Prosecution is the issue, not politics I...

Prosecution is the issue, not politics

I think this is a horrendous case. I think that Gregory Haidl and

his friends should be prosecuted to the utmost. I think this is a

case of a rich kid with influence trying to get out of what he

allegedly did. And I think it’s really bad that the Pilot would go

ahead and play like it’s a political thing, because obviously it’s

not.

ANN JOHNSON

Costa Mesa

History of actions muddy Haidl case

Considering the favoritism that the district attorney has shown in

certain prosecutions, it’s possible that Gregory Haidl won’t get a

fair trial. And if there is a result in a trial at Orange County, we

won’t know whether it was fair or not.

BILL MITCHELL

Newport Beach

If you build it, they will commute

In the editorial “Is CenterLine useful after all the cutbacks?”

that ran on Jan. 22, two considerations about CenterLine’s future

utility were not factored in.

First, is it likely that future extensions of CenterLine will be

built to extend its reach and ridership? Every light rail system in

North America includes multiple sections built over many years. So,

the expectation that CenterLine will be limited to only an initial

nine miles is hard to defend.

In virtually every U.S. metro area, communities clamor to be the

next to receive a light rail branch. Considering what growth patterns

Orange County will exhibit by 2020, we can expect the same clamor

here.

Secondly, how much would a new boulevard through the densest

neighborhoods of Santa Ana and Costa Mesa cost if it were built to

carry the same number of travelers as CenterLine? Not only could this

new street be expected to cost $100 million per mile, or more, but

the number of homes, churches, schools and businesses ripped out

would make it a political tragedy.

I invite the editors of the Daily Pilot to press for a CenterLine

alignment in Costa Mesa that follows the current trends in California

rail transit construction: avoiding the disruption of expensive

tunnels, the dangerous single-track bottlenecks and the long walks

from stations to major destinations.

Now, there is a position that truly enhances future mobility in

Costa Mesa.

BARRY CHRISTENSEN

Fullerton

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Barry Christensen is the chairman of Rail

Advocates of Orange County.