Letters to the editor 10-12-17
Sign of the season
Dear ER:
Parking problems in Hermosa Beach? It must be election time. Fact: Parking across the sidewalk is a criminal violation subject to citation per Calif. Vehicle Code 22500(f). If I am injured because I have to walk into the street to get around your illegally parked Prius, I may well own your Prius as well as wherever it is parked in front of through a civil action. Sorry, council candidate Mary Campbell, it is not simply an “awkward parking arrangement.” And, no, Councilman Hany Fangary, the law is not subject to discussions with residents worried about the loss of parking. It is the law. As a 40-plus year resident of Hermosa, my hunch is that if residents were to simply eliminate all the stored crap in their garages and use them for their intended purpose, that 60 to 70 per cent of the “parking problem” in Hermosa would magically disappear. Come on, candidates, don’t simply pander to the anxieties and denial of the voters. Be honest.
Lance Widman
Hermosa Beach
Mayor’s choices
Dear ER:
The Hermosa Beach City Council is ideologically diverse, but unanimous
on major decisions — from balanced budgets that spend 80 percent of revenue on public safety and infrastructure to the school bond to labor contracts. We eliminated the threat of oil drilling by stripping E&B Natural Resources of its remaining rights; funded a new firehouse and upgraded fire services; worked to pass the school bond; funded over $25 million in infrastructure improvements for streets, sewers, stormwater, and parks; completed South Park; added popular pickleball and beach tennis courts; protected residents from short term rentals; and helped business by approving 200 square feet of outdoor seating without adding parking, A-frame signs, the longest parking meter holiday in Hermosa history (Black Friday to Christmas), the Lazy Acres market coming to the old Albertsons; and events such as Movies at the Beach, Sunday Night Concerts, the AVP Hermosa Beach Open, and much more.
Here is what we have not done: Require carbon neutrality. City policy is to meet carbon reduction requirements set by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (66 percent reduction citywide by 2040) and reduce emissions from municipal facilities and operations 80 percent by 2030. These goals require smart policy, not local mandates or carbon offsets. I encourage everyone to read the carbon reduction policy on pages 152-153 of the unanimously adopted PLAN Hermosa on the City website.
Great things are happening in Hermosa, with more to be done. I encourage everyone to examine the Council candidates for the three open Council seats in the November 9 Hermosa Beach election. I look forward to voting to reelect Council members Stacey Armato and Hany Fangary and to voting for School Board Member Mary Campbell.
Justin Massey
Mayor of Hermosa Beach
Memorial sharrows
Dear ER:
Great work Manhattan Beach Council. Put up a few signs and search for never ending “community input” until a human on a bicycle, hugging the curb, is run down by a human driver who, just slightly, underestimated the width of his vehicle (“Manhattan Beach Council okays bike street signs, but kicks sharrows down the road,” ER Oct. 5, 2017). Then maybe the Council will approve some Memorial Sharrows ?
Hawk Granville
Redondo Beach
Forget the sharrows
Dear ER:
The sharrows in Hermosa Beach are confusing (“Manhattan Beach Council okays bike street signs, but kicks sharrows down the road,” ER Oct. 5, 2017). They are a waste of money, and pamper to the 6 percent of folks who ride bikes. California already has the 3-foot law requiring cars to keep their distance from biker riders. It works well, so audios sharrows.
Dennis Noor
Hermosa Beach
Redondo on Death ROW
Dear ER:
Since the rightful rejection of the Heart of the City development to the present day, Redondo Beach has been on Death row. Citizen groups BBR (Build a Better Redondo), R4 (Redondo Residents for Responsible Redevelopment) and their most recent iteration ROW Rescue our Waterfront) purport to represent the residents. Just as the road to hell is paved with good intentions, Redondo is mired in obfuscations propagated by folk who claim expertise in all matters as they enhance their resumes and ego-stroke one another at the expense of the city. Like Death ROW prisoners who spend an average of 20-plus years between sentencing and execution, all the while declining mentally and physically, Redondo is in a state of devolution and our waterfront is more like Skid ROW. Visit the FaceBook page One View In Redondo to understand who these activist-obstructionists truly are. Personal insults, conjecture, bully tactics and endless, circular arguments are ruining any chance Redondo has for commuting its death sentence. The only thing these citizen groups have done is delay all proposed development to meet an undefined goal of slow growth. Redondo residents have a once in a lifetime opportunity to put Redondo on the path to prosperity. Do we really want to go down in history as the people who flipped the switch on Redondo Beach?
Arnette Travis
Redondo Beach
ReGunlicans
Dear ER:
Thank you for the excellent coverage of the local tragedies caused by the Las Vegas gun carnage (“Bright lights, dimmed,” ER Oct.5, 2017). But as the great Matt Wuerker cartoon that you ran makes clear, it is time to speak truth to power. Absolutely nothing will change about the guns in this country as long as there is a sizable number of Republicans in Congress. There may be some Democrats opposed to gun control, but it is the Republican Party that is completely opposed. If we want to see these tragedies stop, it is time to stop putting Republicans in Congress. Anyone in this nation who votes for a Republican has blood on their hands. For those worried that the Second Amendment would get repealed if Democrats had control, they have to realize that it would not mean that guns would get outlawed (an impossibility in this nation). It would simply mean that guns could now be regulated, like automobiles, or other dangerous consumer products. And if that’s something one is still opposed to, then I guess he or she doesn’t mind having the blood of Sandy Casey and Rachael Parker on their hands.
Matthew Yagle
Redondo Beach
Mass absence
Dear ER:
Last week District 3 Redondo Beach City Council Member Christian Horvath confirmed he doesn’t work for residents. He did this by refusing to show up for a council meeting because his fellow “pro developer” council members Laura Emdee and John Gran were out of town.It’s sad because Horvath’s district overwhelmingly voted for Measure C, against CenterCal, and for balanced growth. Rather than vote accordingly, Horvath decided to not upset his overlords at CenterCal. You see they previously funneled over $30,000 to his personal campaign when he was first elected. It was part of a larger bundle of well over $50,000 funneled from the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce PAC to Council member Emdee and former Mayor Steve Aspel.
The question is did Horvath decide to “no show?”
Wayne Craig
Redondo Beach
No visits, no traffic
Dear ER:
I hate traffic and developments that cause traffic. But studies show that senior assisted living and even independent living don’t generate much traffic relative to other types of housing (“Beach Cities Health District Design-build bill awaits Brown’s signature,’ ER Sept. 14). Old people rarely hold onto their cars once they make the move to a living facility. Add in the fact that Redondo Beach residents like me (hopefully not soon, but eventually) would be the ones transitioning into this proposed facility, you can begin to see why this project can’t be lumped in with multi-unit housing complexes and condos for singles and families. It’s apples and oranges.
Shirley Burmeister
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High Flying Jib
Dear ER:
I’m not sure you have your facts right about the Flying Jib. (“Bar Hopping glory days, ER Aug. 11, 2017). I worked there. Lots of really cold beer and wine coolers (red mountain wine). Pool table upstairs. Some druggies, but mostly drunks having fun. It was famous for its dirty dance contests. The winner got free beer for the next week. Lots of fights. Locals were upset because a group of Australian Life Guards who were training ours, were cornering all the girls. I finally left after breaking up 10 fights in one night. I have lots of good memories — some helped with LSD. Hope this clarifies.
Thomas J. Willis
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