Mailbag: Concerned about 5G? Write your representatives

There are some actions that can be taken by residents upset by the Costa Mesa City Council’s decisions regarding wireless installations (“Costa Mesa moves ahead with changes to high-speed wireless infrastructure, despite protests from residents,” Oct. 2). But as local control on the fast-tracked 5G infrastructure was pre-empted by the Federal Communications Commission in April, we must go back to basics and let our voices be heard in Washington, D.C.

Two bills have been introduced in Congress to reinstate local control: Senate Bill 2012 by Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), and House Bill 350 by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Atherton). These bills will not be brought to the floor for a vote of their respective houses until there is public pressure, so start calling and writing. Some ask, ‘Why try, as they are opposed by the White House and Senate leadership?’ But using our children as guinea pigs under more powerful and pervasive RF radiation crosses party lines.

Action will not be taken, and research will not be funded, until the public demands it. If you are concerned, call and write your members of Congress, leadership in the House and Senate, and the committees within Congress responsible for oversight of the FCC and FDA. Demand the return of local control for wireless installations, and a high-quality scientific study of the health effects of 5G radio-frequency radiation.

Priscilla Rocco
Costa Mesa

‘Miss Saigon’ revival revisits cultural stereotypes

Vivien Ngo’s commentary on “Miss Saigon” is a deservedly blistering account of this Broadway blockbuster (“As a teenager, she loved ‘Miss Saigon.’ As an adult, she demands more for Vietnamese Americans,” Oct. 3). The war in Vietnam was an act of Western imperialism; the musical “Miss Saigon” is an act of cultural imperialism. In its premier on The Great White Way, Englishman Jonathan Pryce won Broadway’s highest honor — a Tony Award — for playing a Eurasian pimp in “Miss Saigon,” essentially performing in yellow-face.

Artistic freedom is to be welcomed, but astute criticism of controversial artistic endeavors must also be welcomed. Such criticism, as Ngo offers of “Miss Saigon,” puts issues into a more nuanced perspective. This allows for dialogue and holds the potential to increase cross-cultural understanding and respect.

Ben Miles
Huntington Beach

Museum House opponents should cheer legislative action

In November 2016, the Newport Beach City Council, knowing that Line in the Sand planned to challenge its approval of the 25-story Museum House condo tower through a referendum, very intentionally added 3,700 pages to the referendum petition that we were required to carry. This action was taken with the clear intent of undermining the residents’ rights to petition their government — and it failed spectacularly when Line in the Sand obtained the required signatures to reverse the decision.

In Sept 2017, I submitted a complaint to the Orange County grand jury and the district attorney, and both opened investigations into the actions of the council, and both also concluded that it was not against the law for them to have taken this step.

The only remedy remaining was to change the law. In Jan 2019, I approached state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) and Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) with a request to carry a bill in Sacramento that would prevent this abuse from occurring again.

To his credit, Moorlach had already introduced Senate Bill 359, which would allow referendum proponents to submit a 5,000-word summary in lieu of adding thousands of unnecessary pages to a petition if a future unethical city council tried to take the same action. I was invited to address the Elections Committee as the bill started its process through the Legislature and took the 10-pound Museum House petition with me to show the legislators why this was necessary. The bill sailed through both houses with no opposition and was signed into law on Tuesday.

Anyone who carried the Museum House petition in 2016 will appreciate the fact that good people of both parties still respect the underlying democratic principles of our great nation and are willing to work together to protect our rights

Susan Skinner
Newport Beach

How to get published: Email us at john.canalis@latimes.com. All correspondence must include full name, hometown and phone number (for verification purposes). The Pilot reserves the right to edit all submissions for clarity and length.

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.