Mailbag: Suggestions for a mask-weary parent

I have a few suggestions for Kacey Taormina, who wrote about her concern regarding the continuing requirement for her children to be masked at school and asked what she could do as a concerned mother (Daily Pilot Mailbag, Feb. 18).

First, volunteer at a school where there is a critical shortage of teachers because many of them are sick with COVID-19. Second, volunteer at a hospital where children are gravely ill with COVID-19. Third, pay a visit to a family whose children have lost a parent to COVID-19. Finally, pay a visit to a family whose child is suffering from long COVID.

Then consider whether you would prefer to send your children to school wearing a mask rather than be a teacher sick with COVID-19 or have your children in ICU or orphaned.

Eleanor Egan
Costa Mesa

Heights neighbors wary about traffic

I am writing not only for myself but also on behalf of other concerned neighbors in Newport Heights. Traffic flow in the Heights area is going to be adversely affected in the future with the new development being planned on Pacific Coast Highway as well as the proposed closure of Tustin Avenue.

We would certainly not deny our neighbors on Tustin the possibility of fixing their unique traffic problem, but at the same time we hope that the city will address the problems of increased traffic flow on other streets in the Heights, particularly ones that run parallel to Tustin which will absorb more of the changes.

When you are not beginning to structure traffic flow with a clean slate, but moreover attempting to make traffic changes in an area which is over 50 years old, making a change in one area can impact the surrounding streets in unpleasant ways. We understand the problem on Tustin but ask that the city understands other problems as well.

I have lived in the Heights for almost 50 years. When I retired I began walking around the neighborhood for exercise. The Heights attracts many strollers because of its unique charm. Unfortunately, the narrow streets and lack of sidewalks, in addition to motorists’ bad habits of rolling through stops and speeding and most recently the addition of motorized bikes which completely ignore any traffic rules, all make walking there a risky business.

The busiest street in the neighborhood is Riverside Drive. Already, speedy motorists and impaired visibility caused by the hill make it a hazardous area for residents as well as visitors. When I am walking, I never take Riverside Avenue for those reasons. Nor as a resident on that street would I be happy about an increase of traffic noise due to an increased number of motorists.

The city surely has some remedies in its toolbox such as traffic calming measures that could be applied that would make the Heights a safer area for all residents.

Lynn Lorenz
Newport Beach

I am hopeful the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board will soon review the appropriateness of the current location of a new theater at Estancia High School.

A little history: In the mid ’90s the NMUSD Board of Education flew to Philadelphia to attend a seminar called “Public Engagement” at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. It was an enlightening experience for me, and I believe greatly influenced the entire board to involve the community in a strategic plan and other important decisions such as the two successful bond measures. The board realized the value of input from the community (taxpayers).

Fast forward. I do not believe the NMUSD board truly engaged the Costa Mesa community, especially westside residents, about the proposed location and scope of a theater at Estancia High School. There was no town hall or well-advertised outreach inviting interested citizens to participate in discussions. Suddenly our westside community woke up when word got out about that the design called for the removal of 38 trees.

Board members: Please find another location for the theater and save the trees! Please scale back the design to stay within the original, budgeted amount.

These are trying times for all of us. The trees provide a peaceful, natural break area for Estancia students housed in a building with no windows.

With prices increasing every day, it’s wise to be prudent, practical, and frugal. Pre COVID, the tax-supported project (but not location) might have been acceptable for the much-needed Estancia High School theater — but not now.

Projecting to spend an increase of $14 million on the project is not chump change. Those are taxpayer dollars that can be used in the classroom to make up for every NMUSD’s students’ learning loss in the last two years.

Wendy Leece
Former NMUSD trustee 1994-2002
Former Costa Mesa City Councilmember 2006-2014

Recall isn’t rational

I was disappointed and disturbed at the news the recall proponents had wrangled enough signatures to attempt the takedown of three Huntington Beach City Council members. Disappointed because the three members (Kim Carr, Dan Kalmick and Mike Posey) did not deserve such a pernicious penalty. Disturbed, because the Save Surf City folks used mendacious methods to achieve their alt-right aims. The public was repeatedly lied to with trumped up grievances and twisted assertions.

I was also disturbed by the dystopian view of local government presented by the fearmongers who clearly do not present a rational alternative to running a city other than their own ideological iconoclasm. The citizenry deserves better than the “torches and pitchforks” approach taken by the recall proponents to exert their influence.

I want to commend the dedicated efforts of City Clerk Robin Estanislau and her staff to handle this additional administrative burden, a thankless task that may lead nowhere if the recall efforts flounder. I predict they will. Again, this recall effort was malevolently manufactured. It will be exposed for being the right-wing power grab that it is. It could result in the city spending a million dollars on an unneeded special election only a few months before the general election in November.

Yes, I am disappointed and disturbed, but I am also ashamed that we are being put through this trumped-up travesty.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

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