Newport Dunes owners’ generosity will be...

Newport Dunes owners’ generosity will be missed

Thanks for the memories (“Sale of Dunes resort glides forward,”

July 24).

I just wanted to say thanks for all the great events Newport Dunes

has provided for us here in the Newport Beach and surrounding areas.

I have attended many beach events with great food and music. I

have enjoyed many fun parties often sponsored by the Dunes’

generosity when it was good for our community. The resort’s events

have always been wholesome and creative coupled with our fabulous

weather we enjoy on a year-round basis.

I have attended events sponsored by Newport Beach Rotary Club,

Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, business luncheons, plus numerous

charity fund-raisers. All were great fun and have lasting memories,

including the NFL Irrelevant Week parties.

We also greatly appreciate the former fabulous annual fireworks on

the Fourth of July, and thank you for providing this for us at your

expense.

With highest regard and great appreciation. We shall miss the

Dunes’ management style.

DIANE COLTRANE

Corona del Mar

Police helicopters make all the difference for victims

Here’s a comment to Rene Jacober and the Committee to Abolish

Helicopter Noise (“Residents seek quiet on Newport front,” Tuesday).

Maybe next time a crime has been committed in their neighborhood

where aerial assistance could have made the difference in the

suspect(s) being captured or not, they will think twice about the

occasional noise created by the helicopter.

I am sure there are other areas of the city that would welcome the

assistance provided by the helicopter acting as a “super eye” for the

ground units while investigating a call and apprehending suspects.

After all, the helicopter is probably in their neighborhood because

one of their own residents called the police for help in the first

place.

I doubt that the helicopter flies over the Eastbluff area just for

a scenic tour. I live on the peninsula, and the helicopter flies over

us a lot too. They only stay in the area long enough for the ground

units to get whatever situation they are responding to under control.

Everyone should think about it next time there is a prowler or

suspicious car driving around their neighborhood. If someone calls

the police to report it, let them use the most effective tools they

have to assist them in investigating the call.

HARLAN LASSITER

Balboa Peninsula

Committee doesn’t spread human relations too well

The Costa Mesa Human Relations Committee members are not

interested in building bridges between people. Their intent is to

have a gatekeeper that allows only those with their own myopic

opinion to enter. They prefer that people with opposing opinions be

labeled, refused admission into their ranks and disgracefully

dismissed as irrelevant. Are they afraid of allowing a dissenting

voice into the group?

Roslyn Manley suggests new committee members be picked by the

committee instead of the present method of being selected by the City

Council members (Mailbag, “Some are working against Costa Mesa

committee,” July 18). I can’t think of anything much worse.

Because current members appear far more interested in promoting,

if not actually forcing, their own specific agenda, I suggest future

members continue to be picked by council members on the basis of

their tolerance for all people and all viewpoints, even those who

some might brand as “politically incorrect.”

DON LIVINGSTON

Costa Mesa

Peninsula ficus supporters needs to drop their fight

The first thing I did when I moved into my current residence was

remove the ficus tree in my front patio (“Residents uniting against

City Hall,” July 25). Nearly every residence in my neighborhood has

had a drainage problem because the ficus roots have invaded our

drainage system.

Removing a healthy old tree is always a sad experience, but most

experts would agree that ficus is one tree that does not fit in an

urban setting. My advice to those ficus fans: Relocate these trees to

a vacant area and spare the taxpayers’ expenses in fighting your

well-meaning but nonetheless nonsensical lawsuit.

JOHN T. CHIU

Newport Beach