Letters to the Editor 11-03-2016
End pays for the means
Dear ER:
Ugly political campaigns are nothing new to the South Bay. I covered the Congressional race that pitted Republican incumbent Robert K. Dornan against Democratic challenger Gary Familian for Easy Reader in 1976 (“Race to the bottom,” ER October 27, 2016). The mudslinging was particularly intense, fueled by more than $1 million in campaign expenditures, a record for that time. Familian linked Dornan to the KKK and alleged he was a wife beater. Dornan responded by filing a libel suit. It always struck me how even the nicest candidate could resort to really ugly behavior in the heat of a campaign. I once asked Jim Brooks, who managed his wife’s campaign against Congresswoman Jane Harman, why they resorted to negative tactics instead of sticking to policy debates. Negative campaigning works, he replied.
David Hunt
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Smote vote
Dear ER:
The debt is twenty trillion/ So few find a job/Police, they might kill you/ A gang or else the Mob/ The Republican’s incompetent/ The Democrat’s a liar/ The Libertarian won’t win/ Get ready for hellfire.
Ivan Smason
Santa Monica
Clean water candidate
Dear ER:
The South Bay gets 50 percent of its drinking water from our own aquifers. It’s crucial to be able to trust the elected representatives on the Water Replenishment District. Unfortunately, the incumbent in Division 2, the South Bay area, has raised questions about trust because of his embezzlement indictment, even though he was eventually acquitted. That’s why I’m urging voters to vote for Jim Kennedy. Kennedy will restore the public’s trust and has the experience to take on our water challenges to stop water waste and keep water rates low. Please pay attention to this contest on the crowded ballot and vote for Jim Kennedy. The Water Replenishment District manages the groundwater for four million residents in Southern California. Groundwater is key to our long-term sustainability in our new, normal drought conditions. We need to manage this aquifer so that when it does begin to rain again, we can capture as much as possible of the water.
Amy Howorth
Manhattan Beach City Council
Manhattan Beach
From MB council to LA supervisor
Dear ER:
If you want a leader that you can trust to represent you vote for Steve Napolitano for Los Angeles County Fourth District Supervisor. Napolitano is familiar with the district from being both a Senior Deputy to incumbent Supervisor Don Knabe and from serving three terms on the Manhattan Beach City Council. He will keep our neighborhoods safe, promote jobs, protect our environment, rebuild our infrastructure, support early childhood education and protect seniors, veterans and the homeless.
Robert Bush
Manhattan Beach
New York friends
Dear ER:
We have known David Hadley for over 30 years – literally from the first day of his and wife Linda’s professional careers in New York. We have been friends of his accomplished family since they relocated to the South Bay over 20 years ago. From our long professional and personal association, we can attest to Hadley’s intelligence, incredible work ethic and most importantly, his integrity. We know the falsehoods and personal attacks being circulated by his opponent and those who have underwritten his opponent’s campaign to be untrue and fabricated for perceived political gain. Knowing Hadley as we do, we believe the falsehoods being spread reflect much more poorly on his opponent than they do on Hadley. We hope voters will join us in proudly voting for David Hadley so that he may continue representing the 66th District in the State Assembly.
Linda McLoughlin Figel
Matt Figel
Manhattan Beach
New York style
Dear ER:
I am disgusted by Republican 66th Assembly District candidate David Hadley’s mailers. Linking Al Muratsuchi to a criminal, sex-offender is despicable and shameful. It’s just the latest Trump-style propaganda from Hadley. Hadley shows up for the photograph at media events when local “green” kids do all the work but he’s a “no show” when it’s time to do real work, like fighting for the health of our communities. One of Hadley’s mailers claims his opposition to offshore oil drilling. Really? FYI, we’ve had a moratorium on offshore drilling since 1969. Thanks for not doing any work on that too. Muratsuchi has been a champion for the South Bay. He stood with Hermosa Beach to defeat Big Oil and he continues to work for all our communities. A compassionate and competent leader for all residents, especially our kids and our families.
Jose Bacallao
Hermosa Beach
Beyond the grave
Dear ER:
The campaign for the 66th Assembly District is contentious. Both candidates have filled our mailboxes. Democratic Candidate Al Muratsuchi has crossed the line of propriety using an image of my late father in one of his most recent campaign flyers. Dad did not endorse him and he passed away in July of last year. I have spoken with the other vets and family members of the vets in the photo and none of them endorse Muratsuchi. He used their age and trust to take advantage of them, and did something similar with the wives.He has proven to be an ineffective politician living on the backs of the taxpayers. If dad were still alive Muratsuchi might very well have a bloody nose.
Scott Takahashi
By email
Taken for broke
Dear ER:
I am a 91 year old WWII veteran who is active in the Go For Broke National Education Center. Recently, a flyer was mailed out that shows 66th Assembly District Democratic candidate Al Muratsuchi and a group of us in our Go For Broke shirts. I did not give consent for him to use that photo for his political campaign. I feel that I have been exploited and misused. Because of Muratsuchi, I will probably be much more selective about whom I take pictures with. He says on this ad that he “respects elders,” but he does not in my experience.
Ralph Kaneshiro
By email
Kit cornered
Dear ER:
Kit, Kit, Kit Bobko. Your distortion of the facts surrounding Assembly candidate Al Muratsuchi’s offer to help Hermosa in our fight to keep oil drilling out of our community landed on its face. To call on George Orwell again, you seem to believe that if you repeat something enough times in a loud enough voice you can actually convince voters that “two plus two equals five” (1984). Please don’t underestimate the intelligence of the residents in Hermosa. The truth is Al Muratsuchi stood by us while his opponent David Hadley proclaimed he wanted to “leave it to the voters,” although admitting himself he would never raise his family next to 34 oil and gas wells.
Stacey Armato
Hermosa Beach City Council
A form for all purposes
Dear ER:
These ROW people have no plan or vision, other than to block the progress of a fine remodel and upgrade of the Redondo waterfront (“Rescue Our Waterfront turns 7,000 signatures into Redondo Beach City Clerk,” ER September 29, 2016). If we don’t do this now, it could take 15 years or more to do a reconstruction of the waterfront & who will pay for it? I urge the folks who were badly deceived by these ROW scammers to go to city hall and ask that their names be removed from the petition that they were tricked into signing to put the waterfront rezoning on the ballot. City all has a form for that purpose.
Gary Mlynek
Redondo Beach
The new first responders
Dear ER:
We would like to thank the city of Redondo Beach Public Works Department for their timely response to our request for some much needed cleaning and repairs in the Riviera Village. After one call to the city our concern for the health of some trees in front of our business, the city was out the next day, cleaning the sidewalk where the affected trees were dripping black, filling in eroded areas around the trees and scheduling tree replacement. The city workers help make Redondo a great place to be.
Leah Shirejian Ribbons Boutique
Rollover Manhattan
Dear ER:
This is the second rollover car accident in a couple weeks on this stretch of Sepulveda, and the fourth accident in a few months (Accident closes Sepulveda Boulevard,” ER October 27, 2016). True there are signs, but some turn signals would help. Manhattan Beach and CalTrans should be working together for safety improvements. What will it take to get them to work together?
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Overqualified
Dear ER:
I am writing to express my support for State Assembly candidate Al Muratsuchi. He is endorsed by the Sierra Club and numerous Police Officer Associations and understands how important maintaining the quality of life we have is. I have full confidence that Muratsuchi will serve as our champion to the Coastal Commission as Redondo Beach residents navigate through these tough waters to ensure that the development on the waterfront is built within reason. Muratsuchi is a father, a former school board member, a former Assemblymember and a lawyer and I feel he is more than qualified to serve as our state Assemblymember.
Candace Nafissi
Redondo Beach