Mailbag - April 3, 2002

Dock rental fees can be avoided

Hey, whose dock is it anyway?

If the city of Newport Beach has to dip its hands into regulating free

enterprise through taxing dock renters, then I hope that the dock owners

are smart enough to figure out a legal opinion on how they can avoid

paying more stupid taxes (“Dock rentals will get scrutiny,” March 29).

I hope the new “harbor” commission under the command and final say of

our mayor looks at how much revenue the offshore moorings bring the city,

and what the mooring owners get for their tax dollar.

Does the tax go directly back to the mooring/boat owner, such as

lighted convenience slips with filtered running water and trash cans? Has

that money collectively been used for dredging over the last 30 years? Or

does it end up in the beach and parks fund?

If a tax is assessed, then would it be fair to have everyone pay the

same rate? Would the State Lands Commission get the tax? Does the city

get an extra tax if you rent out a room in your house or an apartment? So

is a dock zoned for use by the sole owner of the house? What if the house

is a rental, does the renter get to use the dock? What if a duck moves

in?

If Newport Bay is listed as an “impaired waterway” by the state of

California, then our leaders should be at grace for letting property

owners pay to live and recreate in polluted and impaired water for

millions of dollars of their hard earned money.

I also would request under consideration a “wait in traffic rebate”

for driving through Corona del Mar.

RANDY SETON

Balboa Island

This letter’s from Costa de la Mesa

On Sunday, I read your editorial titled “The name is lame,” which

warned of a group proposing we change the name of our city from Costa

Mesa to Costa Mesa-by-the-Sea. Although I am not sure I like the idea of

ordering new checks, address labels, rubber stamps, etc., I would suggest

that we consider (at least what I am told) is the more grammatically

correct in Spanish: Costa de la Mesa, meaning “table of the coast.” I

feel this has a much classier ring to it, like Corona del Mar, Marina del

Rey and Cota de Caza. Don’t you agree?

KENT M. PAUL

Costa Mesa

Westside resident offended by source’s opinion

In Monday’s article regarding the Job Center (“Job Center a whirl of

controversy”), I believe (Orange County Human Relations Commission

Executive Director) Rusty Kennedy’s “rules” are called laws, which he

wishes to circumvent, and his suggestion of containment, “the more rules

a job center has, the less people it can serve, therefore sending those

who need to work to other parts of the city,” is highly offensive to

Westside residents.

LINDA NEWMAN

Westside

Columnist obviously envies rich Newport Beach

I would like to commend Gerald Bradley for his letter March 7

(Community Commentary, “Residents live in Newport for a reason”) not so

much for setting Mayor Tod Ridgeway straight for his ignorant comments

regarding his own citizens, but mainly for blasting Byron de Arakal. This

has been long overdue. De Arakal’s obvious class envy has made his

writing irrelevant. I am not rich.

STEVE LEACH

Newport Beach