Letters to the Editor 5-25-17
Light of the world
Dear ER:
It’s far more important that the new North School is net zero than that it serve the needs of the students (“Hermosa Beach green design leaving mark on school,” ER May 18, 2017). Net zero should be the first priority, not the education of the students. I trust that as much as possible will be spent on this effort (regardless of cost/economics), rather than worrying about what is best for the students. Our first priority should be saving the cost of electricity. We have set the example and saved the planet right here in Hermosa, and it’s only going to cost about $125 million in school bond money. The good news is that we have gone for the highest possible amount of school bond money and now we can be sure that as much as possible can be spent. Hermosa has already paved the way with the park bathrooms by saving the cost of light bulbs to make sure the bathrooms are net zero. And it only cost taxpayers $110,000 for the design to get rid of the light bulbs.
Kent Allen
Hermosa Beach
Target zero
Dear ER:
Thanks to reporter to Ryan McDonald for his thorough and informative article on the Measure S facilities program (“Hermosa Beach green design leaving mark on school,” ER May 18, 2017). Some salient points: Zero Net Energy is a goal. If we can build a school on budget that generates as much energy as it consumes, we put money otherwise spent on utilities back in the classroom. If we cannot build a zero net energy school within our approved budget, then we will not. We are working with our selected team and other partners every step of the way to make sure that we achieve the highest performing buildings possible for our students and that we take advantage of the grants available in this space for sustainable school buildings.
Monique Ehsan
Hermosa Beach School Board
Hermosa Beach
Green as in dollars
Dear ER
Thank you Ryan McDonald for your great reporting on Hermosa Beach City School District’s plans for zero-net energy usage at North School (“Hermosa Beach green design leaving mark on school,” ER May 18, 2017). When is Easy Reader going to investigate the collusion between HBCSD and the HB City Council to defraud the taxpayers into voting for the complete demolition and reconstruction of North School, at a cost of $33 million (Measure S, June 2016). Among other things, HBCSD hired attorney Terry Tao at a cost of $11,000 in taxpayer money to give a one hour presentation to City Council members under the guise of clearing up “misunderstandings” about the district’s possible use of Pier Avenue School. Tao’s entire presentation was a lie from start to finish. District and city administrators knew of the lies during his presentation and did not challenge them.
Taxpayers still owe $17.2 million after making more than a decade worth of payments toward the $13.9 million dollar Measure J bond, which was passed in 2002. HBCSD used most of the $13.9 million bond to build a gymnasium instead of promised classrooms. The estimate for future district-wide enrollment during the campaign for $59 million bond, Measure S, was 1,543 students by 2019. Six months after Measure S was passed by voters district-wide estimated enrollment was “updated” to 1,237 students by 2019; a decrease of 306 students by 2019 when North School is slated to open. Apparently the consolation prize for passing a $59 million bond ($127 million over 40 years) of which the district has decided to use $33 million to over-build a three-acre site in order to accommodate 510 students, eliminate neighborhood green space, destroy iconic 1934 architecture, build an institutional-looking ‘driving-school’ instead of a lovely neighborhood walking school is the promise of solar panels at North School.
Miyo Prassas
Hermosa Beach
South Bay kill zone
Dear ER:
The Manhattan Beach City has agreed to soon agendize the ongoing safety concerns surrounding the Torrance Refinery. Most folks who take just a few minutes to review the facts surrounding the Torrance Refinery’s February 2015 explosion are shocked to learn how close it came to displacing the 1984 Bhopal disaster as the world’s worst industrial accident ever. That’s right, an 80,000 pound metal duct toppled 12 stories to the ground, violently crashing just five feet from a storage tank holding 50,000 pounds of Modified Hydrofluoric Acid (MHF), an extremely toxic gas that would have traveled miles, killing and seriously injuring tens of thousands of South Bay residents. In March the L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to send a letter to Governor Jerry Brown supporting Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi’s Torrance Refinery Safety Plan (including Assembly Bills 1645-1649). The Manhattan Beach City Council will consider following the County’s lead, likely at its June 20 meeting. Visit the Torrance Refinery Action Alliance website to learn more (safetorrancerefinery.wordpress.com), and voice your concerns.
The MHF “kill zone” knows no city boundaries, and absolutely includes Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach.
Gerry O’Connor
Manhattan Beach
Theater, Redondo style
Dear ER:
Redondo voters approved Measure C almost three months ago. So why hasn’t our Redondo Beach city council sent the resolution our city attorney knew had to be done, to the California Coastal Commission yet? The answer, Redondo Beach Kabuki Theater. After our city attorney made a great show of saying he was following the will of the people, that’s clearly the farthest thing on his mind. Putting Measure C in an envelope and sending it off was just an attempt to delay the process to benefit developer CenterCal. They are the ones who have apparently spent well over a million dollars purchasing the Chamber of Commerce and three sitting council members. This week we are finally going to have a council meeting to send out this resolution. Sadly the city attorney has now proposed language to weaken it before sending to the commission. The new wording from the city attorney absurdly elevates lower court opinions above that of the State Supreme Court. There should be no interpretation “after the fact” to benefit CenterCal over the will of the people. The city needs to pull the project, the boat ramp and rescind the EIR. For the past four years CenterCal has shown no willingness to compromise. All they want to do is build a mall. It’s time to stop wasting time and money on defense of this project by the council and city staff.
Wayne Craig
Redondo Beach
Do something
Dear ER:
Let’s mark the date for March 9, 2021. There is a contested development in Redondo Beach for the Waterfront. There is a project ready to go. A new council and mayor now sit in Redondo, which is considered by some to be the best road for achieving progress to improve our blighted marina between the Pier and Portofino Inn. Many of us have waited nearly a decade and a half for improvements. Some of us have actually been waiting since the mid-1980s. I challenge the new City Council to see what improvements can be made in the next four years. It’s their time now. What can they do in these four years, and how can we help end the stalemate and make some actual progress?
Charlie Szymanski
Redondo Beach
A mile in my classroom
Dear ER:
I’m so glad the children are being put first in this decision (“Redondo Unified cooling plan to cost $6.5m,” ER May 18, 2017). Those who are complaining have obviously not spent more than an hour in a classroom on a 80 degree sunny day with 3- to 8-year-olds who can’t focus on a regular day, let alone on a day when they are exhausted from the heat in the classrooms. Ocean breeze? Those classrooms don’t get an ocean breeze. I no longer work for RBUSD but I did for a number of years and I know how important this is.
Penny Sisto
Facebook comment
Clarification
An On Local Government column posted on EasyReaderNews.com Monday morning because the column mistakenly stated that Redondo City staff members addressed the Coastal Commission about the proposed Waterfront project. Columnist Pinzler learned on Monday that he was mistaken in that assertion. Easy Reader apologizes for that error.