As mayor, Green should fight districts I...
As mayor, Green should fight districts
I would like to see Mayor Cathy Green come out strong against the
districting measure and to show the kind of leadership needed to
defeat this brazen attempt to hijack our local government and reduce
the voting rights of our residents.
While the mayor has limited powers to affect the budget, to take
care of labor negotiations and to make policy on her own, she can be
instrumental in rallying the electorate to preserve the many voting
rights they have now to determine how our city is run.
Green is much better situated than her two predecessors to bring
all points of the political compass together to stand against a
measure that some of her friends and supporters appear to be for. She
would be an ideal champion to oppose the evils of districting if she
has a mind to bring her clout to bear on it. However, she must be up
front and out front on this issue and galvanize opposition to
districting in the influential circles in which she travels.
I am sure the mayor knows that it is not enough to pay lip service
from the dais on this critical threat to our city, and that bold
action is required to oppose it. I am confident that defeating the
districting measure could be one of the crowning achievements of her
administration.
TIM GEDDES
Huntington Beach
Proposed increase in heath care ridiculous
The city’s proposal amounts to a 41% increase in health care cost
in one year. How could anyone think that is a reasonable increase for
any worker to absorb? Add to that no cost of living increase, no wage
increase, proposed lay-offs, down-sizing of all departments including
the 15% reduction officers in the Police Department and one has to
wonder what is going on in city administration. The super markets’
proposed a $5 to $15 per week charge for health care and the
employees went on strike! A $350 per month is a ridiculous increase
in one year.
LLOYD EDWARDS
Huntington Beach
City workers should chip in, or accept less
Huntington Beach city employees and retirees should accept some of
the rising health care costs or accept reduced benefits. Throughout
the USA most other workers/retirees are paying more for their health
benefits as costs increase.
CURTIS STELLEY
Huntington Beach
Employees should pay heath increase
Make the freeloaders pay. Time for the [city employees] to taste
reality. They’re all overpaid, over-benefited and over-pensioned --
at taxpayers’ expense, of course. A similar health plan costs me $750
per month, and I’m not demanding that city employees pay mine.
Bureaucrats are greedy and take for too much for granted.
CON BLISS
Huntington Beach
Districts will not serve city as whole
I couldn’t agree more with Linda Peterson’s letter (“Residents
need more than one council vote” Nov. 27) which pointed out the many
downsides of a council elected by district. One council person per
district could be the single worst thing that ever happens to our
city. Council people will be “chained” to only support the viewpoint
of their district, whereas now, council members know that all the
people in the city are their constituents and, consequently, they
vote for what’s best for all the city. If we had a council elected by
district council people representing individual districts would not
feel accountable to the rest of the city. They would have to support
their small area regardless of how off the wall their constituents
desires were.
I encourage those voters who may be too young to remember former
Assemblyman Scott Baugh’s political problems when he was an elected
California official, to research his background and wonder why he is
so excited about this issue. You might also look at his list of
clients. The first rule of investigative journalism is to “follow the
money.”
Naturally I don’t support everyone on our council but I think the
Huntington Beach has transformed what used to be a council elected by
special interests into to one of the most honest groups of
politicians in the state. Scott Baugh would like to take it back to
what it used to be.
BILL HALPIN
Huntington Beach
Dramatic change isn’t needed in Huntington
I have to agree with Bob Polkow (“People are too negative in Surf
City” Dec. 4) in his previous letter that our glass in life is,
indeed, half full. Given this positive outlook, I don’t see the need
to change so dramatically our council representation. Reducing the
number of council seats to five and the number of accountable council
members in an area to one is a very drastic step. Why turn our glass
over?
EDWARD DEMEULLE
Huntington Beach
There’s no such thing as free eduction
“Fight for free education,” screams the headline of the
Independent’s Dec. 4 editorial. There is no such thing as a “free”
education. Although no tuition is charged, we all pay for public
schools through our taxes.
It is this illusion of free education that is at the root of so
many problems. By breaking the direct connection between paying for
the schools and using the schools, the accountability inherent in the
need to satisfy a paying customer is replaced by political
micromanagement.
The $200 per child contribution to reduce class size is a step in
the right direction. I suspect that the $200, because it is willingly
and voluntarily paid, will be better spent than the bulk of the tax
dollars that fund education.
The statewide education budget averages something like $9,000 per
student. That’s $180,000 for a classroom of 20 kids. I don’t think
teachers make six-figure incomes, so where’s the money going?
FREDERICK SINGER
Huntington Beach
It isn’t easy, give what you can
I am writing in response to Mary Hills’ letter (“These parents are
asking too much” Dec. 4) in which she asks the question, “From what
planet have these eight parents descended?” then answers her question
with “A place where money is no problem.” Obviously Mary lives on
planet “Assumption.” A place where one assumes others have more money
than most. Writing a tax deductible check for $200 or more for
something we feel entitled to is never easy regardless of how much or
little one has. The real question is, Is it worth it?
What does $200 buy today? It buys admission for three and lunch
for one at Disneyland for a day. It also buys a large portion of
class size reduction for kindergarten through third grades in our
city schools. I encourage Mary and others who are not able to
contribute the suggested donation of $200 per child in the schools to
donate what money they are able to and donate their time to both the
schools and the cause and most importantly, make an effort to write
both Richard Riordan, the Secretary of Education and Jack O’ Connell,
Superintendent of Public Instruction and tell them how important
class size reduction is to us in Huntington Beach and our lack of
funds to pay for it.
CRYSTAL KERINS
Huntington Beach
Smaller class sizes are imperative
I believe I speak for most parents in our school district in
stating that 20 to 1 ratio has been proven to improve learning among
our children. In addition, I’ve witnessed increased confidence among
the children when they get more attention from the teacher.
As a classroom volunteer, in the 30 to 1 classes, I’ve observed
many children get lost in the crowd as those that struggle are left
behind while the brighter students are bored and restless as the
teacher works to the middle. This lowers the bar overall for all of
our children. In the current climate where most children have both
parents working and 50% are from broken homes, it is imperative that
they get the necessary attention to secure a solid elementary school
foundation.
MEG REEVES
Huntington Beach
Thank you for drawing attention to this very serious subject, 20
to 1 classroom size. As a parent of a fifth-grader and a
second-grader, who have both benefited from the 20 to 1 classroom
size, it is my opinion that this issue is paramount in achieving a
quality education for our children. My older son is now achieving
straight A’s in fifth grade, and I fully believe it is, in part, due
to the focused attention he received in those crucial lower grade
levels. I have volunteered in both my children’s classrooms and seen
for myself that this is a case of, “less is more.” Teachers have such
a variety of intellectual and maturity levels to combat with in the
earlier grades, that only with more individualized instruction
(smaller classrooms) can all of our children succeed. My hope is that
we prioritize our children and our next generation, first, in this
very critical budget year and in the years to come.
LISA BAUER
Huntington Beach
As a parent of a fourth-grader and now a kindergartener, it is
plain to see the advantage my older child had in a small class room.
I feel this is a very important program during a small child’s early
formative years.
LENA VERGARA
Huntington Beach
Educating voters can not start soon enough
Based upon the letters printed Nov. 27 from Larry Barnard (“City
Council districts are the way to go,” Mailbag) and Barbara Vuncanon
(“Seven districts would be best government,” Mailbag), Huntington
Beach Tomorrow and the City Council cannot start their no-districts
education campaigns too soon. Both letter writers speak in false
generalities and ignore specific realities.
Barnard claims Southeast Huntington Beach gets no services
“whatsoever compared to the rest of the city.” Excuse me? Southeast
Huntington Beach has its own library branch (Banning). Southeast has
its own community center (Edison). Southeast has its own fire station
(No. 4, Magnolia). In comparison, north Huntington Beach does not
have its own community center or fire station. In fact, plans to get
the north its own fire station have been pending for decades and have
gone nowhere because of lack of funding.
Vuncanon repeats the rumor that all council members live in or
near Huntington Harbour. That is false. Currently, only one council
member (Dave Sullivan) holds that distinction. The other six are
scattered throughout other parts of the city. True, none are
currently from the Southeast area, but there’s nothing in the city
charter preventing a council member from living there.
The truth is out there if you just look at the facts. The fact is,
districting reduces your voice in city government by giving you only
one representative to turn to instead of seven. With districts, if I
don’t agree with the one person chosen to represent me, I’ll have
nowhere else to turn to for help. How fair is that? Just say no to
districts.
JULIE BIXBY
Huntington Beach
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