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Letters
Humble pie
Dear E.R.
Richard Foss's review of Chef Hanna's restaurant (ER August 31, 2000) was an insult to the residents of El Segundo. He owes people like myself, who love El Segundo an apology for expressing "shock and amazement" at finding a decent restaurant in our town. I have lived in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach and my choice is El Segundo. It has charm and space, and the people are humble, unlike Mr. Foss.
Kerry Beck
El Segundo
Ironman challenge
Dear ER:
Among other reasons to celebrate the arrival of USS Elliot offshore from Hermosa is the fact the South Bay's oldest living pre-pubescent, Bob "Burgie" Benz will have the opportunity to see real iron men and women up close.
Steve Switzer
Redondo Beach
Much ado
Dear ER:
Letter writer Bob Holmes takes me to task for my supposedly "scathing" letter regarding Congressman Steve Kuykendall's position (or lack thereof) on the proposed LAX expansion (ER August 31, 2000) He goes on to present readers with his version of the "truth" about Kuykendall's work in the area of LAX noise and expansion. He notes that Kuykendall "tracked the issue," "demanded meetings," set up meeting" with the FAA for some local officials, worked to "get language in a bill" to get some study done, and, once again, "demanded they come back and hold more meetings." Holmes presents this as evidence of Kuykendall's hard work on our behalf. If Holmes studied the issue, he may have noticed that all these "meetings" have amounted to nothing, and that the jets are flying over our neighborhoods in greater numbers, only to increase dramatically with the monstrous LAX expansion. My position, in fact, is that Kuykendall's job is to fight for us, his constituents, rather than for the airlines and the Air Transportation Association (ATA) who have made contributions to his campaign. We elected and are paying him to take a "position," and not to straddle the middle or call for innumerable "meetings" which are meant to distract the public while LAWA and the airlines work steadfastly to shove the LAX expansion down our throats.
Holmes further states that there may be some "confusion" on my part about Kuykendall's statement that he takes no position on LAX expansion. I'll just note that, while Holmes stayed home, likely fretting about Metlox and watching Regis Philbin, I actually attended Kuykendall's Town Hall meeting and listened first-hand to his statements on this important issue for our community.
Peter Broussinos
Hermosa Beach
Flower child memory
Dear ER:
As a former flower child of the 1960s, I know it's utterly amazing that I can remember anything at all about the 1950s. But I do. I remember a 4th of July in the mid-'50s when a huge Navy ship anchored in the Santa Monica Bay, near the Redondo Beach pier. I remember climbing down rickety old wooden steps to an awaiting small boat under the south side of the fishing pier. It was a short ride to a gangplank that was used to board the impressive gray ship. I remember lots of strong and handsome sailors helping to facilitate the transfer of civilian visitors jumping aboard the massive vessel. I remember straying away from the tour just in time to watch the gun turrets turn as they prepared to fire off a something-gun salute. One year later, the doctors said it was a miracle I hadn't lost my hearing completely. I am sure a little research could turn up the type and name of the navy ship and the dates it was here in the '50s. Surely, others remember the visiting ship.
Dawn Clifton
Manhattan Beach
Killer timing
Dear ER:
Councilman John Bowler's "warning" that he might use Hermosa's new aircraft tracking device in conjunction with the visiting Navy destroyer to "combat" airliners departing LAX is irresponsible and disgusting. There are some things that reasonable persons understand are just not an acceptable subject for "humor." The idea of anyone, even a Hermosa Beach councilman, bringing down our commercial airliners is clearly one of them.
He seems to forget that those dreadful airplanes are carrying our friends, our neighbors and our relatives. Its probably safe to say that occasionally one of them even carries members of his family. Which one of those "hostiles" would you propose to shoot down first?
Gary Granger
Manhattan Beach
Vouching for the schools
Dear ER:
I take issue with John A. Jackson's statement in "Shadow Government" (ER August 24, 2000). Jackson said that school vouchers would be "disastrous in practice." Jackson needs to wake up and look around to see an existing "disaster in practice," our California public school system. California schools ranks 49th in math and reading. They have the second highest in dropout rate. One third of ninth graders never go on to get a high school diploma. The California public schools have failed our children.
A survey in Milwaukee, where vouchers have been put into place, show that low income and minority parents are some of the biggest supporters of vouchers. They know that educrats and union bosses have combined to make our schools under performing and unaccountable. Vouchers are the only way to hold schools accountable to parents.
This November, California voters will have a chance to break the monopoly that threatens our state's future. A yes vote on Proposition 38 will give parents a choice to get their kids out of failing schools and help the tax payers.
Shawn Moonan
Hermosa Beach
Out of time
Dear ER:
What is happening to our quality of life here in the beach cities? I moved back to South Redondo two years ago and am amazed at how out of control development has gotten just in that time frame. As more lots get cleared for high-density condo and townhome hell, the developers and city planners seem oblivious to the disruption they are causing.
The monstrosity of a retail/residential development on PCH (at the old Ford dealership) is going to make traffic on that street even worse than it is. The huge parking structure being built on Catalina Avenue is an eyesore and will clog traffic there too. I would rather have looked at smokestacks had I known this was coming with the partial teardown of the power plant. When is this going to stop? I could site numerous other examples of unchecked development that further deteriorates our quality of life in Hermosa/Manhattan/Redondo.
It is only a matter of time before LAX expands an already dangerous airport to make noise and pollution levels worse.
Funny how a "red hot" economy puts more money in our pockets but life just gets worse and worse in the South Bay. Do we really need another strip mall? How bad does it have to get here before people wake up and realize how the greed of a few is ruining it for many? Am I alone on this?
Dan Rosman
Redondo Beach
Clintonistic cut
Dear ER:
Bob Holmes' cheerleading letter (ER August 31, 2000), while decorously homey, was evasive: Letter writer Pete Broussino's clearest point was in regard of Kuykendall's undoubted arrogance in avoiding or ignoring constituent input. LAX was one example he gave, of many he could have cited. The point, as so many of us know who have written Kuykendall or attended his Clintonistic Town Hall meetings, is that even when he does deign to give audience to the peasantry, it is always in a highly structured, ritualistic, and disposable format, not unlike the hideous grotesqueries posing themselves as presidential debates, where the meat of the tete-a-tete is as creative and nourishing as a McDonald's hamburger. In the contrast, at least La Harman would field questions straight from the gallery before ignoring them.
Kuykendall represents our new depressing era of corn-fed corporate politicians, not surprisingly trained right here in the SoCal center of noblesse oblige, Manhattan Beach. Where Broussino cited Harman, I suspect at least somewhat derisively, as a preferable alternative, I'm not sure how one could tell the difference in either, they all being stamp-pressed from the same mold.
Marc S. Tucker
Manhattan Beach