Costa Mesa Police Department deserves kudos A...

Costa Mesa Police Department deserves kudos

A tip of the hat and a well-deserved thank you to the Costa Mesa

Police Department.

Costa Mesa is the only major city in Orange County with such

outstanding performance in reducing crime. The next time you see one

of Costa Mesa’s finest on the street, give the officer a “thumbs up.”

JOHN T. HAWLEY

Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa on the way to becoming an ant hill

From Goat Hill to “Ant Hill” ... a short history of Costa Mesa.

Once upon a time, it was a few buildings at a rural crossroads.

There was a school, a bank, a hardware store and even a drug store.

More buildings went up, and as the population increased, Goat Hill

incorporated and became Costa Mesa.

As Costa Mesa ventured into the snares and illusions of city

government, the City Council and residents struggled to find a

balance as shopping centers, large apartment buildings and light

industrial complexes proliferated. Not many years ago, the City

Council, the staff at City Hall and many dedicated residents hammered

out the 1990 general plan for the city. It was a trial of contrasting

visions in which residents sought assurances of an agreeable and

comfortable environment while others sought to build a sales tax base

that would support an adequate level of government services for the

residents. It was intended to be Costa Mesa’s “Constitution” for land

use in the future.

That general plan provided that for land south of the San Diego

Freeway, which was zoned for high-density residential use, the

maximum number of units per acre was to be 20.

Now, the City Council is considering the desirability of approving

a condo development at 1901 Newport Blvd. with 45 units per acre and,

in the process, creating a four-story escarpment across the street

from a few bewildered homeowners and further congesting the already

failing intersections along the north side of Triangle Square. The

general plan is being ignored. It might as well be torn up if this

development is approved.

That, my fellow citizens, is how Goat Hill is becoming an “Ant

Hill.”

If you want to live in an “Ant Hill,” do and say nothing. If you

want the City Council to observe the provisions of the 1990 General

Plan, show up at City Hall the evening of July 7 and tell the council

that you don’t want to live in an “Ant Hill.”

DAVID J. STILLER

Costa Mesa

Internet flight guides seem a bit unsafe, unsound

It would seem to me, after reading your article on Saturday

regarding the patterns of flight and schedules of airlines taking off

and landing at John Wayne Airport, that we will be providing

potential “terrorists” with much needed information (“JWA tracking

its planes for residents”).

The article is frightening to me, and made me wonder, “What are

they thinking?” To have real-time Internet information for the public

on the flight patterns is asking for disaster. Let’s go back to the

old-fashioned, less-costly method and safer way of reporting traffic

... . “Oh, I hear another plane overhead!”

ARLENE WEINER

Newport Beach

This Greenlight position does not make sense

I just read yesterday’s Daily Pilot regarding the Pelican Hill

resort. My concern really is with Greenlight, which I supported in

2000. But I want to see if this is correct. The Greenlight leaders

oppose a 110-room resort on the Balboa Peninsula, even though the

developer has agreed to go to a vote of residents. On the other hand,

Greenlight states that it is too early to tell that the Pelican Hill

resort will draw any serious concerns, even though the Pelican Hill

project is three times larger and bypasses a vote altogether.

If this is the way Greenlight works, it is time to say goodbye to

Greenlight.

JACK DAVIDSON

Newport Beach

Smith’s comments a reverse slight to Orange County

Steve Smith says “Only now [Orange County] is being thought of as

something other than a haven for rich, white Republicans” (“The

decent thing is to resign,” June 21).

That sounds like the race card in reverse; how dare you? I’ve been

in Orange County and Newport Beach since 1923. There was a time when

Orange County was mostly white and mostly Republican. It was a very

good time and we were very proud of Orange County. I’m not rich, but

I am white and Republican and proud of it. How dare you?

I think Nichols was very wrong. You want him to resign, fine. I

agree. I want you to apologize for your reverse race remarks. Please

do it now.

GEORGE GRUPE

Newport Beach