City needs to watch our money better...

City needs to watch our money better

I am appalled how the city of Huntington Beach handles taxpayers

money. Who in the city was responsible for paying Joe O’Connor nearly

$ 1 million without duly checking his business credentials? To say

the city is pretty anonymous. Someone has to take responsibility for

this debacle. In the private sector heads would be rolling already.

Such incompetence and disregard for judicious financial management is

hard to believe.

We need better management at City Hall.

KAROLA AIGNER

Huntington Beach

Put the pillow over your head or move

I read the Mailbag every week, and even though there have several

instances where I have wanted to write in and respond, it is only now

I have become impassioned enough to actually do it.

Dennis Berkley, (“Listen to people: get rid of helicopters,” July

29) are you serious? I would like to know where your statistics come

from, and what are the actual numbers regarding how many people write

about the Huntington Beach helicopters one way or the other? Oh, by

the way, I doubt the Huntington Beach Independent publishes every

single letter they receive regarding this hotly debated topic. I

challenge you to show me an issue of this paper where 100% of the

letters in the Mailbag all lean in the same direction.

You seem terribly concerned that our city administration is not

paying attention to us. Tell me this, how many City Council meetings

have you been to? How many letters and phone calls to the City Hall

have you accumulated? Any petitions? Demonstrations? Do you vote at

every election? If your belief is that our “administration is not

listening to us about this,” how do you know a vote would actually

result in the majority of residents not wanting the helicopters? And

pertaining to the city administration, why should we “get rid of

them” just because they make decisions that are not what you want?

Even though I’ve only been here for two years, I’m pretty sure former

Gov. Gray Davis was not impeached simply because he made up rules

that not everyone agreed with. It went much further and deeper than

that. Here’s a choice, for you and the rest of the residents that

complain about the noise: Sleep with a pillow over your head or move.

KATIE DEAN

Huntington Beach

Catch more violators and keep copters

If the Huntington Beach police force would not just ticket those

vehicles parked on corners and start towing all of the vehicles that

have expired plates, they would have enough revenue to pay for the

helicopters that we really do need. I don’t particularly like the

chopper noise either, but if they catch some criminal coming over a

patio fence that could take someone hostage it would be worth the

cost. In my neighborhood, a certain stop sign is being run by between

70 and 80 vehicles between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., that is a bunch of

revenue every day. I have written the Police Department about this

stop sign, but not one officer has ever been out there to ticket

these violators. On my street alone, I have seen 14 vehicles that have expired plates, some March and April of 2004. These cars are

being driven every day. Why?

All the city has to do is start doing something about these two

items and they would have more than enough money to support the

helicopters.

DON LOWE

Huntington Beach

Copters have their supporters and uses

Thank you Barbara Dickenson (“Quit your whining, like it or leave

it,” Mailbag July 29) for reasonably representing the attitude of the

average citizen of Huntington Beach when it comes to the issue of the

Police Department’s helicopters. I think your random experience with

law enforcement, specifically with the helicopter crew, shows how

much of an asset the program proves to be and how it worked in your

neighborhood.

Secondly, in conversation with the helicopter pilot (about all

these recent articles) who flies for the Police Department we both

work for explained it like this: “Some days when we fly around

patrolling the city we don’t seem to answer too many calls for

service and even I think it was a costly day to the citizens ... but

the day(s) you rescue a lost or missing child, are involved in saving

hostages from a bank robbery take over situation or assist patrol

units on a vehicle pursuit of a fleeing felony suspect and make an

arrest ... it’s priceless!”

Lastly, fellas like Jack Harris, Harvey Broadway, William

Winterrow, Dennis Berkley and Tom Miller will probably always

disagree with guys like me and (my co-worker) Andy Van Holt when it

comes to the issue of public safety and the uses of the police

helicopter. We’re all so very passionate about our opinions and

life’s priorities and that’s OK too. Just don’t believe for a second

the “vast majority of residents,” according to Berkley (wherever that

statistic was obtained?), is the truth by any means! I wonder why the

helicopter program is still around -- probably because it’s worth it!

I like living in this city and, like Dickenson, have been a

resident for more than 30 years and don’t plan to leave anytime soon.

Thank you Huntington Beach Police Department and the aero bureau for

serving the community and keeping us safe.

JASON SMITH

Huntington Beach

City should back sale of lower mesa

A big tourist draw to Huntington Beach is the Bolsa Chica

Ecological Preserve. It is our duty as residents to protect this

precious area. Where else can you see the vast array of endangered

bird species but at the lower mesa where the marsh vegetation

provides critical breeding habitats?

This is also an area for thousands of migrating birds and nesting

areas.

Huntington Beach could be proud of its conservation of the

wetlands and welcome the world of nature hikers, bird watchers,

student education and research. Yes, buy the lower mesa!

DIDI MINTO

Huntington Beach

Good for Councilwoman Boardman for asking the question. The answer

is an unequivocal yes, the city should back the state buying the

lower mesa.

It will not cost the city a dime because the money to buy the

Bolsa Chica has already been approved by voters in Proposition 50.

The Wildlife Conservation Board and the developer are in negotiations

now and the city should go on record as being for the purchase. That

way, after a 30-year struggle, the lower bench will be saved as open

space for raptors, wildlife and humans for generations to come.

Timing is everything. I hope the city moves quickly to back the

purchase.

EILEEN MURPHY

Huntington Beach

The time is drawing near and support is needed for the purchase of

the 103 acres of the lower bench of the Bolsa Chica Mesa. As you

know, the purchase/development of the Bolsa Chica has been ongoing

for 30 years now, going back and forth between development,

restoration, marinas, rerouting Pacific Coast Highway and trades

involving all or part of the wetlands. This is our chance to save the

lower mesa while allowing Hearthside Homes to develop the upper bench

Brightwater project, which includes the building of 379 homes on 65

acres. If approved by the Coastal Commission, Hearthside will also

deed 50 acres on the mesa to the county for a linear park, sell the

Fieldstone property (42 acres) to the state and of course sell the

lower bench (103 acres) to the state. The Wildlife Conversation Board

has to support the acquisition of the 103 acres and the California

Coastal Commission must support maintaining the lower bench as open

space if the Brightwater development project is to continue.

Huntington Beach, the county of Orange and the state will all be

winners if agreement can be reached and a solution finally met. The

time is now to shake hands, complete all the agreements, and put the

Bolsa Chica saga to bed.

SCOTT ATKINSON

Huntington Beach

Ask neighbors about council candidates

I think the best method of determining if a potential candidate

has what it takes to be on the City Council is to interview the

candidates’ immediate neighbors. After all, the way a neighbor

resolves issues with their immediate neighbors is how they will

resolve issues with all of their Huntington Beach neighbors, and if

they can’t adequately resolve the day to day issues with their

neighbors, how are we to expect them to resolve the far-larger issues

with the city and all the neighbors?

Some questions to ask: Is the candidate considerate of his

neighbors? Is the candidate humane to their animals? (Physiologists

say the way a person treats their animals is oft times how they treat

people.) Does the neighbor skirt some of the smaller, city laws?

Since there is little to no media coverage of City Council

candidates during an election, all one might normally see in a

candidate is a cheesy smile and political affiliations. But it takes

more than having your teeth capped and following around a famous

politician like a puppy dog to make a good City Council member,

politician and decent human being.

Interviewing the immediate neighbors of a potential city council

member might have further benefits in that oft times, a person might

use a position as a springboard for a future higher office, such as

the county assembly, and beyond. Charity begins at home!

JIM BEELER

Huntington Beach

The city of Huntington Beach doesn’t need more regulations. What

it needs are employees and councilmen who follow the one’s we have.

Why doesn’t the city exercise its rights to discipline or

terminate employees who don’t do their jobs? Why doesn’t the council

censure or sanction councilpersons who abuse their power?

My guess is that, once again, perpetrators will walk away from

their subpar performances unscathed.

Is there anyone at City Hall looking out for the welfare of the

citizen/tax-payers of Huntington Beach?

ED BUSH

Huntington Beach