Redondo’s Mail Delivery
Dear ER:
If you live in Redondo Beach, have you noticed the past two and a half weeks that your mail delivery might be arriving at midnight? Or 10 p.m.? Or 8 p.m.? Or not at all? We have. I found out that Redondo Beach, until 2-1/2 weeks ago, had 50 delivery areas and now there are 35 areas. The postal service has reduced the number of areas, forcing mail carriers to work until 10 p.m. to midnight. We have gone without mail a couple of times. These poor mail carriers are working 12 – 14 hours a day to get the job done and sometimes they aren’t. This means they are walking many hours a day. These postal workers have to go in and separate the mail for their area, which is taking longer because they have a bigger area, and then go out to deliver, which of course is taking longer. We saw one male postal carrier with a lantern on his hat, delivering mail on the next block at 10:30 p.m. last week. This is insane and has to stop. Today, the newspaper reported the financial problems the USPS is having and I understand these issues are grave. I just hope they don’t put their workers into graves.
Vicky Oetzell
Redondo Beach
School support
Dear ER:
Strong schools provide the bedrock for our family-friendly beach community. Quality schools attract the young families that benefit our local businesses, uphold our property values, and strengthen our community’s future..
Dr. Bruce Newlin, our Superintendent of Schools, sent a letter to our City Council asking the City Council to “ascertain the legality of a sales/use tax measure with all or a portion of the proceeds dedicated to the Hermosa Beach City School District.” Dr. Newlin’s letter also requests that if the sales/use tax measure is found viable, that the City Council consider placing a proposition on an election ballot.
All Hermosa Beach homeowners should support Dr. Newlin’s efforts to save our schools. Please call or email our City Council members to urge them to support our schools.
Hany Fangary
City Council candidate
Hermosa Beach
We’ve had enough
Dear ER:
It’s been a busy year for my family and neighbors: tracking down stolen cars, scaring off drunks peeing and more on our property, trash clean-ups (broken beer bottles, property damage…), collisions with intoxicated drivers, graffiti “art walks” of the neighborhood…
Recently, Councilman Mike DiVirglio championed the effort to increase the number of businesses licensed to sell alcohol in Hermosa. The city abandoned the enforcement protections provided by Conditional Use Permits in favor of Mr. DiVirgilio’s indulgent “Alcohol by Right” plan…thus depriving our city of its most effective tool to step-in when necessary.
He tried to defend his plan during a recent City Council debate but failed to convince me.
Sorry, Mike, but I don’t believe our neighborhoods should endure more drunks prowling their streets. I don’t believe our restaurant and tavern owners relish more competition. I don’t believe residents and businesses should pay higher taxes for the needlessly increased law enforcement burden.
Our “family-friendly beach haven” has already met its quota for bars, tattoo parlors, and head shops. We need to incentivize and support appealing local businesses that residents enjoy/would enjoy patronizing.
But “Alcohol by Right” accomplishes the polar opposite. Many Hermosa residents avoid the boozy weekend free-for-alls downtown and are unable to enjoy and patronize local merchants.
We lose the ability to fully enjoy our hometown, our businesses lose revenue, and our city loses sales taxes.
We literally export our tax dollars to other cities and import their drunks. We’ve had enough!!
Lauren Mains
Hermosa Beach
The good treasurer
Dear ER:
I’m surprised at David Cohn’s campaign strategy for City Treasurer. He has allowed his paid advocates to fight negative, mud-slinging campaign instead of focusing on his strengths as a candidate. Perhaps he knows that John Workman really is a good treasurer.
I remember John’s hardware store in Hermosa. He opened the doors on Thanksgiving Day to my dad when our water heater went out. He served the people of Hermosa Beach for over 30 years in the Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce. He delivered Meals on Wheels to family friends and I remember seeing him raising charity money at the Rotary hot dog booth. Service is his middle name. Twenty years ago, he accepted the Treasurer’s job when a previous Mayor and Treasurer asked him to. We asked him to be our Treasurer by re-electing him several times. He has successfully led us through the economic fallout after 9/11 and through our country’s depression for the last three years. He has kept the city solvent and even made us $9 million at the same time. No scandals, no cheating, no pay raises, and not one cent lost. Even my financial planner can’t claim that!
Emily Piermonte
Hermosa Beach
Curbing wheels
Dear ER:
Is Manhattan Beach so hard up for money that it would target worshippers at Journey of Faith on Artesia Blvd for not curbing the wheels of their vehicles? I guess so, because it happened this morning, October 23, 2011. Typically, the parking spaces on Artesia Blvd are used by attendees at the church on Sundays, and this morning every vehicle that was parked on an incline of any sort was ticketed for not curbing the wheels of their cars. At $48 per ticket, this should be a nice little haul for the City. Please tell me when was the last time you experienced a run-away car? I work for a city, so I know that these tickets did not have to be issued, but apparently the officer felt it would look good to ticket so many “offenders” all at once. Shame on you Manhattan Beach!
Valerie Mohler
Manhattan Beach
Concerned candidate
Dear Editor:
As we get closer to Election Day, I continue to wonder why one goes through a political process for a technical office. That being said, it took a debate in order for the current Treasurer of Hermosa Beach to realize that he was reporting a coupon rate on a bond and not Yield to Maturity, which is the proper way to report yield. Our Treasurer thinks having 98% of our money in a fund run by the State is “safe and always 100% liquid.” That is not so true, if everybody took their money out all at once. Not all securities in LAIF can be immediately liquidated. Can Mr. Workman explain why, after 18 years in office, the city still doesn’t have a written policy on investment parameters, like Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach have? Can he explain why after all this time, we don’t have a Finance Committee like many cities around us have? I am concerned about the recent comments our Treasurer made that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is “going bankrupt.” Nothing can be further from the truth. The FDIC has a permanent $100 billion revolving line of credit. And contrary to Mr. Workman’s belief, the FDIC is backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States Government. I suggest that anyone reading this letter, as well as Mr. Workman, visit the FDIC’s web site and watch a 3-1/2 minute video about how the FDIC works. The link is http://www.fdic.gov/deposit/insurance/index.html.
David Cohn
Hermosa Beach
City Treasurer candidate
Powers on power plant
Dear ER:
Although my campaign has been centered around the safety and security of the residents of Hermosa Beach, and protecting their rights, rest assured I am deeply concerned about the MacPherson Oil lawsuit and the AES Power Plant issues.
I feel that the horse is out of the barn on the MacPherson Oil problem and will eventually be solved only in the courts. However, the AES Power Plant issue is one that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. The current council has not had much to say on this issue. If elected, I will get deeply involved with this issue and do all that is in my power to protect the residents of Hermosa Beach.
Steve Powers
Hermosa Beach
City Council candidate
Friend and quiet force
Dear ER:
Many of us Redondo activists have lost a good friend and quiet force behind the scenes. Jillaine Force passed away recently of cancer. Most of you didn’t know her, but for those of you that did, this may be the first you heard that she was even ill, so sorry you had to read about it. She was a private person and didn’t want people fretting over her.
First and foremost, Jillaine was dedicated to her family; husband Charlie, and sons Skylar and Storman. Our loss pales in comparison [to their loss].
But she was a star to so many of us. Her dedication to her family, self-imposed civic obligations, business, art, whatever she chose to do inspired many of us to step our lives up a notch. She epitomized the heart and soul of all our efforts going back 10 years when the Heart of the City plan emerged. She was our “gut check.” Personally, she became the closest of confidants to me, and kept me grounded and ‘real’ throughout all the City issues we worked so hard on together. She’s going to be missed, and talked about a lot, by many. . . . I hope we dedicate a new park in Redondo to her one day.
Bill Brand
Redondo Beach
Call-out to Lieu
Dear ER:
I respect Mr. Lieu’s actions on behalf of veterans and streamlining review for new constructions projects. These proposals will assist our armed forces and help create jobs. However, Ted Lieu is not serving the rest of his constituents or the state with useless bills littering our law books and taking attention away from the one issue crushing this state and the country: bloated big government crammed with bloviating pols bickering over petty legislation that has nothing to do with solving our current fiscal crises.
The constituents of the 28th State Senate district deserve more than legislation about shark fins, tanning booths, and the sale of pets by private providers. When will the politicians in Sacramento do something about the wasteful spending, the lack of oversight, the rampant government waste, and the overgenerous public employee compensation packages that are bleeding this state dry?
Instead of keeping the Governor’s pen busy with fussy legislative niceties, Sen. Lieu ought to propose legislation that will ease the burden on California taxpayers and moderate the current anti-business climate that is scaring away jobs and frustrating economic recovery.
Arthur Christopher Schaper
Torrance
Only partially correct
Dear ER:
David Cohn, a candidate for the office of City Treasurer of the City of Hermosa Beach, has repeatedly advocated that the City put a significant portion of its treasury in Certificates of Deposit. Mr. Cohn correctly points out that CDs pay more interest than the City is currently earning from its investments, and argues that such deposits are guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation with full faith and credit of the United States Treasury. If accurate, that would make a lot of sense.
However, the FDIC’s own website seems to indicate that Mr. Cohn is only partially correct. First, the FDIC’s website states that insurance coverage of a government account extends to the official custodian of the deposits belonging to the government or public unit, not to the government unit itself.
More important, deposits by the City of Hermosa Beach would be in the FDIC’s “government accounts” category. As with individual and joint accounts, government accounts are insured up to a maximum of $250,000 for the combined amount of all time and savings accounts (including NOW accounts) and for the combined amount of all interest-bearing demand deposit accounts. Unlimited coverage is provided only for noninterest-bearing transaction accounts.
Here’s the link to this information: http://www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/insured/ownership8.html
Perhaps my understanding is wrong, and if so I would like to be corrected.
However, assuming that my reading of the FDIC’s rather simple and straightforward policies is accurate, then the idea of risking a significant portion of the city’s $20 million in CDs that are insured for only $250,000 simply to gain an insignificant increase in interest rates strikes me as foolhardy.
Douglas Collins
Hermosa Beach
Why run now?
Dear ER:
Who is running against John Workman for the treasurer’s seat in November? I really don’t know much about this guy nor do I really know about his success in financial management. It seems like his campaign has been about slamming Workman, not telling us why he is the better candidate.
I wonder where Mr. Cohn has been for the last 20 years while our Treasurer’s office has been “running into stagnation” (Mr. Cohn’s words, not mine). Did he think for the 19 years everything was ok? Why didn’t he step up to the plate before now?
Before handing over our city money, wouldn’t it be prudent to find out how well he serviced his financial planning clients? Voters need to know the background and financial successes in the public sector of the candidates before they vote in November.
Shannon Thompson
Hermosa Beach
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Unconfused
Dear ER:
Hermosa Treasurer John Workman’s insulting Oct-20 letter attempts to confuse Hermosa’s residents and businesses regarding bank deposits. It is well established that deposits (including CDs) insured by the FDIC, are further backed by the “full faith and credit of the United States” to the extent of $250,000 per depositor at a particular FDIC banking institution. Workman tries to imply that anyone speaking of a CD or other deposit is referring to an unlimited amount.
Workman mentions another treasurer having “millions” invested in a particular FDIC insured bank who was delayed in retrieving CD deposits after the institution failed. Workman (often himself with excessive deposits in the Bank of America) and other treasurers maintaining collective deposits in excess of FDIC insured limits, are indeed risking their city’s deposits.
Workman also sees no ethical conflict sitting as director of the Hermosa Chamber of Commerce business lobby while being the Hermosa City Treasurer. The Chamber lobby has financial contracts with the city for matters benefiting itself, such as use of public streets for their city-disrupting Memorial and Labor three-day weekend swap meets, and for which they ludicrously receive city tax money to bus people to same.
Workman as Treasurer is also responsible for monitoring that taxes due Hermosa Beach are collected, but while a Chamber director he’s known their itinerant street-swap-meet vendors have not properly reported virtually any sales tax from their Hermosa street-merchandise sales. That’s resulted in a loss of thousands to the city from the Chamber’s twice yearly swap meets during Workman’s “there-too-long”, 18-year watch.
Howard Longacre
Hermosa Beach
Time to move on
Dear ER:
It will be a shame for the residents of Hermosa Beach if John Workman is re-elected as Treasurer on November 8. Mr. Workman may be a nice fellow, but he’s failed to do his job as City Treasurer. Approx. 98% of the city’s investments are placed in one investment and his rate of return has been 0.47% while other neighboring cities are achieving much higher rates of return. One might not think that this is so important, but Workman’s poor record has likely cost the city over $1,000,000 in the past four years. The current situation is akin to having a long-time family friend manage your investments only to discover that he’s made you a puny 0.47% when you know you could buy CD’s and T-Bills that pay over 1%. Most of us would thank our family friend for his service and hire someone else for the job. It’s time to thank John Workman for his 18 years of service as our Treasurer. Thank you John Workman, it’s time to move on.
Fred Huebscher
Hermosa Beach
Saddened by massacre
Dear ER:
I was deeply saddened by the needless massacre of 47 animals abandoned in Zanesville, Ohio.
Yet, these precious lives represent only a fraction of the 300 cows, pigs, and other innocent sentient animals butchered for our dinner table every second of every minute of every hour of every day. That’s ten billion animals per year.
Unlike those in Zanesville, animals raised for food have no life before death. From birth, they are caged and crowded, deprived and drugged, manhandled and mutilated.
Undercover investigations have shown male baby chicks suffocated in plastic garbage bags or ground to death. The females are crammed for life in tiny wire-mesh cages that tear out their feathers. Pregnant sows are caged for years, unable to turn around.
At the slaughterhouse, animals may be dismembered, skinned, scalded, and drowned while fully conscious. Nearly ten percent die of injuries and diseases.
For folks who share my sadness at the Zanesville massacre, a vegan diet offers the only effective path to a guilt-free conscience. There’s no extra charge for the associated health and environmental benefits. Visiting LiveVegan.org, or typing “vegan recipes” into a search engine is a great start.
Jack Matler
Hermosa Beach
