Try asking why we live in Surf...

Try asking why we live in Surf City

How about asking readers “Why did you choose to live in Huntington

Beach?”

For us, we chose it because it’s not Irvine or Newport, and it’s

not L.A. People in Huntington Beach seem more relaxed, carefree and

less pretentious. The sterile, super-planned community just didn’t

have any appeal to us ... and you can’t beat the beach (though there

is something to be said about doing some planning, which is something

to discuss another time).

I also love that we have dog beach, dog park and a doggie

restaurant. The wetlands is a great escape as are Central Park and

the library. With the arrival of our little boy last year, the new

sports complex works in very well, as we hope to spend many weekends

there with soccer, baseball and any other sport he hopes to try. And,

since my husband has a horrid commute, it’s wonderful that we have

bike lanes (though they could be wider) so we can actually go many

weekends without even getting into a car.

Yes, I agree, there are some things about Huntington Beach that

are annoying, and there’s always room for improvement, but maybe if

we figured out what brought people to Huntington Beach, the City

Council, city planners, or whoever the powers may be, might have a

better idea of where their focus should be.

ISABELLA FORD

Huntington Beach

Downtown caters only to vendors

I am saddened by the recent lack of commitment by our city to

undertake and develop a plan of assessment for closing Main Street to

motor traffic. On our city Web page it states:

“The crown jewel of the recreational system is its nearly nine

miles of spacious, sandy beaches. Huntington Beach has one of the

largest pleasure piers in the world, and is the longest concrete pier

in the state. The city’s park system includes 58 public parks (with a

dog park), riding stables and the largest city-owned and operated

regional park in Orange County -- Huntington Central Park. Also

within the city’s boundaries are three miles of equestrian trails,

two golf courses, 72 tennis courts, a marina and a protected wildlife

preserve. And, running parallel to Pacific Coast Highway and just

steps from the ocean, is an eight-mile strand perfect for biking,

inline skating, jogging, or a leisurely stroll.”

Nothing is said of our Downtown shopping district. Why? Because it

is there for serving the vendors’ interests only. With a community of

200,000 people, it is a loss for our community to have Downtown only

catering to the interests of a few.

WOLFGANG MEYERS

Huntington Beach

But I have a solution to the problem

I have a great solution to the cigarette butt dilemma. I can

remember as a child, there used to be hundreds of soda cans lining

the streets. Once a law was passed and a recycling program was

mandated, the area was soon cleaned up. To this day, I see people

going around picking up cans all over.

So, to solve the problem, add a 5-cent deposit to each butt. I bet

we’d see a lot of people cleaning up after themselves. If there are

24 cigarettes in a pack, that’s $1.20. So, if you smoke and you don’t

save your butts, you’ll pay an extra $1.20 per pack. I’ll guarantee

that many people would go out and pick up those butts to get that

money. If you thought a full trash bag of soda cans was worth some

cash, just imagine a trash bag full of cigarette butts.

The plan only penalizes those who ultimately buy (and throw out on

streets, beaches, etc.) their cigarette butts. While cigarette makers

would certainly vehemently protest, in the end they would pass on the

charges to their customers. They would be held responsible for

figuring out a way of either recycling or environmentally managing

their own trash.

It’s also much nicer than my original plan, which entailed keeping

garbage bags full of cigarette butts in the trunk of my car,

following the littering culprits to their homes and then dumping

whole bags upon their lawns, flower gardens, front porches, etc.

RUSSELL SNIDER

Huntington Beach

Smoking should be banned on beaches

Yes, I think that Surf City should ban smoking on the city beaches

and at the pier. Obvious reasons are health.

JERRY ARRIOLA

Huntington Beach

I agree with ban of smoking on beaches, and I’m a smoker. As much

as I’ll hate not being able to smoke on the beach, it’s real trashy

and they should start issuing litterbug tickets, too.

DEBBIE ESKEW

Huntington Beach

I think Surf City should ban smoking on city beaches. I live near

the harbor, and there are butts floating around that I pick out of

the water, and when I walk along the beaches, I am always picking up

butts. So, I think it’s a great idea. Thank you.

HONEY HOLLAND

Huntington Beach

Smoking at beaches least of our problems

I’m kind of amazed at the outcry against cigarette smoking on the

beach. Are cigarettes such an intense problem that we need to get the

police involved? Not really. I don’t like looking at fat people

wearing thongs on the beach, but that’s not a police issue either.

The two big arguments I’m hearing are concerns about cigarette

butt pollution and second-hand smoke. Isn’t pollution from junk food

wrappers and beverage containers a bigger issue that cigarette butts?

Should we outlaw food and beverages at the beach as well? There’s an

obvious hypocrisy to bourgeois yuppies complaining about cigarette

smoke while driving to the beach in gas-guzzling SUVs that produce

more toxic emissions than cartons and cartons of cigarettes. Banning

SUVs from parking at the beach would do a lot more to protect the

environment and make parking a lot easier too. I’m more offended by

people driving Hummers than I am by cigarettes.

I’m a lifelong nonsmoker, and I have asthma. I don’t permit

smoking in my home or my car. When I go back East to visit family and

friends, I dread going into smoke-filled taverns and restaurants. I

don’t care if someone wants to light up on the beach.

The law says they can legally destroy their body, and the beach is

a wide-open space where their smoke easily dissipates. I agree that

tossing cigarette butts into the sand is rude, but it’s not a police

issue. The Huntington Beach Police have better things to do than

chase after cigarette smokers. Education and peer pressure are far

more effective ways of changing behavior than simply passing laws

that will be enforced selectively at best. Let’s forget this proposed

law and have the City Council focus on real issues.

JIM ERWIN

Huntington Beach

We don’t need or want Pacific City

I own a home in Huntington Beach, and I absolutely do not want to

see Pacific City built here. The city is getting congested, and the

traffic is increasing, and the last thing we need is an eight-story

hotel and 500 condos. I am sickened by the building that continues on

Pacific Coast Highway and elsewhere in our city. When is this going

to stop? Revenue is the only thing that the City Council thinks

about, and when they get it, they use it for sports complexes that we

don’t need rather than fixing the things that need to be repaired

here. This has been continually repeated in this city. The quality of

life in Huntington Beach continues to suffer because of these

ridiculous decisions.

I moved to Huntington Beach years ago because of its quiet

atmosphere and simplicity. The City Council’s decisions continue to

destroy this simplicity year by year. We don’t need any more tall

buildings here. This isn’t New York City, it’s Huntington Beach.

VICKI KUNKEL

Huntington Beach