Mailbag - Feb. 28, 2001

I’m not involved with any of the Westside advocacy groups nor do I

have any ties to City Hall. I’m simply a citizen who reads the newspaper

and pays attention to what’s going on in my community.

Which is why I feel compelled to respond to Eric Bever’s latest bit of

revisionist history, particularly since he dared to invoke the name of

Martin Luther King and accused the Pilot of “slandering” Chris Steel.

The fact is, Steel, a perennial candidate for City Council, has railed

against illegal immigrants and those of Latino origin, blaming them for

the ills of the Westside, ranging from overcrowded apartments to dirty

parking lots.

And Bever, lest we forget, is the one who started a committee to

combat what he and his cohorts perceived as City Hall’s pro-Latino bias

in its Westside plans.

This after the city had to make a specific effort to include Latinos

after their expensive consultants had excluded this large ethnic block

from its considerations. Until he was recently called on it, Bever made

no reference in his copious letters to the editor to illegal immigrants

-- his rantings of last year mentioned only “Latino” residents, without

reference to citizenship status.

By the way, “slander” involves spoken defamation. An editorial cannot

“slander” anyone. The word you were looking for is “libel.”

I respectfully await Janice Davidson’s outraged defense of Bever and

assassination of my character. (Told you I read the newspaper.)

COLIN BANKS

Costa Mesa

We need to stop building on the beaches

I have lived in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach all of my life. I have

continually watched the erosion of our coastline to developers all in the

name of profit.

The most troublesome aspect to the selling of our coastline is that it

ends up being private, without access to the public. I thought that when

permission was granted to build the Newport Coast housing development,

there would be no building on the west side of Coast Highway.

No such luck! I think it is time to do as Mexico has always done with

regard to its beaches. There are no private beaches in Mexico. If you

live on the beach, you must provide public access.

Our beaches are for everyone to enjoy, not just people that can afford

it. We cannot allow Crystal Cove to be sold off as just a piece of real

estate. If we do, there will be no end to building along this side of

Coast Highway.

Then we will have to read about lawsuits concerning houses on the west

side of the highway blocking the east side’s ocean view!

ROBERT TRANTER

Costa Mesa

It’s time for Crystal Cove residents to leave

I am very angry about the recent lawsuit filed by the cottage dwellers

at Crystal Cove.

I am sure that I am not alone in thinking that these privileged few

living on the ocean front for an average of $1,000 per month are not

fighting to save the cove -- they are fighting a very selfish battle to

keep their incredibly sweet deal.

I do not understand why the state has failed many times over many

years to get these people off a public beach. More importantly, I do not

understand why these cottage dwellers have never been charged fair market

rent for the publicly owned cottages.

They should be paying per week what they are paying per month.

Why can’t the state charge “hold over” rent to these people? Crank it

up to fair market value and then file unlawful detainer actions.

What right do we, the public, have to get those people out of those

cottages? Can we file our own lawsuit? Are we not using taxpayers’ money

to continue fighting the selfish legal actions of the cottage dwellers?

Could someone find out why the courts keep giving in to these people,

and why they have never been charged fair market rent for their

oceanfront accommodations? Who are these people related to?

SANDY THOMAS

Newport Beach

Keep publishing the name of drunk drivers

I agree with the Gay Wassal and Bill Kelly.

Drunk drivers deserve nothing -- especially when they injure or kill

innocent victims.

Just two weeks ago, a drunk crossed the median on Newport Boulevard

and badly injured three young adults.

We do not owe these offenders a thing; they chose to drive like this

and it’s their responsibility to obey the law. Why would publishing their

names embarrass them?

They obviously couldn’t care less about their would-be victims or

their families’ embarrassment.

SUSAN LEE

Newport Beach