Mailbag - Aug. 19, 2001

Newport Beach not banking on right bet

It is impossible for me to understand the city of Newport Beach’s

rejoicing over being shifted out of county supervisorial District 5 and

into District 2 (“Supervisor shift may not affect Newport Coast,”

Tuesday).

Although I understand that the District 5 supervisor opposes an

airport at El Toro, by joining District 2 Newport Beach aligns itself

with fading North County cities rather than being a part of emerging

South County cities. Given the choice, I would wager that the Newport

Coast would rather remain in District 5.

MARTIN A. BROWER

Corona del Mar

Move historic home to Suburbia Park

I’m calling about the Huscroft House. I thought maybe it could be

moved over here to Suburbia Park, which is really Moon Park, in place of

all of the displaced houses along our street look like they might be

moved.

DEBBIE MARSTELLER

Costa Mesa

Columnist belittles group’s animal safety efforts

I’m a supporter of Orange County People for Animals. I was reading the

Daily Pilot column from Aug. 11 by Steve Smith (“True problems beginning

to show at Costa Mesa City Hall”). I just really wanted to mention that I

think that his article was kind of misguided and kind of trivialized the

efforts of some of the people in Orange County in regard to the proposal

of the ban on exhibiting exotic or wild animals in the Costa Mesa city

limits.

Really what this pertains to is trying to support a proposed ordinance

to prohibit the display of wild and exotic animals for entertainment

purposes on city property. So we’re speaking more toward that of zoos and

circuses. So, we’d appreciated Smith and the Daily Pilot for

acknowledging that.

CHRIS LIBERTORE

Corona del Mar

Smaller population would not require growth

Your editorial of Aug. 5, (“Controlled growth: hollow words from

Greenlight camp”) stated that if all development is bad, then “every home

in the city ought to be torn down?”

Nah, just the ones built since 1950, especially those beige stucco

“mansionettes” of the last two decades.

Whoever wrote that editorial, obviously not a local, doesn’t get it.

We’ve had enough. We’ve seen the place invaded and wrecked by people who

can’t see beyond a damn dollar sign, and we’re sick of it. This place was

never supposed to be a major metropolis, just a beach town, and I don’t

think it’s our civic responsibility to provide housing, jobs and yet more

roads for every cluck who decides to do us the favor of moving here from

New York, Chicago, whatever.

What I’m getting at here is that I don’t care about the opinions of

anybody who didn’t see this place before it got paved over, and the

belief that you can have further development and any kind of “quality of

life” is self-delusion writ huge. Of course, if you’re from a place made

out of concrete, you don’t see the problem. But for some of us, “quality

of life” is something that took a hike somewhere around 1975 and hasn’t

been seen since.

If Greenlight annoys the money people and makes everybody pack up and

move back to Ohio, it’ll be just dandy with me.

NORM FRAHM

Corona del Mar

Eliminate all those Crystal Cove bungalows

I agree with Mark Hunt.

The people of California --- all of us --- have owned Crystal Cove

State Park for more than 20 years and two of its most charming areas have

been virtually off limits.

I say raise those tacky, little dumps at Crystal Cove, and have away

the mobile homes at El Morro Cove, and let’s enjoy what we paid for.

WALLACE WOOD

Costa Mesa

More statistics would better exemplify points

The Pilot’s important and timely article on our local school

district’s results on the Stanford 9 achievement test (“Test scores show

slow gains,” Aug. 9) should be eventually followed up with tables on each

of the schools.

Without these tables, it is difficult -- almost impossible -- to

reconcile Superintendent Robert Barbot’s enthusiasm in stating that “the

Westside schools have some of the two-digit gains, which is phenomenal”

with district officials concerned for the “dips in some scores at the

middle and high school levels.” A 50th percentile reading level of

achievement in the four high schools is hardly a cause for rejoicing.

LEFTERIS LAVRAKAS

Costa Mesa

Pets can be quite the handful

This is about Roxy, the missing cat, (“It’s not over till the cat

meows,” July 27). For anyone to lose their beloved pet is devastating.

When one has a dog in Newport, there are laws about containing and

restraining these animals.

But when it comes to felines, there is not. Cats are allowed to roam

freely and at random, which can lead to the loss of the pet due to theft,

death, wandering, or the cat being taken in by an animal lover and kept

for their own.

Maybe there should be guidelines for cat ownership, not for

persecution of cat owners, but for the welfare of our feline friends.

PAUL JAMES BALDWIN

Newport Beach