Desalination an expensive, lousy idea To say...

Desalination an expensive, lousy idea

To say that the idea of a desalination plant in Huntington Beach

doesn’t make sense is like saying burning $100 bills to boil some

water might not be a good idea.

Santa Barbara has a desalination plant that it doesn’t run. It

just sits idle because the citizens don’t want to pay the price for

turning seawater into drinkable water. Quite simply, it’s too

expensive a process. Most of the citizens of Santa Barbara probably

got rich because they have some sense about how they spend their

money. Catalina Island also has some pretty wealthy residents and

they consistently turn down the idea of a desalination plant. Yet

here in Huntington Beach, where developers are still trying to build

thousands of homes on the Bolsa Chica, one of their stumbling blocks

is that they need more water.

Don’t let anyone fool you. It is expensive to make seawater into

freshwater and that is why most of the world has a water shortage.

BILL HALPIN

Huntington Beach

Districts and lifetime term limits bad ideas

On page B9 of the Huntington Beach Independent dated Nov. 13,

2003, is the Notice of Special Municipal Election submitted by the

City Clerk of Huntington Beach. I suggest everyone read it to become

fully informed.

Lumped together with the possible division into districts for

council members, is item No. 3, which affects terms of office.

This proposal alone is enough for me to vote no on the submitted

measure. I do not agree with imposing additional limits to the

present two consecutive four-year term limit. If the voters wish to

reinstate a person after that person has complied with the present

limit, that should be their option. A lifetime limit as proposed is

not in the best interests of the city.

Regarding the division into districts with a reduction of the

present City Council of seven, is restricting the citizens of our

city. I much prefer electing all the members of my City Council and

having direct access to all of them. Restricting me to one person is

taking away my ability to communicate with the entire council. I

believe the City Councils of Huntington Beach have represented the

entire city and have taken an active role in all areas of the city. I

do not wish to see this changed and my rights to effectively express

my opinions as to what happens outside of my proposed district taken

away.

I strongly urge a no vote on the Proposed Special Municipal

Election measure to be held on March 2, 2004.

NORMA VANDER MOLEN

Huntington Beach

All I’m hearing from districting proponents who aren’t in league

with Scott Baugh and friends on the so-called Fair District

Initiative is accountability and low cost candidacy. Both are

illusions.

Yes, it might bring the cost down for district candidates, but it

will be the well-financed and special interest candidates that will

win in the districts.

This is an almost incontestable fact even though some

constituencies don’t realize it yet.

Accountability is a cruel hoax for those who think the City

Council will be more responsive to community members in our city.

Those in a district who disagree with the elected council member will

have zero chance to force accountability on him or her. They will

also have little chance of influencing the council members of other

districts. Where is the accountability in that?

Well-heeled outside special interests will have the same chance to

pour campaign money and influence into a district race that they do

citywide right now. Where is the change in that?

Finally, giving up three or four votes every election for one

restricted vote in a district is by no means “fair” to anyone. It

strips the voter from being able to influence the shape of the entire

City Council, which makes decisions for the whole city. Being able to

do that brings accountability closer to the average voter than all

the hollow promises and misrepresentations of the districting plans

that will only divide and destroy us.

TIM GEDDES

Huntington Beach

The initiative proposal to change the structure of our City

Council from the current seven council members elected at-large to

five districts (where each citizen has only one representative

instead of seven) is an extremely bad idea. It is much less

democratic than what we have now.

Now, each citizen votes for and is represented by seven council

members.

Every two years every voter can vote for all the City Council

positions that are on the ballot. Each citizen can contact any or all

council members since they represent all the people in the city.

In contrast, the districting proposal would allow citizens to vote

only once every four years for only one council member representing

only one district. The citizen would be out of luck if that

representative didn’t agree with him on issues.

Further, that citizen would have no one else to turn to on the

City Council. In other words, that citizen would lose his voice in

our city government. How fair is that?

A lobbyist for the AES power plant authored the districting

proposal. It is evident that such a plan would make it much easier

for powerful special interests, such as AES, to control our city

elections. Smaller voting areas mean that less money would be spent

on fancy campaign brochures.

AES imposes a hideously ugly eyesore on our city. It also spews

polluting smoke into our air. It doesn’t pay its fair share of taxes.

Now, to add insult to injury, special interests want to take away our

political voice.

Vote no on districting and keep your city in the hands of all its

citizens.

MARINKA HORACK

Huntington Beach

The people of Huntington Beach signed the petition for council

district’s thinking that they would get better representation in

getting their neighborhood problems solved, things like repaired

curbs, sidewalks, streets, trees, sewers, storm drains, and better

police and fire protection service.

People thought that by having one council person representing them

that would be accomplished for their district. Now how would that

work? Would we have five or seven budgets, one for each district? you

could run out of money real fast for a district, and then where would

you get the money?

My question is, who comes first? What district is next, and how

deep is your pocket? Do we repair a curb or a sidewalk in a district,

while someone’s sewer or toilet backs up in another district?

Does your house burn down in your district, because there was no

adequate water supplies from the reservoir in the next district? Our

city can’t and won’t work that way. Things are repaired with

available funds at the time that the need and planning is there. If

it is not broke don’t try to fix it.

If you want change, educate yourself or support a candidate from

your area during a campaign to get the people that you want to do the

job that is needed, you can get a “bad apple” in a district just as

well, and as the saying goes, people get the government they deserve.

We need a full seven-member council for this city of nearly 200,000

people with the budget problems we have.

DEAN ALBRIGHT

Huntington Beach

Council out of touch, people want districts

If you ever had any concerns that some members of the Huntington

Beach City Council were out of touch with the majority of the

citizens, the result of Councilman Sullivan’s proposal for seven City

Council districts should remove all doubts.

The 4-3 vote against that proposal deprives us of the choice to

vote for what we individually believe is the best method of

governance.

(Councilwoman Pam) Houchen’s 180 degree flip, (from voting for the

Sullivan’s seven-district proposal at the last meeting, to voting

against it at last night’s meeting), would have warmed the heart of

an Olympic diving coach.

Council members (Debbie) Cook, (Connie) Boardman, and (Jill Hardy)

were joined by Houchen in their mistaken belief, that “a majority of

our citizens don’t want districts.” This is in the face of the latest

poll that reported that 67% of the people want districts to only 27%

who favor at-large elections.

Where do these councilwomen get their information? Surely it

doesn’t come from the majority of the voters of this town. It

couldn’t come from the polls. It must be the views of their

supporters and financial backers.

I congratulate council members (Dave) Sullivan, (Cathy) Green and

(Gil) Coerper for their realization that the voters want district

representation and accountability and we will prove that in 2004.

The Fair Districts petition, (for five City Council seats, elected

by district), will still appear on the ballot in March, and when it

passes, we will then be able to elect council members who will be in

tune with our neighborhood needs, wants and desires, in November.

JOSEPH JEFFREY

Huntington Beach

Shipley volunteers should be commended

What a difference a year makes at Shipley’s Nature Center.

Congratulations and kudos are in order to all of the Friends of the

Shipley Nature Center. All of the recent accomplishments pointed out

in the Natural Perspectives article (Nov. 13) could of never happened

without the hard work and dedication of the volunteers.

Last October the gates were locked and the Center was left to the

weeds but thanks to the Friends of the Shipley Nature Center many of

the weeds are gone and the gates are once again opened and the trails

are there to be explored and the quiet in the middle of suburbia

enjoyed.

So, feel free to come back to Shipley’s to enjoy nature or better

yet volunteer to help restore it for our children and their children.

And don’t forget to remind your favorite council person to support

funding for the Shipley Nature Center.

STEVE ENGEL

Huntington Beach