Mailbag - April 25, 2002

What is really behind the districting plan?

I see that Scott Baugh is proposing significant changes to the City

Council. A newspaper article identified him as a paid consultant to the

AES Corp. In the supplemental voter information pamphlet for the recent

March election, Scott Baugh signed the argument against Huntington Beach

taxing AES.

Taxing AES was put on the March ballot by the current City Council. Is

this proposal a further attempt by AES to avoid paying taxes to

Huntington Beach?

And who is paying for the gathering of the approximately 16,000

signatures necessary to place this City Council change on the

ballot?ROGER BENNETTHuntington Beach

Development is eating up all the natural beauty

The letter in the April 11, 2002 mailbag from Connie Tuttle of

Huntington Beach could have had my signature below it also.

I am a native Southern Californian and also remember our beloved city

as a small, quaint, residential beach town of 1962.

That is why our whole family still resides here. The money hungry City

Council and developers have ruined our town with hotels and tourist

income development. It is every bit as sad as the development along

Pelican Point and Crystal Cove in Newport Beach. Does every inch of land

have to be income for the cities and county? Do only a few folks have

reverence for God’s natural beauty?

DONNA M. WEST

Huntington Beach

Don’t renew that waiver

I think the sanitation district’s waiver should definitely not be

renewed I think it should be rescinded.

JILL KRUM

Huntington Beach

Council needs to watch taxpayer’s moneyJust as when a

property owner’s home needs repainting, and the homeowner seeks bids,

evaluates them, check references and work quality and then makes a

decision as to who the chosen painter will be, so the City Council should

carefully evaluate all expenditures, including street sweeper contracts.

The council should seek bids, check references and work quality of

prospective bidders before giving a contract for services.

The citizens of Huntington Beach deserve no less.

Prevailing wages are not the only criteria for selecting contractors.

Many times it is possible to receive quality work at less than the first

quoted financial cost or the prevailing wage. There is no doubt that it

“pays to shop around.”

Would our council members, when shopping for a new car, automatically,

without question, pay the sticker price? I hope not. I would hope that

they would treat the taxpayer money as their own and spend wisely.

It is inconceivable that when doing the job in-house is less expensive

that the council voted to continue the present contract. What responsible

homeowner would spend their own money in this fashion?

I know that to carefully monitor our taxpayer money takes time and

effort but that is part of an elected official’s obligation. If our

council members are too busy or overextended to properly administer the

finances of the city, perhaps they should give someone else the

opportunity to do so as no one forced them to run for the City Council.

NORMA VANDER MOLEN

Huntington Beach

Leave the dog park right where it is

I would want the dog park to stay exactly where it is and extend the

hours so people like myself who work could take their dogs to the park as

well.

KELLY MEYER

Huntington Beach

I am the proud and responsible owner of two wonderful dogs. I

frequently visit my mom who lives in Huntington Beach and when I go visit

my mom, we always go to the dog park together.

I am in strong favor of leaving the dog park located at Edwards and

Talbert.

KATHY SUTTON

City of Orange

I believe that the dog park should stay where it is. Together the city

and the volunteers for dog park have created a wonderful area in which

Huntington Beach can take great pride.

The existing site is easily accessible and well maintained. To

relocate it would be costly especially when it seems that none of the

other locations would become a permanent site or be shown to be

environmentally safe without even more cost to clean up the existing

site.

Our entire family frequents dog park -- I take our two dogs during the

week and my husband and children will go on the weekends. I understand

that the barking from some of the dogs at the park might be a nuisance,

but I also know that the daily traffic noise is much louder than the dogs

all the time.

Perhaps the two neighbors who complain about the dogs can petition

City Hall to reroute the increasing traffic up and down Edwards hill.

That traffic noise really disturbs the dogs you know.

CINDI DROEGER

Huntington Beach

Leave the dog park where it is currently located at Edwards Street

Talbert Avenue and make it accessible to working people by staying open

until 8:00 p.m. The results of the city’s sound readings, averaged over a

six day period, show the noise from traffic to be 65.5 decibels, dog park

to be 44.5 decibels, and neighborhood dogs to be 62.1 decibels. The day

time limit is 55 decibels, according the city ordinance.

The Community Services Commission is right on. Unfortunately, we are

not so blessed with our current City Council.

ELINOR MATTSON

Huntington Beach

I would like the dog park to stay where it is currently located at

Edwards Street and Talbert Avenue.

CATHY EDMONSON

Huntington Beach