Mailbag - Feb. 28, 2002

Let’s go back to praying

I certainly think that we should go back to the way we were and offer

a prayer before the City Council meeting starts.

CAROLYN NIEFELDT

Huntington Beach

Keep the cats inside, leave coyotes alone

Regarding the Feb. 21 article, “Coyotes plague Bolsa neighbors” -- We

are blessed to live in an area with some of Mother Nature’s most

extraordinary habitats. With that privilegecomes the responsibility of

taking care of these beautiful and fragile places.

The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is an endangered habitat in today’s

overdeveloped world. It is home to hundreds of species of birds, mammals

and aquatic life -- some endangered and threatened with extinction.

Coyotes serve a very important role at Bolsa Chica by helping to keep

the most dangerous predator of birds, cats, at bey.

Cats kill millions of wild birds each year according to a University

of Wisconsin study. It is simply common sense that responsible pet owners

who live near wildlife preserves should keep their pets safe in their

homes. And by doing so, they are also protecting the wildlife. It is a

small price to pay in exchange for living so close to a natural

wonderland. In fact, the Humane Society and the American Bird Conservancy

both urge cat owners to keep their cats indoors for longer and healthier

lives.

As for dog owners, please read the signs: dogs and bicycles are not

allowed on the ecological reserve. They are highly disruptive to the

wildlife. We all should be good neighbors and do our part to preserve our

rare and valuable wetlands resource.

MARINKA HORACK

Huntington Beach

Nothing should be done about the coyotes except enjoy their presence.

The dilemma is with people. If you live in an area where wild animals

inhabit guess what you get? Wild animals live where their food supply is,

including coyotes. People are going to have to start living with nature.

If you don’t want your car, dog, rabbit or hamster to become lunch for a

coyote keep them in the house or garage. Coyotes main food supply is

rats, mice and carrion.

Coyotes are a major part of our natural environment in Southern

California and do us a great service. As for the coyote’s yapping at

night, I have to put up with the neighbor’s dogs barking at all hours.

Isn’t it time we accept the fact that they are here to stay and enjoy

them?

MIKE SHRUBSOLE

Huntington Beach

Hike those development fees

I’m in agreement that the city should increase development fees to

assure we have proper infrastructure and parks and amenities that go

along with it. If they don’t want to build with the added fees, just let

them go someplace else and build.

CURTIS STELLEY

Huntington Beach

Yes, I think the city should increase developer fees. I don’t think we

can take care of what we already have and I don’t think growth is

especially a good thing.

DIANE STELLEY

Huntington Beach

It should come to no one’s surprise that the percentage of Orange

County households that can afford the median price county home, $303,000,

has declined from 40% to below 30% during the period of 1995 to 2001. Not

only is the number of houses insufficient for the demand, the McMansions

(biggest possible single family house on a lot) eat up all the available

land and serve the minimum number of residents. The people who run our

city know this problem well.

The city should do nothing to give developers yet another excuse for

building housing stock that the majority of us will never be able to

afford. If the city does anything to change the existing fee structure,

it should establish graduated fees that could act as incentives for the

development of affordable housing.

A graduated fee schedule combined with a site specific value

appraisal, might provide enough developer profit margin so that we could

see some affordable housing built. This approach will have minimum

negative impacts on property sold in the seven-figure range. I hope all

who are looking at this issue keep the overwhelming majority of citizens

in mind when they determine the formula.

JEFF LEBOW

Huntington Beach

Don’t raise fees at the cost of affordable housing

My answer is no, to the question, should the city increase development

fees at the expense of affordable housing. no.

JIM GOSNEYHuntington Beach

I’m calling about the fee raising and I’m against it.

LINDA GILKEYHuntington Beach

I do not want the developers to get hit with a larger tax and curtail

affordable housing.

WALTER KONEIG

Huntington Beach

I have always voted for the school bonds (which never seem to pass)

But this year I’m not too sure. The information I received in the mail

asking for a yes vote was endorsed by a lot of people I do not know

because I’m not into politics. But I have a problem as to why Loretta

Sanchez endorsed this, she is a representative for the 46th District

(Garden Grove) not Huntington Beach. Also, Huntington Seacliff was built

in 1999 and looks like a new and nice school -- they want $188,000. to

increase playground. I agree this may be important, but how about the

other schools that are crumbling to the ground.

CAROL BYRNE

Huntington Beach

There are some people who are opposed to any tax increases no matter

what the size or purpose of the proposed increase may be. Some of those

people may oppose Measure DD on the March 5 ballot, which proposes a

school bond measure to upgrade the aging facilities of the Huntington

Beach City School District.

But the entire public school system is funded by taxes and it is

important to consider when those schools may need a small boost to

improve the quality of our children’s education. Measure DD calls for

only a very small increase in taxes.

Of the seven school bond measures on the ballot throughout Orange

County, the Huntington Beach measure only seeks a total of $30 million,

while the other six range from $50 million to $240 million. The proposed

tax rate for the other six measures ranges from $18.41 up to $32.50 per

$100,000 of assessed valuation.

The Huntington Beach measure is only $16 per $100,000. On a typical

Huntington Beach home assessed at about $300,000, that translates into an

increase of $48 dollars a year.

And that’s tax-deductible from your state and federal income taxes.

Meaning that most of us who own homes will have a net cost less than $40

a year.

In the context that the tax rate for most of us is around $1,000 per

$100,000 of assessed valuation, the tax increase is only about 1.6%.

Considering that the district has carefully planned its proposal, this

small judiciously sized tax increase is well worth it in what it can do

for our children. Vote yes on DD.

ROSEMARY SAYLOR

Huntington Beach

I am a 34-year homeowner in Huntington Beach. My children went to

elementary and high school here, and now my grandchildren have begun

their educational journey. As a parent, I am so grateful to the

generation before me that had the foresight and vision to understand that

the quality of life in this community is related to the quality of our

schools. They were willing toreach into their pockets to build the

facilities that I have taken for granted all these years -- wonderful

places where my children thrived and matured.

But as wonderful as our schools are, the sad fact is that they are

just plain old and in need of repair and modernization. These schools

serve our children and youth well. Our students perform well on

standardized assessments and most of the schools have been identified by

the State of California as “Distinguished.” We need to make sure our

schools will continue to serve future generations by bringing these

facilities up to current codes and standards. Measure DD will do just

that.

LYN SCOTT

Huntington Beach

The opposition to the school bond measure on the March 5 ballot claims

that if the Huntington Beach City School District had submitted its

applications at least a year earlier in order to access nearly $17

million in matching state funds for modernization, we would have those

funds now. What nonsense. In order to be eligible for these state funds

the district must be able to come up with a 20% match.

That’s a big part of the reason this bond measure is being submitted

to the voters -- the district doesn’t have $4 million in matching funds.

If approved, Measure DD will provide these matching funds.

The truth is, the district could have submitted its applications one

year ago or even two years ago -- but without the required matching funds

in the bank it is not eligible to receive state modernization funds.

Our schools have done a good job, but now they need our help. A

successful bond measure will make certain that classrooms are repaired

and upgraded, improve student access to technology, repair roofs, replace

obsolete heating systems and ensure safety systems are brought up to

current standards. We need Measure DD to access matching state funds.

DUANE DISHNOHuntington Beach

Editor’s Note: Duane Dishno is the former superintendent of the

Huntington Beach City School District.

The Huntington Beach City School District has placed Measure DD on the

March ballot. This measure proposes to raise some $30 million (plus up to

$17 million in state aid when available) to renovate, upgrade and improve

the district’s schools.

I am surprised to hear the opponents of the measure argue that the

school district ought to sell its closed school sites in order to raise

this money. But the sale of these sites would also mean the loss of the

playing fields and open spaces on these sites, which the residents now

enjoy.

The school district has acted responsibly in leasing these sites on a

long-term basis to educational enterprises. That means that the district

actually gets more money in the long run than if they sold the sites. But

it also means that the open recreational spaces are preserved for the use

of our youth sports teams rather than the building of a Wal-Mart or

housing or some other use creating more congestion and less recreation in

our community. AYSO Region 56 has 1,600 registered players in its

program. The impact to our program alone if these sites were sold would

be devastating.

The passage of the bond -- especially since it is such a small

increment to our taxes -- is the responsible way to bring our schools up

to date. I urge all those associated with our youth sports and other

recreational interests to support measure DD. We do not need to lose any

of the scarce open spaces in Huntington Beach.

CATHERINE D. WHITE

Regional Commissioner

AYSO Region 56

County doesn’t need a great park

Due to the severe local impacts that would occur from Measure W, our

neighboring city councils of Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Westminster and

Seal Beach have all passed resolutions opposing it. Putting a pricey park

on an Environmental Protection Agency superfund site will not magically

decrease flight demand. If El Toro isn’t used as an airport, then nearby

John Wayne, Long Beach and/or Los Alamitos will instead have to expand.

In 2006, the caps and curfews will expire at John Wayne. The FAA and the

Air Transport Assn. will oppose any extension of the previous settlement

agreement if El Toro is not used. At Long Beach, they once had a cap of

15 daily flights. But, the airlines sued in federal court and the cap

nearly tripled to 41 flights. History could repeat itself, if W passes.

By the way, the fine for any airline violating curfew is a mere $300.

Here is how Irvine feels: Councilman Mike Ward in a letter to the Orange

County Board of Supervisors:’ ‘Long Beach Airport is operating below

capacity,” (It’s already the nation’s second busiest facility.) Irvine

Councilman Greg Smith in a letter to the Los Angeles Times on 06/21/98:

“Building a commercial airport at Los Alamitos is the perfect answer to

future air passenger and cargo needs. Takeoffs could be routed over the

open spaces of the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, minimizing noise and

pollution.” For who? Not us. Imagine that these so called great park

proponents would send jets over the National Wildlife Refuge located on

the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. Gee, how environmentally friendly.

Also, in 1990 a Blue Ribbon commission was formed to find a second

Orange County airport. Among the upper third tier of choices for sites

was Bolsa Bay and Huntington Flats a.k.a. the Bolsa Chica wetlands and

offshore Huntington Beach.

The odds of either place being put to use greatly increase if W

passes. What’s scary is, if there were ever an election for these sites,

it could literally pit the entire county against Huntington Beach. If

that wasn’t enough of a threat to the Bolsa Chica, there’s initiative

language, which allows industrial and housing development to apply to all

unincorporated areas of the county. For the sake of our community’s

future, please vote no on Prop W.

REX RICKS

Huntington Beach

Three local measures deserve our support

Three local measures, FF, GG, and HH, deserve the support of the

residents of Huntington Beach. We all know how politicians love to retain

the discretion to spend our tax dollars as they please, often providing

us with the niceties and ignoring the necessities. To the credit of the

Huntington Beach City Council, they’ve placed measure FF on the ballot,

which ties their hands and mandates that at least 15% of the general fund

revenue must be placed in a infrastructure fund, with citizen oversight,

which can only be used for that purpose. That’s responsible government

and the measure deserves our support. Measure HH also merits a yes vote.

The only thing worse than taxes are inequitable taxes -- taxes that some

pay and others do not. That’s the case with the AES power plant on

Pacific Coast Highway. Every resident and business in Huntington Beach

pays a gas utility tax on all the gas they consume, regardless of whether

the purpose is wholesale or retail, except the AES power plant. Measure

HH is designed to remove that exemption and rectify the unfairness. The

voters should not be misled by the double-talk about a double tax. AES

doesn’t sell its energy to the residents of Huntington Beach, but sells

it to the grid, where it is sold to those outside our city. We suffer

100% of the impacts and receive none of the benefits. The people in

Fullerton, Yorba Linda, Orange, and other cities that enjoy the

electricity produced at our expense ought to pay for the impacts, not the

residents of Huntington Beach. Finally, Measure GG asks the voters

whether any money generated from requiring AES to pay a gas utility tax

on all the gas they consume, just like we do, should be spent on our

infrastructure. That is exactly where the money ought to be spent. These

three measures, Measures FF, GG, and HH, finally begin to address our

infrastructure problem by dedicating money to an infrastructure fund and

requiring AES to pay their fair share. That’s why I support a yes vote on

all three measures.

RON DAVIS

Huntington Beach

Measure EE is bad for us

Do multimillionaire mobile home rent gougers need government

protection? That’s what the Property Rights Initiative is all about. Do

the poor elderly in mobile home parks need protection or do the

multimillionaires need protection?

Four multimillionaire mobile home park owners got scared when the “ole

boys club” at the city hall began to crumble. Their guilty conscience

began to think, if the people for rent control for mobile homes get a

majority vote in November, we are going to lose our huge profit margins.

Elderly poor have seen rents in mobile home parks escalate1000%, from

$50 to $1,000 a month. Other parks are making a profit of over 100% of

their initial investment. How can you beat that? Here is how to do it.

We will confuse the people with a fake Property Rights Measure and

then throw in apartments so we will get all the real estate people to

support us.

Don’t be fooled by their lies. This measure has nothing to do with

property rights. Apartment renters are not organized and they haven’t

even thought of rent control.

What this so called Property Rights Measure calls for is government

protection for permanent, complete rent gouging for the widows and

elderly poor in mobile home parks that are taking a terrible beating

right now. This monopoly industry is asking for complete economic

dominance in mobile home parks

guaranteed by a city charter.

This monopoly agency does not need government protection to guarantee

their predatory pricing. They can raise prices to any level without this

ordinance. There is no rent control ordinance being considered by the

Huntington Beach city council.

Please vote no on Measure EE to save poor elderly in mobile home parks

and struggling young people from excessive rental escalation now and in

the future.

JOHN JANKOWSKI

Huntington Beach