COMMUNITY COMMENTARY

I want to thank you for your investigative reporting of the mess Mayor

David Garofalo has presented to the city and citizens of Huntington

Beach.He has damaged the image most of us have of city government --

taking special privileges in the purchase of [a home], intimidating local

business people into advertising in publishing ventures he controls and

profits from, and then voting as a council person to support those same

[projects] he took money to advertise.

Now we see that he is supporting the rent control initiative proposed

by his mentor, Ed Laird, who reportedly purchased the Local News from

Garofalo. I have a question for the mayor: What does he do for Laird to

warrant the $100,000 annually he reportedly received from him?

Look at the recent Wal-Mart issue that so divided our city. The mayor

brags about his position on the issue. The way it was resolved hurt a lot

of middle-class residents in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley. There

were other viable alternatives for the land that would have hurt no one

and still benefited the school district.

I question the necessity for a rent-control amendment to the city

charter as supported by Laird and the mobile home park owners of

Huntington Beach. All property owners who have had properties for a while

cannot help but make money off of them in our inflated economy. I have

rentals in Huntington Beach, and they have treated me quite well. I try

not to take advantage of my tenants and am lucky enough to have really

good tenants.

I have little fear that any City Council would support a rent-control

issue. That is unless greedy mobile park owners started really taking

advantage of their senior citizen tenants. We likely have one of the most

conservative councils in the western United States.

I hope the grand jury is independent enough to look at these issues

objectively. I don’t have a lot of confidence in our district attorney.

The recent directive from the city attorney to the Conference &

Visitors Bureau surprises me. I didn’t think she had the ability or

interest to stand up to the power structure. But she did and that earned

my respect.

DON WILLIAMS

Huntington Beach