Mailbag: Huntington Beach House project raises eyebrows

Congratulations to Prjkt CEO Alicia Whitney for succeeding with the badly needed concession upgrades at Huntington Beach State Beach. Your readers might want to know about an inequity that her improvements highlight.

When the major infrastructure was built for Huntington Beach State Park, planners calculated the number of toilets needed for the anticipated attendance numbers. It was figured that 110 toilets would be able to service the attendance capacity of this massive beach park. They did not overestimate: On peak weekends and holidays every one of those toilets saw frequent usage.

Some time ago a fire destroyed one of the toilet structures, and a few years later another fire was responsible for removing even more toilets from public access. At each of the remaining restroom structures the park has permanently closed half of the toilets for reasons unexplained.

Today, I counted 52 toilets open to the public, and 12 of them are portables. So, fewer than half of the toilets built to serve the park visitors are available to them. This has led, of course, to long waits for those who need to relieve themselves.

The restroom structure adjacent to the Huntington Beach House concession featured in your story is the only structure where all of the toilets are open. But half of them, upgraded on Prjkt’s dime, are open only to Beach House patrons, and entrance to the venue is restricted to people older than 21. We might expect that similar arrangements are in store for the Sahara’s Sandbar and California Fork and Spoon concessions when Prjkt opens them: more toilets available for those with cash.

Ten percent of Prjkt’s concessions sales go back to the state park system. Let’s hope those funds will be used to open up the 45 toilets visitors pay to use but can’t. If not, maybe Ms. Whitney will let them use the ones the state park turned over to her venues, but I doubt that her business insurance would cover that potential liability.

Bear in mind that all of these toilet structures were already paid for by California taxpayers and are maintained by the fees that park visitors pay. These are the same park visitors who come to the beach because it is one of the only places left where summer recreation is within reach for working class family budgets. To reduce the number of toilets available to them, and then to open up others to those who can afford patronage at these private concessions doesn’t seem right.

We need the upgrades. There must be a way to do this equitably.

William Yarchin
Huntington Beach

It must have taken a lot of creative efforts for the Huntington Beach House to be permitted to operate on Huntington State Beach. “Enjoying a cocktail at the beach is now no problem,” wrote Daily Pilot reporter Matt Szabo. I googled the business, found its Facebook, one photo shows people lounging on the beach with drinks in single-use plastics.

Recently, Laguna Beach banned single-use plastic foodware from restaurants, beaches, parks and trails. Don’t you agree this is necessary?

The article quoted California State Parks Orange County Supt. Kevin Pearsall at the opening ceremony, “Hopefully this is a thriving new path that state parks in all of California will take, so that we can really be proud of our beaches and what we have on them.”

Hopefully, the mastermind at the Huntington Beach House can change to an ocean-friendly practice and set a environmentally good example for the rest of the state.

Jonathan Lukoff
Laguna Beach

Anti-bias education is not political

Since when did opposing hate become a divisive topic?

Whether we want to believe it or not, hate is an issue that is deeply affecting our children inside and outside of school. Orange County students deserve an education on how to detect, prevent and respond to hate, bullying and harassment.

Which is why we at the Anti-Defamation League Orange County were saddened and disappointed to learn that through the influence of Newport Harbor Republican Women and the group’s disinformation campaign, we are unable to continue our bullying prevention and anti-bias programming with Newport-Mesa Unified School District this school year. After two years of successful and well-received programming with 98% of students indicating a strong understanding of what it means to be an ally and a willingness to offer support to targets of prejudice, we see this as a tremendous loss for the district’s more than 20,000 students.

We reject Newport Harbor Republican Women’s assertion that ADL is providing “a divisive, critical racist training program hiding under the ‘sensitivity’ education umbrella and indoctrinating our children.” This is entirely false. In fact, our programming is designed to prevent racism and other forms of discrimination while empowering students to respond to bigotry and bullying effectively.

ADL works in partnership with K-12 schools to provide these programs based on individual schools’ needs and school climate assessments. With our various programs such as A World of Difference Institute, No Place for Hate and Echoes & Reflections, we help schools provide skills, knowledge and awareness to promote and sustain respectful, inclusive and equitable learning environments and help young people understand and challenge bias in themselves, others and society. There is nothing divisive, racist, or coercive about this training.

Education is the best antidote to hate.

At ADL, we have long believed that education is the best antidote to hate and bias. This is precisely why we are speaking out against Newport Harbor Republican Women’s gross mischaracterization and incorrect depiction of our anti-bias education initiatives. Newport Harbor Republican Women equates our anti-bias programs with Critical Race Theory.

This is simply not accurate. Bias is universal and it can be challenged through educational programs like those offered by ADL. In these incredibly divisive times, we have a responsibility to teach students how to handle hate without politicizing the process. Anti-bias education is an essential element of this work — and our valued teachers agree. In the first year of our anti-bias training in Newport Mesa Unified School District, 91% of teachers agreed that the training tackled issues they face — and they reported greater comfort in addressing students’ bullying and biased comments and in incorporating anti-bullying and anti-bias themes into classroom instruction.

So, we ask once more — what is divisive about preventing hate?

Peter Levi
ADL Orange County/Long Beach Regional Director

Missing NB Circle K

When I used to live on Seashore Drive in Newport Beach once upon a time way back when, I had kind of a daily ritual consisting of making a very short walk (I lived near 48th Street) to the once active Circle K store. Circle K was located in the little neighborhood center on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Balboa Boulevard where it also housed Jack in the Box and the Alley restaurant. I would purchase a cup of coffee, a few lottery scratchers and occasionally a newspaper.

After owning a duplex for 27 years and living there for 14 years, one of the partners said, “OK, it’s been 27 years, let’s sell.” Not having ample money to buy the partner out, we sold and I moved to a little condo half a mile north of that location. I frequently walk down Superior Avenue to the beach and casually walk by my old place and think of the old times I had. The Circle K store where I had spent much time drinking coffee and spending my retirement money on scratchers was gutted down to its bare concrete floors in November of last year and is still vacant and unoccupied. When it was open it was usually busy and did one heck of a business through the years.

I’m troubled by the fact that its location a few blocks from the beach is prime for another similar type business as the old Circle K, but yet, 10 months after its closure, it is still dead inside with nary a coffee or Coke machine. I hope that someone, or some business entity, sees the potential there for a thriving business and leases the place soon. Two of my old neighbors on Seashore Drive, Dennis Rodman and Tim Salmon (former Angel baseball player) frequented that store as did many others through the years. Ah … the good old days.

Bill Spitalnick
Newport Beach

Give council a chance to govern

Disruption and chaos are being promoted by a small but vocal group of Surf City outliers. Rather than welcoming a well-qualified civil rights attorney as the newest member of the Huntington Beach City Council, these municipal extremists are seeking to recall four elected council members, as well as the freshly appointed member Rhonda Bolton, who is not even eligible for recall until putting in 90-days service on the council.

If good city governance is the objective of the citizens of Huntington Beach, the council should be permitted to focus on the pressing issues that are facing our seaside city. Homelessness and a clean, consistent water supply are two quandaries that quickly come to mind.

Ben Miles
Huntington Beach

Aren’t recalls supposed to be launched for good cause not to shift the balance of power or not to “Save Surf City” without saying from what? Is there no requirement to describe the reason behind recall with at least
the 200 words of cogency, a response required by council members? I tire of raucous partisan voices cancelling those chosen directly or indirectly by voters, usually backed by big money and vested interests. They all call their efforts grassroots when the nefarious backers are hidden in the background. At the state or national level it’s dark money hidden by organizations with patriotic sounding names like the Federalist Society or PACS. Locally its a slogan like “Save Surf City.” And why not a 15% of registered voters requirement?

Jim Hoover
Huntington Beach

I respectfully disagree with Dr. Dave Sullivan’s statement that the current Huntington Beach City Council “just does not represent the people of this community” as stated in the Aug. 5 Daily Pilot.

Orange County, as a whole, and Huntington Beach, specifically, are no longer adherents to the political philosophy of the right-wing Conservative John Birch Society. Twenty years ago Huntington Beach elections were dominated by a strong number of Republican voters and, over time, the electorate moved to a lesser number of Republican voters. During the last two national election cycles the majority of voters were Democratic voters.

In the 2020 City Council election, for the three open seats, one Republican was elected and two Democrats were elected. The seven members of the City Council after the 2020 election were politically divided to four Republicans and three Democrats. That is about as even a political agenda mix as you can get.

Supposedly, the City Council election should not be a political issue. As I recall, neither the ballot or the results, of the election, identify candidates with a political affiliation.

From all election indicators, it is apparent that the current council does, in fact, represent the differing views of the population. They just don’t totally represent the far right of the political spectrum.

Orange County is more and more leaning to the liberal agenda, and apparently Huntington Beach is following or leading that trend.

Robert Dettloff
Huntington Beach

I do not understand the hyperbole emanating from the people advocating the recall of Mayor Kim Carr and City Council members Barbara Delgleize, Mike Posey, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser.

Former Mayor Dave Sullivan says it’s the worst council he’s ever seen. To my mind, nothing can be worse than having criminals (Dave Garofalo and Pam Houchen) serving on the dais. And to say that the council does “not represent the people of this community,” is plain ludicrous, since they were elected by, well, the people of this community.

And other people say the current council is “destroying” the city and not being fiscally sane? Where have these people been the last 18 months?

The current council has had to deal with a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic. The city relies heavily on tourist dollars, and when those dollars dried up, the city could have collapsed. It didn’t, thanks to the efforts of city staff and the council. Plus, the city budget is a balanced budget that went through the public review process before being approved by the council, and the city treasurer makes quarterly public reports to the council on top of that. And, notably, the council just saved our city a potential $1 million by not calling a special election! How all of this prudent oversight by the council can be labeled fiscal insanity by some people is beyond my comprehension.

Julie Bixby
Huntington Beach

Letter used fuzzy, retracted data

The paper that Juli Hayden referenced in her letter to the Daily Pilot Mailbag regarding JAMA Pediatrics that indicated health risks associated with wearing face masks to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 (also known as, SARS-CoV-2) was retracted on July 16 (Notice of Retraction. Walach H, et al. “Experimental Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Content in Inhaled Air With or Without Face Masks in Healthy Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” JAMA Pediatrics. (Published online June 30, 2021).

The editors of the journal based their decision to retract on the concerns about the study methodology, uncertainty of the validity of the findings and conclusions and the potential public health implications.

In addition, Hayden cited a National Institutes of Health statement that surgical and N95 masks do not completely block the transmission of virus droplets. Masks do however, as most people understand, reduce the transmission. The reduction is as much as 70% to 80% in some of the 15 studies referenced in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s publication “Science Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2.” This brief indicated that masks are primarily intended to reduce the emission of virus-laden droplets particularly for asymptomatic infected wearers who may be unaware of their infectiousness and who are estimated to account for more than 50% of transmissions. Masks also help reduce inhalation of these droplets by the wearer. In summary, the brief states that the benefit of masking for SARS-CoV-2 control is due to the combination of these effects and the prevention benefit increases as more people use masks.

Lastly, contrary to Hayden’s comments, the brief referenced research that concluded that mask wearing has no significant adverse health effects for wearers. Studies of healthy hospital workers, older adults, and adults with COPD reported no change in oxygen or carbon dioxide levels while wearing a cloth or surgical mask either during rest or physical activity. Additionally, no oxygen desaturation or respiratory distress was observed among children 2 to 12 years of age when masked during normal play. While some studies have found an increase in reports of difficulty breathing when wearing face masks, no physiologic differences were identified between periods of rest or exercise while masked or nonmasked.

Charles Mooney
Costa Mesa

I read the recent letter in the Daily Pilot from Juli Hayden, who cites Tucker Carlson as her source of information about supposedly dangerous carbon dioxide build-up, with dismay. The JAMA Pediatrics study referenced was retracted by JAMA July 16 due to numerous methodologic problems (“terribly flawed,” according to an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health). The reputable Mayo Clinic disputes the contention that CO2 off-gassing is a health concern. It’s one of five “mask myths” debunked on their website.

Tucker Carlson and FOX News are doing a terrible disservice to listeners and the rest of us. It’s not enough to “stay home if you are sick” when the highly infectious Delta variant can be spread by people who don’t have any symptoms. We need to use all the tools in our arsenal to get through this.

So, despite being vaccinated, I’ve resumed wearing a mask, viewing it as the equivalent of using an umbrella and wearing a raincoat in a bad storm. It’s to protect myself and others who can’t get vaccinated (children, those with compromised immune systems) and, now, unfortunately, vaccinated people who are vulnerable to breakthrough infections, like my 96-year-old mom. Wearing a mask is also a small thing I can do on behalf of hospital workers. They’re still in the trenches 18 months after COVID-19 erupted, forced to cope with rising hospitalization and deaths.

Mask wearing is such a simple act to help protect not just my health but the public health. What a shame it’s become so politicized and controversial.

Annie Gerard
Newport Beach

Juli Hayden should visit almost any intensive care unit in an American hospital to see first hand the suffering, death and devastation being caused by COVID-19 infections.

Hayden writes, “Simple good hygiene, social distancing and staying home if you are sick are clearly effective measures to take from keeping you safe from any virus.”

Really! Many virus transmitters are asymptomatic and have no idea they are carrying or potentially transmitting the disease.

Hayden gives us some bizarre CO2 data for her anti-mask stance. This data has been widely disproven and of no significance compared with the potentially devastating consequences of contracting the coronavirus.

Today the hospitalization and deaths due to COVID-19 are almost 100% folks of Hayden’s ilk. Thankfully an overwhelming number of Americans have chosen to wear masks and get vaccinated. These are the folks that care for their fellow citizens.

Lawrence D. Freedman, M.D.
Newport Beach

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