Leave the Back Bay the way...

Leave the Back Bay the way nature intended it

I vote no on putting a boardwalk in the Back Bay. It already

supports a bike path, a concrete parking lot and other man-made

effects. Use the money to upgrade and protect what is there.

Let us preserve the natural beauty and our quality of life. There

is no substitute for Mother Nature.

KINGSLEY CROUL

Corona del Mar

Costa Mesa should use what it can to make Westside better

In response to your question in Tuesday’s paper, “Should Costa

Mesa leaders add to the Westside redevelopment area?”

For years, I have been “preaching” to the City Council, our

residents and anyone else interested in seeing the Westside improved

that the only way the removal of the blight will occur is through

redevelopment and the use of eminent domain. Usually, those that

don’t understand how it works are the ones who are most opposed to

it.

California redevelopment laws will protect the property owner when

their property is taken. They will be properly reimbursed and

relocated. Attorneys, appraisers and relocation experts are hired

just for that purpose.

Property owners can fight for more benefits if they don’t feel

they are being treated fairly, but very rarely will you beat the

redevelopment agency on the right to take your property.

Why should our city’s Westside continue to be known for

substandard slum apartments, dirty industrial businesses and poorly

zoned neighborhoods? I’m hoping that this City Council will finally

do what should have been done years ago.

TIM CROMWELL

Costa Mesa

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Tim Cromwell has been involved in redeveloping

properties, including using eminent domain, for the past 20 years.

Not from California does not mean not welcome

Regarding the interview with Jack Keating on Sunday (“Q & A,”

Forum).

If pampas grass is not native to California because it originated

in Argentina, then should we eradicate the eucalyptus trees? They are

native to Australia and serve no purpose other than shade on a summer

day.

Jack Keating is wrong. I have lived in a home overlooking the Back

Bay for 17 years. Each October, I would marvel at the tiny finch-like

birds that would flock into a pampas bloom and cause it to bend

almost to the ground, then suddenly leave and fly into another clump

to feed on the seeds in another bloom. It was a sight I always

enjoyed watching. Perhaps those dead clumps that are such a fire

hazard have not been cleared out and replaced because nothing will

grow there after the soil has been poisoned.

I am also disturbed by the poison traps that are set along the

path to “control the squirrel population.” We don’t have the rabbits,

turkey vultures and other animal life that used to be here.

Let’s continue to keep our Back Bay clean, but not build or impose

on it further.

EVELYN MOODEY

Newport Beach

OCC trustees need to make tough budget decisions

Although Orange Coast College is blessed in having a solid

community college professional like Gene Farrell at the helm, the

final decisions to economize on a district scale resides with the

local governing board.

The board may choose to take a number of actions. They can give up

being paid for their meetings and postpone any further travels. They

can reduce sizably the funds paid for joining a multitude of

organizations that have nothing to do with student learning.

In addition, the boards may elect to establish a policy of

approving travel only by district and college administrative

personnel where student learning and well-being directly stand to

benefit. A previous policy of the board’s -- rubber-stamping all

travel requests -- produced a variety of unnecessary expenditures

that run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And I’m sure that, if the elected trustees are sincere about the

trust given them by the voters, there are other belt-tightening

measure to be found.

LEFTERIS LAVRAKAS

Costa Mesa