Commission didn’t do its job, so...

Commission didn’t do its job, so it should go

If the California Coastal Commission concerned itself with issues

legitimate to Huntington Beach such as:

1)Protecting the beach in a full and fair capacity.

2) Supporting and guaranteeing great-looking developments that

fronted and/or faced the beach.

3) Securing public beach access.

4) Promising clean sea water and sea scape for our coasts and sea

life.

5) Reviewing real coastal issues instead of personal and/or

political interests; i.e., not allowing hearing after hearing or

appeal after appeal regarding developments passed by citizen voter

approval, city and planning councils and commissions voted approvals

and approval by all legal venues.

I believe in the immediate and total elimination of the California

Coastal Commission.

If the commission had honorably completed any part of its job in

Huntington Beach, demolition of the condominium complex that sits on

the sand of our Huntington Beach Coast at 7th Street and Pacific

Coast Highway would have happened 10 years ago. We already would have

the incredible and fabulous developments of the Strand and Pacific

City, instead of the derelict and dirt-infested land that continually

sits in these coastal locations with hideous gates around them. Bolsa

Chica would be a resolved issue. Real coastal issues would be in

place and protected, instead of in front of a review board for the

fourth time or a fifth appeal with the California Coastal Commission.

Save Huntington Beach and our tax dollars, dismantle the California

Coastal Commission.

ANTHONY OURENZO

Huntington Beach

There is no question that the California Coastal Commission has

been operating in violation of the separation of powers clause of our

state Constitution, so the answer is yes -- no political body should

be allowed to function in contempt of the law.

The bigger question, and the one the Independent seems to be

asking, is whether or not the coastal commission should be allowed to

fly in the face of the laws that govern the rest of us or bear the

consequences of operating illegally all this time. No government

agency should be above the law, period.

The fact that the coastal commission already enjoys the

distinction of wielding unparalleled power while never having to

answer to the voters is disturbing enough. Allowing them to

flagrantly thumb their noses at the law and get away with it because

they, and their narrow-minded supporters, believe the end justifies

their means, is unacceptable.

It is not acceptable to burn SUVs or terrorize neighborhoods to

send a message, and it should not be acceptable to function outside

the law and trample the rights of others to achieve some distorted

view of nirvana. Once the commission is stripped of its powers, it

will have no reason to exist and control will return, as it should,

to elected officials entrusted by the voters. That’s a “nirvana” we

can all live with.

RONALD CHESSER

Huntington Beach

Attack on Boardman was unfounded

The letter in the Independent on Jan. 2 criticized Mayor Connie

Boardman for asking the council to send a letter to Bob Hite at the

Department of Fish and Game. The letter urges him to pursue

negotiations with the developer Hearthside/Koll to sell the Bolsa

Chica. The recently passed Proposition 50 has money to go for the

purchase of the Bolsa Chica in the language of the bill.

The last time I heard, the entire community and all of Southern

California is in agreement that the Bolsa Chica should be saved for

generations to come from development. Where’s the writer’s “misuse of

money:” in this letter? The money was approved by the voters with the

passage of Proposition 50. All the mayor did was get a vote from the

entire council to urge the department to go after the money already

approved. to be spent on the Bolsa Chica. I think the writer should

do a little research before he writes his letters filled with

misinformation.

EILEEN MURPHY

Huntington Beach

Bob Polkow, your attacks on Mayor Boardman (Sounding Off, Jan. 2)

are unsubstantiated, lack reason and do not represent the majority of

Huntington Beach.

First of all, the districting initiative was funded by a very few

wealthy interests who hope to take control of Huntington Beach

government by reducing the number of seats on the City Council. Most

of the signatures for the initiative were obtained by paid gatherers.

This is big money trying to defeat democracy. Will it pass? This

depends on how much more special interest money is dumped into it.

Second, with regard to the Wal-Mart rezoning initiative Measure I

to which you refer, it failed by just 4% nearly three years ago only

because it was denied (by the then City Council) the special election

status for which it qualified. Ninety percent of the signatures that

were gathered for the initiative to put it on the ballot were via

Huntington Beach volunteers. It fell victim to the $430,000 that

Wal-Mart dumped in to defeat it. This still is the most expensive

election in Huntington Beach history. Once again, is this democracy

or special interests? Before she was on the council, Connie Boardman

fought for the citizens of Huntington Beach and their quality of life

rather than yield to this huge outside special interest.

Third, you are again out of touch regarding the Bolsa Chica mesa.

Proposition 50 money is being sought to purchase it. This proposition

was passed by a majority, and was even supported by Hearthside Homes.

The majority of citizens here do not want homes built on the mesa.

Nearly all of California wetlands have been developed. It is a public

issue. You state, in contrast, that you desire for the mesa the

“building of homes for the people”. For whom? The 1% who could afford

homes there? Perhaps you should move to Phoenix or Las Vegas, where

developers are running rampant.

Huntington Beach is finally getting some balance, common sense and

honesty on the City Council. It was only a year ago that Dave

Garofalo was forced to resign -- someone indeed who did have a

“personal agenda.”

Boardman on the other hand, is an intelligent, hard-working member

of our City Council who considers the overall picture and quality of

life for the current and future citizens of Huntington Beach. It is

refreshing to have someone of integrity, who believes in the

democratic process and does not succumb to special interests and the

almighty dollar.

MARVIN JOSEPHSON

Huntington Beach

Leaders take note -- Huntington is a city

The NIMBY mentality is endlessly frustrating, the latest example

being the protest over a proposed Gisler/Garfield avenues bridge

across the Santa Ana River (“Gisler bridge study causes a rift,” Jan.

2).

Councilwoman Debbie Cook sarcastically remarks “That’s just what

we need is another Adams Avenue.” I live near Adams. Yes, it’s a busy

street, but it’s convenient; it gets me to Costa Mesa and provides

(via Harbor Boulevard) a shortcut to the southbound San Diego

Freeway. Would Cook like to tear down the Adams Avenue bridge if she

had the chance? How about digging a new river along the border with

Fountain Valley? Build a moat around the entire city, and we can

really cut down on traffic.

Huntington Beach is not a rural village. Get over it. Huntington

Beach is a city, and cities need an effective network of streets. And

for traffic between adjoining cities to be constricted to only two

streets is ridiculous. I don’t know if a Gisler bridge is necessarily

the best solution, but it should not be dismissed out of hand just

because nearby residents don’t want to see more traffic.

FREDERICK SINGER

Huntington Beach

Council is painful, thanks to the veterans

I would like to respond to Danette Goulet’s column “A painful

civic lesson at City Hall.” It was a painful lesson, indeed.

However, I got a very different read on it. As to the Planning

Commission, it did appear that staff was trying to go behind the

backs of our newly appointed commissioners. Could it be that they do

not approve of the new appointees? The right thing to do would have

been to first introduce the idea to them for discussion as Mayor

Connie Boardman had stated. It also appeared that our newly elected

officials Cathy Green, Gil Coerper and Jill Hardy were trying to do

their best to get the answers that would keep the voters informed,

while our “veterans” were trying to prove who was in charge.

After all this time in office, they still don’t get it. It looks

like the only real “veteran” for the time is returning Councilman

Dave Sullivan. Let’s hope that he can be the bridge that will bring

these women back to reality.

DAWN STANTON

Huntington Beach