Native plants perfect for Castaways A Friday...

Native plants perfect for Castaways

A Friday story (“Debating which grass is greener”) omitted some

important historical information regarding the Upper Castaways park

area.

No explanation was given for the poor state of the top area “dirt”

between the trails. It is important to note that after the

hydroseeding in 1998, three years of drought followed. This coupled

with the premature removal of the temporary irrigation system made it

extremely unlikely that the native plants would have much of a chance

to establish and survive. Any plants that do survive are mowed down

to the ground on a regular basis by contract workers.

After so many years of abuse or ambivalence toward the use of

native plants in public and private landscaping, it is not a surprise

that city staff, contractors and developers are ill-equipped to

nurture such habitat and make mistakes. They are learning from these

mistakes and can do it right. The city should not give up on native

plant restoration and return to irrigated turf grass, with its

artificial look, high maintenance, high water usage and permanent

irrigation systems. The place for turf grass is on sports fields, and

I think few want ball diamonds or soccer fields on Upper Castaways.

Rolling in some sod and putting in permanent irrigation seems to

be the desire of some, as opposed to waiting for native grasses and

plants to establish themselves. I keep hearing that there needs to be

a place to “spread a blanket.” I would suggest that those who say

this consider that you can spread a blanket on well-established

native grasses as well, and then lie on that blanket, look over the

edge and look at the multitude of tiny native flowers growing all

around you and observe the “critters” that make this habitat their

home.

For the last 100 years, we have embraced the European landscaping

model, which is based on lots of rain and needs lots of irrigation

when used here in our Mediterranean climate, as opposed to embracing

the beautiful plants and grasses that are the natives of this climate

and adapted to our natural cycles. These natives, when established,

don’t require the large water amounts and maintenance costs of turf

grass.

Perhaps the teardrop area at the “point” could be done in such a

way as to provide “blanket space” without jeopardizing the native

nature of the area and the Coastal Conservancy grant for restoring

the area. The larger swale (sometimes referred to as the meadow area)

should, however, be native grasses, plants and flowers, as are found

in native California meadows. This does not necessarily exclude

“blanket use” once the meadow area is well established.

With considerable help from a substantial Coastal Conservancy

grant, we have the opportunity to do it right this time. Let’s not

jeopardize the native restoration of this area and other areas in the

city by putting non-native turf grass in place of native plants and

grasses. It is time to embrace and nurture our diverse native

California habitat.

DENNIS BAKER

Board president,

Earth Resource Foundation

Corona del Mar

Council should not be deciding new member

Reading the Thursday story, “Departure leaves vacant seat,

mayorship,” concerning the Costa Mesa City Council’s “discussions” on

filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Mayor Karen

Robinson left me slightly stunned.

The City Council has the authority to choose the mayor and I’m not

too surprised that Councilman Chris Steel, the mayor pro tem, is not

a sure thing for the job. If the council decides that he should not

be elevated, that is its prerogative.

However, the idea that it is up to the City Council to decide if

the seat is to be filled by an appointment or an election is fertile

ground for shenanigans. The suggestion that an opinion of the city

attorney delivered to the remaining council will decide when and how

it is to be accomplished is just asking for nefarious acts. Wherever

one may stand on the issue (for appointment or for special election)

the losers will feel that their rights have been violated and

justifiably so. This is not a predicament in which an enlightened

electorate should put a saint much less a politician. If there is

nothing on the books to handle vacancies, they should first fix that.

We just had a countywide election in March 2002 to take away the

governor’s power to fill vacancies on the County Board of Supervisors

(Measure V), but I don’t recall anyone suggesting that the board

itself fill the vacancy or that they should ask the District Attorney

when they should do it.

ERIC CHRISTENSEN

Costa Mesa

Sad that reminder needed to keep debate alive

Regarding S.J. Cahn’s Thursday column, “Keep the debate alive:”

How sad that we need to be reminded that differences of opinion,

debate and discussion are vital in our governing and politics. It is

a sad reflection of the state of public debate in our community that

otherwise intelligent people want to stifle opinions contrary to

their own.

Clearly, we need a newspaper that contributes to public debate by

publishing opinions on all sides of an issue. Without such diversity

of opinion, public policy is vulnerable to “incestuous

amplification,” defined by Jane’s Defence Weekly as “a condition in

warfare where one only listens to those who are already in lock-step

agreement, reinforcing set beliefs and creating a situation ripe for

miscalculation” (as quoted by Paul Krugman, “Delusions of Power,” New

York Times, March 28, 2003.)

Too many people in Newport-Mesa tend, even in peacetime, to take a

position that amounts to “You have the right to speak your mind, but

if you don’t agree with me you are not only wrong but also stupid and

evil, and your thoughts should be suppressed.” Voltaire would choke

on his “Freedom Fries” if he heard how some citizens would limit

others’ speech.

Similar attitudes led to the excesses of the McCarthy era in the

1950s and the excesses of the Vietnam era in the 1960s and early

1970s. Those of us who are old enough to remember and understand need

to speak up for the public benefits of robust debate, which is the

best way, maybe the only way, to arrive at good policy decisions.

Thanks to Cahn for saying so.

ELEANOR EGAN

Costa Mesa

Roosevelt’s words as defense of Bell

Teddy Roosevelt wrote a newspaper article in 1918 that is

interesting in light of all those people jumping on Joseph N. Bell

for defending the right to criticize the war and the president.

He said “To announce that there must be no criticism of the

president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong,

is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to

the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him

or anyone else. But it is even more important to tell the truth,

pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about anyone else.”

PAT ORMSBEE

Newport Beach