MAILBAG - Jan. 6, 2000

The ability of the Greenlight Traffic Control Initiative to gather

sufficient qualifying signatures with such rapidity bodes well for its

ultimate approval at the polls (“Greenlight group wants special

election,” Dec. 29). In response, I expect that political pressure from

developers will increase exponentially, pushing the City Council to

approve their 11 huge pending projects before the initiative comes to the

polls.

The City Council should either make a commitment not to approve any

further large developments before the November 2000 election or approve a

special election. If they scramble to approve these projects before

voters can decide the fate of Greenlight, they will be thumbing their

noses at the voters in this city.

SUSAN SKINNER CAUSTIN

Newport Beach

Renew leases at Marinapark mobile homes

Peninsula residents associations from McFadden Square east to the Wedge

have expressed their collective support for long-term renewal of leases

for the American Legion as well as for the mobile home owners and tenants

at Marinapark on the bay.

We live in a delightful and very public area, which we happily share with

tourists, day users and businesses. Unhappily, and of necessity, we also

are beneficiaries of 60% of the police department’s patrol budget. For

public access, the peninsula offers five miles of public ocean beach, but

only a half dozen of bayside beaches, including the three blocks between

16th and 19th streets.

There are three existing uses between 16th and 18th streets, and between

the bay and Balboa Boulevard, not just Marinapark. Along the boulevard we

have a playground, four public tennis courts, a basketball court, the

Neva B. Thomas Girl Scout House, a community services multiuse building

and a public parking lot. Along the bay, there is a wide beach, which is

accessible to the public from 16th, 18th and 19th streets, and in

between, from a public walkway along the entire length. The beach is home

to the so-called 16th Street Sailing Base, a newly christened 18th Street

Sailing Base and a public restroom and storage building at 19th Street.

Between these two public and very accessible strips is the site of the

unobtrusive and equally accessible mobile home park.

The city needs revenue for salaries and benefits and, if there’s any

money left over, for repair of the decaying infrastructure all over town.

We don’t need more space for the nonspending public, nor do we need to

give up reasonably productive resources such as Marinapark or the

American Legion Post 291, which make no demand on city services. Both of

these uses provide or do not obstruct use by the public. Moreover, we

don’t need a 16-building, two-story, 157-room resort, with bar and

restaurant and a pie-in-the-sky business plan on the site.

TOM HYANS

Newport Beach

Two cities show their money priorities

Your Dec. 14 front page was a striking example of the contrast between

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

In Costa Mesa, mothers are shown lined up with their children to receive

a Christmas toy from the Share Our Selves Social Services Agency. The

agency was delighted that this year it was able to hand out gifts to 208

families after turning away 100 families last year.

In Newport Beach, the City Council voted to give another $1.25 million to

pro-El Toro airport activist groups so that they can throw more money

into the endless pit aimed at selling the county on the merits of an

airport at El Toro.

Merry Christmas, Citizens for Jobs and the Economy and Airport Working

Group.

MARTIN A. BROWER

Corona del Mar

Library articles miss the real story

Something very critical has been overlooked in the flurry of articles

about the “feud” between the Board of Library Trustees and the Library

Foundation, and that is the extraordinary contributions made by the

foundation (“Library foundation says agreement is lopsided,” Jan. 4). The

public enjoyed four wonderful evenings with fascinating speakers like

Dominick Dunne during the fall Manuscripts Lecture Series. The foundation

in partnership with the library has presented the Distinguished Speakers

Series that featured Andy Rooney, George Plimpton and other great

speakers. Teens’ lives are being changed by the new Teen Center funded in

part by the foundation. The CD-ROM databases funded by the foundation are

in constant use. The foundation-sponsored book discussion groups are

well-attended every month.

All of this happens because of our good donors and because of a dedicated

and professional board of directors. The truth is, libraries have

foundations to better raise funds for critical programs and materials

that benefit the public.By law, our audited financial statements are open

to inspection by anyone in the community. These financial statements

reflect spending ratios that are proper and well within the guidelines of

other nonprofit foundations. The claims of spending 50% to 70% on

operating costs are simply false, and the origins of these figures are

still unknown to anyone at the foundation.

Now is the time to focus attention on the real story. The real story is

that a passionate, forward-looking foundation board established an

endowment fund to support the library’s materials budget in perpetuity.

The real story is that committed volunteers organize programs and ask

their peers to give to the library. Their hard work could go to many

causes, but it doesn’t. It goes to the library because they believe in

it. The recent press is undermining those efforts.

On behalf of the foundation, I would like to personally thank each and

every person who contributes precious time and money. It is gratifying to

know you believe in what the foundation gives to the library on your

behalf.

TRACY KEYS

Administrative Director

Newport Beach Public Library Foundation