MAILBAG - Aug. 23, 2007

Huntington shouldn’t be a drug dealer

This city should not be a drug dealer (“Officials delay marijuana ruling,” Aug. 16).

Look at the mess in the liberal cities that have skirted the federal laws. There is no regulation, no oversight. Kids are getting prescriptions from drug doctors or getting the pot from older people who get the prescriptions.

Don’t we already have enough trouble keeping our kids out of trouble?

RICH SUTTON

Huntington Beach

Parents pay thousands to avoid free education

In reading Cathy McGough’s letter (“Enhanced education funds needed,” Aug. 16), I was both saddened and outraged.

While the Huntington Beach City School District is facing difficult financial times, they are certainly not alone in this situation. While HBCSD is looking to possibly displace almost 1,000 students in schools that meet their needs, they are doing nothing to recapture the 2,000+ students who live in the district and choose to attend other, non-HBCSD schools (Huntington Christian, Brethren Christian, Pegasus, St. Simon and Jude, St. Bonaventure, Grace Lutheran, Christ Lutheran, Waldorf, Montessori, homeschoolers and more).

While I agree current housing prices make it unlikely there will be a large influx of young families any time soon, it would be beneficial for the district to address the unmet needs of the families already living here. Although my husband and I both attended public schools, our son will be attending a private school for kindergarten. It is not one who leases space from HBCSD.

While complaining about funding, McGough has failed to see what other schools offer for less than HBCSD receives. For tuition of $4,895, less than the $5,300-plus average HBCSD receives, my son’s school offers a full day kindergarten with music, art, computers and PE in addition to the three R’s.

His class has 17 students. No option 2 kindergarten, no large class sizes, no minimum day once a week like HBCSD schools. The school has a full-time music teacher, a computer lab, a gymnasium, and smart boards in every classroom. Each class participates in a community service project. With the exception of the smartboards and computers, it looks and feels a great deal like the elementary education many other parents and I received as children.

While money is obviously important and it would be nice if public schools had greater funding, HBCSD should benchmark best practices with other districts and other schools to see how they are managing. Look to OceanView and see how they can afford full day kindergarten and still lease out a number of their buildings to schools and community groups.

Find out why parents are paying thousands of dollars each year to avoid HBCSD’s “free education.” The answers to those questions are just as likely to provide a long-term solution to HBCSD’s fiscal crisis as selling schools sites the community may need in the future.

KELLY KEEHN

Huntington Beach

Sympathies to columnists in gardening

Lou, sincere sympathy for your experiences in vegetable gardening (“Adventures in collecting cordgrass,” Aug. 16). We have the lushest tomato plants in town, but few tomatoes. Same for our cucumbers. I planted 16 lettuce plants and only four are left. Most were trampled by cavorting raccoons, others were devoured by slugs. We have a grapevine laden with fruit. I’ve encased each bunch in a wire cage. The raccoons rip open each cage like teenagers opening potato chip bags.

One possible bright spot, however. A plant that was labeled cucumbers is actually a watermelon (I thought the leaves looked a little weird) which is taking over much of our garden. We’ll have to see what develops there, but I’m not totally optimistic.

Now for the brickbat. BT is not a hormone but a bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis. (you knew that). Actually, the product consists of the bacterial spores which when ingested by larvae of members of the lepidoptera vegetate into bacterial cells. The cells contain a diamond-shaped protein crystal that is toxic to the larvae. There also are other strains of BT that kill mosquitoes and house flies. The neat thing is that the BT toxin is totally nonhazardous to vertebrates including humans.

The lepidoptera product has been around since the 1960s.

DAVE CARLBERG

Huntington Beach

Looking forward to planting vegetables

Greetings Vic and Lou,

My mother encouraged me to read your article (“Adventures in collecting cordgrass,” Aug. 16) as I have started a garden just recently after tall ficus trees were cut down to control the root situation before it got out of hand. I’ve started planting herbs and will soon plant winter veggies. I’m looking forward to the spring to plant my favorite vegetables.

Yes, it is amazing what we see after trees come down (land and sun — a vegetable and herb garden).

CATHY LYNN STANFILL

Huntington Beach