MAILBAG - Dec. 7, 1999

Have you ever toured one of the Newport Beach schools? Nice and pretty

much well-maintained.

I applaud the maintenance workers in the Costa Mesa area schools for

keeping our schools as clean as possible with the constant failure of

sewer lines and falling building debris. The reopened Eastbluff

Elementary boasts a new library complete with 30 computers and a theater.

While Costa Mesa High has a program for advanced technology, it cannot

run the computers without the risk of destroying them in the unequipped

rooms. Paularino and Wilson schools just lost their arts program (and

Sonora is on a waiting list for their art program) because of lack of

funding. Wilson Elementary is beyond repair and is recommended to be torn

down and rebuilt.

Meanwhile, in the past years during the recovery of the disgraceful

bankruptcy, Costa Mesa schools have been selling (and leasing) their

schools and district land to fill the Newport-Mesa general fund account.

What do we do about this? A suggestion of a bond to fix our schools has

been met with hostility from the Newport-area residents. Newport Beach is

claiming to be already overtaxed and many send their kids to private

schools, anyway. So Newport Beach residents are claiming to fight a bond

issue with everything they’ve got. Where does this leave our Costa Mesa

schools? Again, we are the “stepchild” of the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District and our Costa Mesa students and teachers will be the losers.

Maybe it is time for Costa Mesa to be a separate district to really help

our schools, teachers, and, especially, our children.

DENAMARIE ARELLANOS

Costa Mesa

Irvine Co. up to old tricks

The Irvine Co. is up to their old tricks again. The Newport Ridge North

development was started without adequate notice or hearings for the

residents of the Seawind community. One beautiful morning, an army of

earthmovers appeared on our beautiful hillside and started grading. We

received a letter from the Irvine Co. telling us that this grading and

blasting would go on six days a week from 7 a.m. until dusk.

The right thing for the Irvine Co. to do is to stand down the grading

until the project is properly reviewed and our neighborhood is given the

opportunity for questions and comments. If the grading is not stopped

soon, this beautiful hillside will be gone.

It could happen in your neighborhood next. What will you do?

DAVID CORNETT

Newport Beach