SOUNDING BOARD -- Jo Gerlach

I’d like to offer a few thoughts regarding the 19th Street bridge.

First of all, let’s stop this nonsense about beach access. We on the

Westside have plenty of beach access. We can get to the beach faster than

a good deal of Eastside Costa Mesa, parts of Newport Beach, and much

faster than the Mesa Verde neighborhood where Bob Graham lives.

I’m personally against any bridges being built in Costa Mesa as I feel

we’ve done more than our share of being a thoroughfare for other cities.

But if Graham is so concerned about beach access, perhaps he should be

rallying his Mesa Verde neighbors to get the Gisler bridge built. Just

think how convenient it would be for them to get to Brookhurst and shoot

down to Huntington State Beach -- “our beach.”

Secondly, let’s be honest. Several of the bridge proponents don’t even

live on the Westside. It is my opinion that these people -- like the

Wallace group -- want the bridge for the primary reason of being able to

build more units on their rental properties. In fact, one of these people

publicly admitted as much when he said that he couldn’t build any more

units if the bridge were eliminated from the master plan.

It is also my opinion that these people want to profit regardless of

the expense to us Westsiders, who actually live here. There’s nothing

wrong with wanting to make more money and improve one’s property, but

please don’t bombard us with propaganda about beach access and making our

properties worth more.

Anyone with a brain knows that the additional traffic, noise and

pollution can only significantly diminish our quality of life and

decrease our property values.

And to say that the existing businesses will prosper because of the

bridge is also nonsense. The commuters using the bridge aren’t interested

in shopping on 19th Street. They will be blowing through Costa Mesa to

the beach and at the end of the day, back again to the freeway, not

picking up a quart of milk at the new market.

And lastly, as far as Newport Beach being the holdout in eliminating

the bridge: How about some mutual back scratching?

Costa Mesa could wholeheartedly commit to the support of a regional

airport at El Toro, and Newport Beach could sign off on the bridge. It

would be a win-win situation for Costa Mesa. Just a thought.

* JO GERLACH is a Westside resident.