Replace helicopters with more police patrol...

Replace helicopters with more police patrol cars

Newport Beach resident Rene Jacober not only complained about

helicopter noise, he also brought up the cost of the program and its

effectiveness (“Residents seek quiet on Newport front,” July 30).

That brought up my reasons to write.

According to the article, the cost of the patrol in Newport Beach

is about $1.8 million. Couldn’t we saturate the city with 18 patrol

cars or cycles for the sum of $100,000 each, tops? The same goes for

my city of Costa Mesa.

What criminal element would want to come to our fair cities if

they saw 36 or up to 40 more police patrolling our neighborhoods?

I am not against helicopters per se, but I think they should be

operated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for the good of

all of the cities in Orange County. The helicopters are not the best

at preventing crime as ground base units are, but they do a good job

afterward for emergency calls and other critical situations

(carjacking, standoffs, etc.).

As Jacober suggested, I think our helicopter program can use some

intelligent and fair-minded discussion. I myself have attempted to

see both the pros and cons published in previous letters.

WILLIAM POLDER

Costa Mesa

Children’s health clinic should seek another city

It’s not that I’m against helping people -- but there again, I

don’t live on the Westside -- but I believe Costa Mesa has more than

enough charities, etc. (“Rea clinic decision postponed by district,”

Aug. 10).

We not only have the Soup Kitchen, Share Our Selves and any other

number, but we also have homes for recovering alcoholics or drugs,

and why is it that they feel that Costa Mesa is able to have one

more? What about Newport Beach? How about Fountain Valley? How about

these other cities?

You know that when a clinic is brought in, we will have more than

enough people coming. There will be more people outside of Costa Mesa

using this thing than would be living inside of Costa Mesa in our

boundaries.

I’m not against Latinos, but I believe that people should be here

legally, and I think that something should be done about the people

that are not here responsibly, legally participating in all the

benefits in Costa Mesa.

Why is it that other cities do not have these subsidies or as many

charitable services as we do? Maybe Santa Ana, but there again is

such a large number of Latinos, but anyway, I, again, have dear

friends that are Latino. I have friends from other races. That’s not

it.

I just think that it’s about time we said no to another charitable

institution that will just bring in more people from outside the area

than I think is necessary. And I don’t think they should try to make

you feel bad if you say no. This is a feel-good society, and it’s

about time it should stop.

JUNE MCKINZIE

Costa Mesa