Taking the heat from outside the kitchen

As the unfortunate saga of Councilman Nichols continues, I can’t help

but wonder what his ardent supporters are thinking right now. If I

was one of them, which I am definitely not, I think I would be

tempted to pass him a note at the next council meeting:

“Dick,”

“Shhh! Stop saying that stuff! Obviously we don’t want ‘those

people’ running around in our fair city anymore than you do. We knew

how you felt before you were elected. That’s why we supported you and

voted you in. Oh sure, it’s fine for them to cut our lawns, trim our

hedges and wash our cars, but we certainly don’t want them bringing

their kids here, hanging out on our beaches, and maybe even mixing

with our kids!”

“But Dick, don’t you know you’re not supposed to say those things

in public? We brought you in to be a stealth candidate, like a Trojan

Horse. Use phrases like, ‘I think we need to reconsider this from a

budget standpoint,’ or ‘It’s a great idea, but I’m concerned about

the possible impact it might have on the environment!’ These are code

words Dick, and you better learn them quick!”

“After all, if the Trojan Horse had giant signs on it saying

‘Caution -- Greek soldiers Inside’ it wouldn’t have worked very well,

would it?”

Improbable? Maybe. But nowadays, perception truly is reality. If

Dick Nichols is allowed to remain in our city government with no

obvious effort by either our council or our citizens to remove him or

have him step down, then that could very possibly be how all of us

who live here would be perceived.

And as someone who believes -- like most people I know in Newport

Beach -- that the measure of a person should be their integrity,

their abilities, their desire for a better life for their families,

and not their lineage, that would be very sad indeed.

JOHN KNECHT

Newport Beach

To all the hypocrites in 92.22% white, 4.71% Hispanic Newport

Beach who are outraged, outraged, I say, that council member Nichols

pointed out, in his own way, that the dollar curtain between illegal

alien infested Costa Mesa (56.8% white, 31.8% Hispanic) and Newport

Beach is fraying, how about putting your city where your big mouths

are by building affordable housing for “immigrant families” in

Newport Beach instead of only building affordable housing for senior

citizens.

And while you’re at it, how about building and funding your own

(illegal alien) Job Center instead of using the one that the citizens

of Costa Mesa have to fund to the tune of around $130,000 per year.

Records I’ve seen indicate that about 50% of the people hiring day

workers at Costa Mesa’s job center are from Newport.

And if you really, really want to be progressive, how about

opening some charities in your city to help the poor immigrants who

will live in the affordable housing you’ll want to build for them.

And, then put some factories on your view bluffs.

When you do that, I’m sure some Costa Mesa citizens will come to

your City Council meetings, just as some Newporters come to Costa

Mesa City Council meetings, and say that the industrial buildings on

your bluffs are great for your city. You may also enjoy the same type

of industrial pollution that is filling Costa Mesa’s air with

cancer-causing agents.

I’ll wait to see the letters from those of you who have been

kicking Nichols to see if you’ll take the above suggestions on how to

make Newport Beach more diverse so you can show how progressive you

are.

I won’t hold my breath.

I don’t really want Newport Beach to have the same types of

problems we have in Costa Mesa, but spare us the phony talk about how

progressive you are.

And how about stop treating Costa Mesa as the other side of the

tracks for Newport Beach? The reason you don’t have a bad part of

town is because you’re using Costa Mesa as your bad part of town.

Since Costa Mesa is a separate city, you get the benefits of having a

place to put everything you don’t want while not having to pay the

monetary and social costs.

M.H. MILLARD

Costa Mesa

Late last month, the Daily Pilot published my letter in which I

was critical of Newport Beach Councilman Dick Nichols for his

reported gaffe before the Planning Commission. Since that letter,

Councilman Nichols has committed a more egregious faux pas, which has

whipped up a firestorm of controversy not only in our little neck of

the woods, but nationwide, as well.

I’ve read all the articles, commentaries, editorials and letters

to the editor appearing in the local press, many of which call for

him to step down. I agree with those who express disbelief that a

highly educated man could have lived on this planet for the past half

century and still be so out of touch the realities and sensitivities

of the times in which we live.

Those who dwell on the implied bigotry of his most recent comment

are missing the real point, I think. Regardless of whether Nichols

has acted like a Neanderthal throwback or not, the issue here is his

lack of judgment.

When he was elected, the citizens of Newport Beach undoubtedly

expected a man of his years, experience and success to be able to

listen to arguments, assess issues and -- based on his intellect and

life experiences -- make good judgments on their behalf. This is

where he has let them down. Regardless of whether he appears to be a

Latinophobe or not, his lack of judgment is the issue, and it is this

lack of judgment that should cost him his position on the City

Council.

GEOFF WEST

Costa Mesa