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Letters
Talkin' 'bout my generation
Dear ER:
There have been numerous letters written both decrying the large youthful crowds during the 4th of July in Hermosa Beach, and expressing concern about nighttime crowding by young adults at local bars on Pier Avenue. It's unfortunate that these letter writers do not take into consideration the broader generational issues that will ultimately impact our fair city.
What some people see as a problem is really an opportunity. Within those youthful crowds are the next dot.com and high-tech millionaires and professionals. Hermosa is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this future workforce by providing social gathering places and opportunities.
Young professionals live, start businesses and work in places where their peers are. The West Side and Silicon Valley are perfect examples of this. Other places like Manhattan Beach, where activities and entertainment opportunities for younger people are being discouraged, will suffer the consequences of gentrification and turn into "Leisure Villages."
By continuing to provide a youthful edge, Hermosa Beach will be a magnet for prosperity well into the next century.
Charlie Cheatham
Hermosa Beach
Letters from the mind
Dear ER:
Contrary to one of last week's letters, I always enjoy reading letter writer David Wachfogel's observations. Any community would be lucky to have a resident philosopher. We are fortunate to have Dave as ours. As for ambivalence, I would like to quote another homey philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
Lynne Carscallen
Manhattan Beach
Mother Tucker
Dear ER:
Letter writers Octavia Fripp and Glory Canalle are undoubtedly the latest graduates of the Marc Tucker School of Journalism. Or are they just Marc Tucker in drag?
David Wachtfogel
Manhattan Beach
Fire power
Dear ER:
A reader expressed concerns about the current staffing levels of the Manhattan Beach Fire Department, the levels of safety that this staffing provides to our residents, and other related issues (ER August 3, 00).
Staffing levels for the Fire Department are not dictated and held down by our firefighters, but rather are ultimately controlled by the mayor and city council, consistent with the needs of our community. The current staffing levels in our Fire Department are not inadequate, and we maintain emergency response times that are much faster than the accepted standard in many Southland communities. Additionally, our fire department has a greater percentage of certified paramedics than any other fire department in our area.
Manhattan Beach does maintain a constant level of emergency staff, insuring that important emergency resources do not have to be taken out of service due to the absence of employees for sick leave, vacations, etc., and thereby maintaining the availability of the closest emergency unit for our residents.
Our current method of filing employee vacancies is consistent with all other fire departments in our area. Additionally, strict limits are placed on the number of hours a firefighter can work without a full 24-hour rest period. This assures that our emergency employees are adequately rested and fully prepared for duty at all times. The City has examined the option of hiring additional full-time personnel to cover vacancies, but this method would not provide any cost savings for the City, would not eliminate all needs for firefighter callback, and on days with no vacancies would result in the community paying for extra resources that are not filling an assigned position.
We are proud of the level of service and safety provided to our community by our fire department, and stand on our record of services to our residents, both emergency and routine.
Dennis Groat, Fire Chief
Frank Chiella, Captain/Paramedic
Manhattan Beach
Animal ax
Dear ER:
This is in response to Dave Kennedy's letter (ER 8/3/00) regarding the Kari Leitz article of July 27th about the circus. It is time to change our viewpoint about animals and our relationship with them. It is understandable that we still perceive animals as being for our entertainment and abuse since most of us have not made the paradigm shift into seeing all creatures as equal to, and perhaps even more evolved than, man. Once we do, however, the way we treat animals now will become unfathomable to us. Until that time, I ask that we remain open to the important things that people like Leitz are boldly telling us. I applaud her courage.
Royce Morales
Redondo Beach
Color coordinated
Dear ER:
Although it is not common practice for Actors' Equity Association to respond to theatrical reviews, the assessment of Shakespeare Festival/LA's production of "Much Ado About Nothing" (ER, July 13, 00) warrants some comment.
Paradoxically, Kari Sayers' review begins by appearing to applaud the accessibility of the production for all audiences, and specially lists as part of this effort the company's "colorblind casting." The reviewer then appears to have had problems when faced with the actual application of the colorblind casting concept.
She laments that the casting of an African-American actress in the role of Hero adds "another distortion" to the proceedings. It is also stated that having another actor of color in a "more peripheral" role is "less problematic," although still symbolic of the "political correctness" of which this reviewer is "tired."
These comments are, in our opinion, highly inflammatory and interject race in a negative manner rather than the positive social and artistic application, as was intended. Shakespeare Festival/LA should be encouraged and applauded for its open mindedness rather than chastised and demeaned, as your reviewer has chosen to do.
Obviously, we live in a race-conscious society. But perhaps this one small step can help move us all toward a more pluralistic culture. In the arts we can at least encourage change, open our minds and, when the opportunity is presented, suspend disbelief and accept the theatrical conventions of a play, whether written in the 16th century or the twenty-first. Surely and very simply, we should also be able to accept talented actors of whatever color in roles not traditionally played by them. Every effort should be made to encourage the public to do so. Actors' Equity Association has been a committed leader in promoting colorblind casting and we support Shakespeare Festival/LA's efforts and deeply regret your reviewer's narrow sightedness in this regard.
Willie Boston
Actor's Equity Assn.
New York City
Circular drive
Dear ER:
It is Saturday morning and I would like to report how wonderful it is to live on 8th St. in Hermosa Beach.
For those who have mini-cars that are parked in front of their garages, it will be a great day. For those who have a car an inch longer, your morning will be a bit different. The city's dedicated meter maid was hard at work this morning giving tickets to those on the city's so-called property line -- called sidewalks.
Plus, you will be happy to know not only does she give tickets, but she takes down posters of lost birds, cats and dogs. I consider myself lucky. I have posted a lost animal and my sign was seen before the attack by a city employee. My pet was returned within 24 hours.
My conclusion is simple. I feel the city welcomes growth so the parking ticket revenue will continue to grow so they can train city employees to take down lost pet posters and ruin a resident's day.
Pat Preiss
Hermosa Beach
Parker harried a lot
Dear ER:
Our Hermosa Beach City Hall and Library share a common, antiquated, mid-1960's auto parking lot. It contains about 45 parking stalls plus two handicap spaces.
Our civic center parking lot has not kept up with today's parking needs generated by our community's energetic growth plus recreational uses, i.e. skate-park, theater and social needs. City Hall staff has expanded. Library patrons are numerous.
Why not add some 40 or more parking stalls opposite the civic center, along Valley Drive and on the Greenbelt? The parking spaces would be limited to between the tall eucalyptus trees. The full width of the Greenbelt, just south of Pier Avenue, would be retained to preserve its park-like atmosphere, southward for several hundred feet. Only the non-functional present hedge and curbside grass area would be converted to badly needed parking.
Design-wise, the area between the trees opposite to City Hall proposed parking would be similar to the present parking along Valley Drive opposite Clark Stadium and its auditorium.
Believe it or not, in the early 1990s when the Clark Stadium parking area along Valley Drive was first proposed, controversy erupted. The sky was falling! Today, the Clark parking area along Valley Drive is heavily used by all, including Friday's Farmers' Market.
John Hales
Hermosa Beach
Party police
Dear ER:
South Bay beaches have historically been attractive to Fourth of July celebrants. Plans to control the resulting crowds balanced with local property rights have traditionally been a top City Manager/Police Chief priority.
Hermosa Beach Police Chief Strasser was exactly correct when he recently stated that early police deployment is the key to crowd control. Behavior is often based on expectation. To establish a visible presence any tactical police plan must include the early maximum deployment of all police personnel.
The early call for outside police assistance is unnecessary and is not in the best interest of Hermosa residence. Perhaps a future tactical plan should include:
1. A public information segment designed to inform the public of local regulations governing the use of amplified sound.
2. The liability associated with criminal code violations.
The Hermosa Beach Police Department has ample experience in successfully controlling large holiday crowds. The Hermosa Beach Council and Hermosa Beach citizens must support these efforts to regulating their own public behavior.
Gary Brutsch
Hermosa Beach
Quick calculations
Dear ER:
Some citizens have expressed scorn for the Manhattan Beach council and city staff because they were $1 million (40 per cent) over budget in developing the Marine Avenue Park baseball and soccer field expansion.
I believe that this unfortunate oversight was a consequence of the need to act swiftly to insure a highly desirable result. Presented with an unforeseen opportunity and a very short window of time, council crafted a plan to acquire the land and build the fields. This was in the interest of all our citizens, and especially our youth.
As a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission from 1989 to 1994, I can attest that no citizen ever came forward to demand an additional park anywhere in Manhattan Beach (much less at the Metlox site). However, many stepped up to express their concern regarding the shrinking availability of playing fields (two had to be sacrificed to build our new Middle School). Of course, our population of children has rapidly expanded.
My guess is that a vast majority of the Manhattan citizens who vote will enthusiastically support the council in this matter. Personally, I am proud of our elected representatives.
John Gilmer
Manhattan Beach
ABC's of childhood
Dear ER:
On behalf of the children who are dependents of the Los Angeles County Children's Court, a heartfelt thanks to all of you for your generous donations of nearly 1,000 books. I wish each one of you could see and hear the joy expressed by these children as they learn that they are, for the very first time, actually going to own a book of their own! Each one of these children is in the Court because he/she has suffered serious abuse or neglect. Most of these children live in foster or group homes, and can claim very few possessions as their own. Your kindness and thoughtfulness will not soon be forgotten by these brave little souls or by the rest of us who are fortunate enough to work with them.
Joyce Fahey
Manhattan Beach
And another thing
Dear ER:
On Sunday, July 30, my wife and I decided to go to downtown Manhattan Beach for lunch about 2:30 p.m. We found parking within one block of our destination, Hennessey's. Going west on Manhattan Beach Boulevard, we passed the valet parking stand in front of the old H20 Restaurant. Nobody was there but they had blocked off four on-street parking spaces for drop-off. By the time we came back they had taken two more spaces for a total of six and there still were no people or cars waiting. Add to that the red painted driveway to the east for a total of eight spaces. The driveway is the old entrance to Metlox and has not been used in at least five years.
I know some people think that valet parking is the best thing to happen to us since they put peanut butter inside chocolate but what a waste of street parking. Plus, they have taken away all the hidden parking long-time residents knew about such as the parking structures behind H20 and on top of the old American Savings.
We walked out on the pier after lunch. The view and the Roundhouse Aquarium were excellent. South of the pier there were very few trash cans and loose trash was all over the beach. On the north side were numerous trash cans. They were full but little trash was strewn around. Why the disparity? The bathrooms on the end of the pier were locked at 4 p.m. with a sign stating "Do not bother the people at either the aquarium or the snackbar, as they do not have keys." Why are the bathrooms opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 4 p.m.?
Also, whoever is in charge of keeping the pier clean is doing a great job. It looked great at about 4:15 p.m.
Lou Bourgeois
Manhattan Beach
Teachers' bond
Dear ER:
Out of the total Manhattan Beach work force, school teachers deserve a raise more than anybody else. After all, Manhattan elementary and middle schools are among the best in L.A. My two grandsons attended Robinson Elementary, and I witnessed daily the creativity and hard work of teachers in all grades, including Rose Aheens, Kathy Greene, Jane La Pour, Cris McRae, Lori Stephani and Kathy Wagner. Friends are in the process of relocating to Manhattan from a nearby town, paying an incredible price for a house just so their son can continue his education in an MBUSD school.
While inept and greedy Manhattan city and school district officials propose to fill up their pockets with enormous salaries, bonuses and low interest loans (at the expense of residents), the teachers are left behind. My family and I will vote for the proposed 10 + 10 percent salary increase and any other real type of recognition for our teachers. I am not convinced that the new school bond is necessary since a large portion of the last bond went not to school needs but to the pockets of lawyers and bureaucrats, who tremendously miscalculated the cost of the bond. But I would vote for a bond directed to increase salaries of our real heroes and role models - Manhattan Beach teachers.
Yury Gurvich
Manhattan Beach
Bless you
Dear ER:
Ah yes, jingoistic Mr. Boyle and his precious Christianity. Let's review the record, shall we? Its Bible was cobbled wholecloth from pagan sources, mostly by persons unknown, as Biblical scholars will reluctantly agree. Its record of carnage is unmatched in history: its Crusades, Inquisitions, and various what-nots far outstrip the tolls of all wars combined; as (Jewish) writer Harlan Ellison showed, the Inquistion makes the Holocaust a drop in the bucket, genocide-wise, and what sparked it was the traditional Christian fear and loathing of Jews (in this case, Conversos). Its Catholic sect has a horrifying history of pederasty and sodomy. Its evangelicals are carted off daily for the most outlandish perversities. It has served as the right hand of oppressive government since its formal incorporation into brutal Roman heterodoxy.
As a belief system, it is mythological.
As a worship mode, it is insanely propitiative.
As moral agency, it is reactionary and anachronistic.
As a social docilization agency, it is reactionary and anachronistic, and it is singularly deadly.
As a philosophy, it is egregiously fragmentary (look at its million splinter cults).
Did I forget anything? Oh yeah: America's founders found it highly abhorrent and made no secret of that, either in public or private writings, stating clearly they never intended us to be a Christian country, being careful to keep church and state separate. ("Legal" Christians take note: where the exact phrase doesn't exist, its provisions do, accomplishing separation unambiguously; it's called non-establishment.)
Most perplexing of all, its messiah was a hippie whose life, acts, and teachings are completely, historically, ignored by his cultists. Where he was a revolutionary parish genius, they are sheep. Christianity is not a religion, it is a noxious disease. I thank the God I don't believe in that neither Redondo nor any other beach cities "are" Christian.
Marc Tucker
Manhattan Beach