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Letters
Student as teacher
Dear ER:
The current labor strife between the Manhattan Beach Unified Teachers Association
and the school district worries me ("Negotiations put teachers, district to
test," ER Sept. 7, 2000). As a Mira Costa senior, I have had the pleasure of
being taught by the finest teachers in the area; in fact my mother and myself
moved from South Torrance to Hermosa Beach primarily because of the quality
education available at MCHS. The high quality of education offered is largely
due to the high quality of teachers in the MBUSD.
In order to attract and retain the best teachers, it is imperative for the district to have the best pay scale. I encourage the district to use the state funding to raise the pay scale of teachers in Manhattan Beach. As a student, I stand fully behind the teachers and hope that a resolution can be reached in the near future.
Donovan Daughtry,
Senior, MCHS
Hermosa Beach
Surf spoilers
Dear ER:
I am amazed that the Surfrider Foundation is building a surf reef at Dockweiler
Beach ("Making Waves," ER Aug. 31, 2000). This is one of the prime reasons that
I never joined Surfrider. I have been surfing El Porto for 20+ years. I want
someone to tell me how a so-called environmental group could endorse such an
ugly blight on the beach. Carmen Ghia sized plastic bags for the reef? The beaches
have enough pollution as it is. We don't need a bunch of do-gooders doing this
at a legitimate corporation's expense.
The surf rider foundation is like most "non profit" environmental groups: they sue for what they cannot do legislatively. Look what is happening in Santa Barbara. Ask yourself this. When little Johnny breaks his neck on one of those sand bags, who's he gonna sue? You guessed it - Chevron.
The area that the reef is going in was never a hot spot for surfing. Not at least for as long as I have been at it. If there is any blame for the poor quality of the waves, it's the jetties that go from Torrance beach to Santa Monica. Let's get real about whose to blame instead extorting money from Chevron.
Tom O'Keefe
Redondo Beach
Shut up and play
Dear ER:
Overall, thanks for the tournament. My apologies for not remembering to throw
my root beer can in the trash when I was done with it.
What is the proper etiquette on seating at such events? Empty chairs and blankets seemed to be respected as permanent, like the empty season seats at Staples Center.
Does the music have to be so loud? I enjoyed the games on the main court the least. I understand promotion is part of attracting the sponsors to pay for it all. The announcers are good compared to, say, football. However, does anyone remember the rest of the country ridiculing Dodger fans in attendance for listening to Vin explain what happens in front of their own eyes? While Doble and Metzger probably didn't appreciate the heckling during their match against Swatik and Unger, the match was very entertaining.
The AVP rules against cursing and tantrums(though not strictly enforced) are wise. But it will be the players who make or break professional volleyball with exciting play and off court, not a DJ.
Matt Heiller
Hermosa Beach
Big shop remembered
Dear ER
Last week letter writer Dawn Clifton asked if anyone remembered the name of
a big Navy ship she visited as a child in the mid 1950s when it stopped in the
Santa Monica Bay. I was a crewmember aboard the aircraft carrier Philippine
Sea (CVS 47) on July 4, 1956 or 1957. We dropped anchor on the Santa Monica
Bay for open house. Hundreds of people came aboard. This may be the ship Dawn
Clifton remembers going aboard. However we were just off the Santa Monica pier,
not the Redondo pier, as she says in her letter.
Robert Pauley
Torrance
Pier dive
Dear ER:
Considering the fact our city lacks a municipal pool, I suggest a high dive
and water slide for the end of the refurbished Hermosa Pier. This would be unique
for a public pier and appreciated by all the youth in our city. And it would
continue the eclectic and proud traditions of Hermosa Beach.
Julian Deveroux
Hermosa Beach
Editor's note: Easy Reader is soliciting suggestions for what to build, if anything, on the end of the Hermosa Pier. We will print best suggestions when the pier reopens next month.
Named already
Dear ER:
For years the area North of Manhattan Beach Boulevard to Marine, and east of
Sepulveda to Peck has been referred to by realtors as Manhattan Heights (Area
46) ("MB residents in east part of town seek name," ER Sept. 7, 2000). East
of the Heights is the Roth Tract where Polliwog Pond used to traverse from Manhattan
Beach Boulevard to Marine. East of the Roth Tract is the Liberty Village area.
South of Manhattan Beach Boulevard to Artesia has been referred to as the Mira
Costa area (Area 47). All of these names appear in the area listing in the Multiple
Listing Service. The names were passed on to the Realtor Committee setting up
the computerized service during the early 1980s by longtime realtors and residents.
I hope this helps with the historic perspective on the names.
Dan Ericson
Hermosa Beach
East Hills
Dear ER
I agree with Manhattan Beach Councilman Joyce Fahey. Its about time we get our
part of town a name and East Hills is great. I would like to thank Fahey for
her nice comments on this area. We have lived east of Sepulveda for many years
and love it.
Ed and Fylis Deto
Manhattan Beach
Mustang Fahey
Dear ER:
I just finished reading John Tawa's article on Joyce Fahey wanting to rename
a part of east Manhattan Beach. Since the area used to have farms and ranches,
and is now occupied in part by Mira Costa High School, I would suggest that
Fahey call the area the "Mustang Ranch." That way, she'll feel a little bit
better about the area where she lives when she gets off her high horse. Better
yet, she might just want to call her area "Manhattan Beach." Wouldn't that be
a novel idea ? Duh!
Stevan Colin
by e-mail
Artful organizing
Dear ER:
Kudos to all the individuals and organizations who helped make this year's annual
Manhattan Beach Arts Festival a terrific success. The following individuals
deserve special thanks: Richard Gill (Parks & Recreation Director), Barbara
Johnson (Cultural Arts Manager), Megumi Sando (Arts Education Supervisor), Ken
Prush (Performing Arts Supervisor), Mark Leyman (Community Programs Supervisor),
Lindsay Shields (Festival Director), Alegeria Busso (Festival Visual Arts Coordinator),
Frances Vallapando (Cultural Arts Assistant), Lisa Coffi (Festival Production
Assistant), Charlotte Marshall (Festival Public Relations & Photographer), the
Cultural Arts Commission, the Arts Festival Committee, the artists and performers,
the Mayor and City Councilmembers, the generous sponsors, downtown businesses,
City employees and the many volunteers who donated their time and resources.
Great job all!
Wayne Powell
Manhattan Beach
MB Cultural Arts Commissioner
Sand width
Dear ER:
So former Councilman Roger Creighton is ferociously opposing the city's attempts
to expand The Strand. He sites a 1907 deed that gave Hermosa ownership of its
beach. Let's not stop there. I say we reduce the width of the strand to half
of what it currently is, thereby expanding our beautiful beach by a few feet.
So what if no one can get from one end of Hermosa to the other. So what if it
produces an unimaginable impede to So. Cal's bike path -- it's all about the
sand, isn't it. Let's take "community" to the next level by requiring skateboarders,
razorscooters, bikers, rollerbladers, dog walkers, joggers, and pedestrians
to all share this same shrunken space. Hey, it was adequate in 1907. Who cares
about the accident potential? It's all about the sand - and that 1907 deed.
Fight on, Mr. Creighton.
Mark Harris
Hermosa Beach
Cliff Dweller
Dear ER:
I bought a house west of Sepulveda in Manhattan Beach in 1982 where, at that
time, life began. I divorced a few years later, and sold the house. But I rented
an apartment in Manhattan Beach because I've always loved it here.
Three years ago I met my new wife and moved to Redondo Beach where housing prices are a little more reasonable. Two months ago we stumbled upon a cute affordable piece of property in the "Manhattan Cliff Section" as I began to call it because the house borders on Redondo(we were on the cliff edge). We are now back in Manhattan Beach where, to us, life begins once more, only this time it's in the Manhattan Cliff section.
Sam St. Germain
Manhattan Beach
(The Cliff Section)
Neighborly neighborhood
Dear ER:
We live at 213 South Aviation Boulevard in Manhattan Beach. We think that "East
Hills" has a nice sound to it. We like our neighborhood and find that our neighbors
are helpful. They take our empty trash cans in from the street, watch our property
when we are out of town, knock on our door when they see that we forgot to turn
off our car lights... There are often car accidents on Aviation Boulevard. Neighbors
help victims by calling 911 and offering first aid, and comfort.
Charles and Joyce Golden
Manhattan Beach
Lingua Lobster
Dear ER:
"The lobster must of known..." ("On the Waterfront" ER September 7,
2000). Now really, I know it sounds like "must of" when someone is talking.
But someone on the staff of a newspaper should know that it's supposed to be
"must have". Let's be careful with our language. It gets bastardized enough
as it is without newspapers adding to it.
Chela Cowden
Redondo Beach
Tucker up
Dear ER:
I too enjoy Marc Tucker's right-on cartoons. After reading the "Easy Reader"
for 30 years, I think the only improvement needed would be to add another weekly
cartoon, drawn by the multi-talented Marc, of course. A bit of controversy is
just what the status quo loving South Bay needs and I'm sure he's just the artist
to supply it. Is that the chant of "Hire Marc, hire Marc, hire Marc" that I
hear in the background?
Dawn Clifton
Manhattan Beach
Dear ER:
Recently I had to put my dog to sleep. She was 16 years old. This was one of
the hardest decisions I had to make. My dog "Poochie" was one of my best companions
and my family loved her very much. She was taken to Hermosa Animal Hospital.
The staff handled this delicate appointment with warm and caring feelings. A
week later, they sent me a sympathy card, signed by the entire staff. The staff
at Hermosa Animal Hospital is the greatest. I will remember their kindness for
a long, long time.
Sharon Wickwire
Redondo Beach
Dear ER:
A note to those of you who are more than comfortable and give generously to
your charities of choice. May I suggest a different way of giving? There are
people around you who, given what you might consider chump change, could make
a significant lifestyle change. It could be the money for a car or enough for
a down payment on a house. It could be tuition so your housekeeper can get her
kid out of that awful neighborhood school or clothing money so a shy twelve-year-old
can show off some glad rags.
There are a thousand ways that a chunk of money at a given moment can change the history of a person or a family. Saying to someone that you have noticed his or her circumstance is a gift in itself. And then the unselfish gift becomes a gift to the other and ones self.
David Wachtfogel
Manhattan Beach
Dear ER:
"What part of town am I from?" Well, that used to be easy because
from Sepulveda to the west side of Meadows and from Marine south side to Manhattan
Beach Boulevard those boundaries were the first track of houses built in Manhattan
and we were known as "Manhattan Village. I have the builder's papers to prove
it. For many years (50 plus) I have lived here on 18th Street when the houses
cost $9850 for a three-bedroom. After several years, the people west of Sepulveda
started wearing sweat shirts, etc., with the slogan, "No life east of Sepulveda."
Did it make us angry? NO - we were quite content and loved our section of town,
and didn't need anyone to tell us what a great group of people we were and are!
The main buyers were service men and families settling in veteran's homes to make a home! No more war.
Ellen Withers was secretary to the builder, and her husband Jerry Withers, a veteran, later became Chief of Police.
Anyhow to continue-our builder did not register the name, never thought someone would steal it after many, many years.
The new Manhattan Village was Standard Oils tank farm and we still call it that. Storage tanks sunk low in the ground. If your pets wandered in there, they would be covered from the contaminated ground with oil.
Well enough history, back to "where do I live." I don't know what our section of town is called! The city never informed us that the gated houses had taken our name. I guess they thought it had class, of course we know the name itself did. We were never informed either as to what they call us now, so no use worrying about it. All of us who have lived here since the late forties know we live in the greatest little town around and don't need an adjective to explain our section of town. So much for names. We call it home!
Josephine Wisser
Manhattan Beach