what will we get? Probably a government building of some sort -- not a park. What were these people thinking when they signed the petition? That the city would give up its investment for a plot of grass? Think again.
A park is not the most likely result of a "yes" vote. Read the history of this Metlox saga and vote no when you vote June 6.
Manhattan Beach
Soulful words
I am appalled at the animus and invective which is directed at the Manhattan Beach City Council by "Letters to the Editor" writers and by speakers in the city council chambers. They do not deserve this. Freedom of speech is one thing. But for the council to have to listen, meeting after meeting, to people who are completely lacking in civility and who want to be heard on every item on the agenda, whether they understand the issue or not, is too much.
I have been active for 39 years in this community, trying to make it a better place to live. I am acquainted with every member of the current city council, as I have been with previous councils. I disagree with some of their decisions, but respect them, because I do know that the amount of time and conscientious effort that they must expend in making their decision is something that the community should appreciate.
We now have a group of people who want to short circuit a process that has been under way for almost four years. The timing of their petition for the rezoning of the Metlox property is horrible and will cost the taxpayers of the city at least $50,000. The facts are that anything this group wants to do is possible under the present zoning. To accuse the council of deliberately delaying the environmental impact report until after the June 6 election is another example of the kind of misinformation and malice exhibited by the proponents of the initiative.
Please join me in voting "no" on the June 6 initiative.
Manhattan Beach
School drilled
The Redondo Union High School administration has done a fine job. That is a fine job of ruining a wonderful drill team. Under the direction of coach Alicia Carr they were a cohesive, happy and award-winning team. Then unexpectedly Carr was fired from the team and reassigned to another job at an elementary school. A teacher whose experience is in dance, not flags, replaced her. Parents expressed their concerns about a teacher without flag experience, so they hired two more people, a flag instructor and a flag choreographer. However, the flag instructor is also the flag instructor at a rival school. Because she was so busy with that school, the RUHS Drill Team went without flag instruction for almost three months, well into the competition season. The realization that this wonderful, award-winning team would no longer be the same caused great stress on the team members and their parents.
What did the administration do to help the girls get through this trying time? They took them out of their academic classes and had them all sit around and complain about each other. They told the team that they cannot talk about drill team outside of the class. Why does the administration think they can take away their freedom of speech? The administration told the team that there was a delay in getting them flag instruction because their practice flags were missing. That was a puzzlement, since each girl was in possession of her own practice flag. The administration told them to move on, and seven valued members did just that. They quit the team, including the three officers. This left the team without leadership. Several other members will not be returning next year.
At a recent school board meeting a member of the administration got up and repeated the puzzling statement that drill team equipment was missing. The drill team members who were present were quite surprised by this statement, since they know that there is no equipment missing. The school board was also told that last year only seven members of the drill team were selected to perform during the indoor season. This was also a surprise to the team, since they all remember performing.
Yes, the RUHS administration has done a fine job. They have caused unnecessary stress on the former drill team adviser, the current drill team teacher and the former and current drill team members. They have done a fine job of misstating facts to the team members, their parents and to the school board. They have managed to tear this wonderful team apart, caused friendships to be broken and caused a rift among the parents.
Shame on the administration and shame on the school board that allowed this to happen.
Redondo Beach