Picture of the Fourth of July...

Picture of the Fourth of July Old Glory Boat Parade worth a look

The father of a family in Newport Beach recently wrote to the

Daily Pilot about its lack of interest in the July 4 boat parade

(Community Commentary, “Pilot should have covered boat parade,” July

16). That family was certainly worth taking a picture of, so I

captured it with my basic camera. Maybe it’s worth a mention.

GWEN DAVIES

Newport Beach

City should respect homeowners’ rights and keep its eyes on itself

I do have a car parked, sometimes covered (“Residents uniting

against City Hall,” Thursday). I will buy a car, restore it and keep

it. It’s not for sale, and for the city to tell me what to do on my

property ... if they would pay my taxes and my house payment, then I

believe they would have something to say. This is America, this is my

land, not the city’s.

If I do park the car or recreational vehicle on the street, then

yes, the city has the right to tell me that I need to get it off its

property. But as it is, this is my property, my land -- that’s the

pride of being a homeowner.

And I do believe that it’s my right if I want to keep a car

covered. I do understand the problem that there are some ugly cars

out there that are not covered.

If the owners would get out there and cover them, that would be

great because some cars are an eyesore and I agree with them. But

when I have a car covered, for them to tell me that I need to either

put it behind a brick wall or in my backyard (which my backyard is

not accessible to put a car in the way it is situated) -- and also

there are two-story homes in my area -- and for them to say, from a

two-story window, it’s an eyesore, again it’s telling my neighbors to

look in my backyard. I don’t look in theirs, they shouldn’t look in

mine. This is my home, my house, my property.

So please, if they pay my taxes again and my house payment, I’d be

more than glad to put my car in my garage. There are a lot of people

that restore classic cars and take them and go to car shows and

sometimes a two-car garage is not enough. But when you have a house

that is not built for a three- or four-car garage, you do the best

thing. You get a nice cover, keep it covered, keep the cobwebs away

and move it around from one parking space to another in your

driveway.

I appreciate the Daily Pilot staying on top of this. You guys do a

great job down there, and that’s the reason why I take the L.A.

Times, just for the Daily Pilot.

MATT MONTOYA

Costa Mesa