Mailbag: TimesOC food articles are a special treat

It is very nice to read interesting well-written subjects of restaurants like Edwin Goei’s “Chopstick-lickin’ good” and Sarah Mosqueda’s “Raise a glass at O.C.’s latest beer and sandwich shop” (Daily Pilot & TimesOC, Nov. 13). Seemingly daily articles in the Los Angeles Times on places in L.A. are a little frustrating in that I will probably never drive just to try them.

John Patrick Ormsbee
Newport Beach

Comments on H.B.’s leadership

I agree completely with the letter from Richard C. Armendariz titled “Election winners will represent a diverse Huntington Beach” (Daily Pilot Mailbag, Nov. 13). It should be emphasized that his “Con-Four” slate of Gracey Van Der Mark, Pat Burns, Casey McKeon and Tony Strickland offered no solutions to or proposals dealing with their so-called “hot button” issues of high-density development, affordable housing, homelessness, crime, cutting red tape and so forth. It was pure right-wing rhetoric.

Armendariz nailed another point in that the partisan supporters of the “Con-Four” included the developers and real estate investors who would make a killing off high-density development projects in the first place. Who will be guarding that henhouse? As both Tito Ortiz and Donald Trump found out, it is a lot easier to win elections based on rhetoric than it is to govern and produce results. And, when criticized, it is a lot easier to go on attack against those who disagree than it is to respond responsibly. The citizenry deserves more than hot air and vindictiveness. Let’s hope the “Con-Four” live up to their campaign promises and don’t follow in the footsteps of their right-wing heroes.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach just seated four candidates whose supporters and themselves want nothing more than to burn down the system and install an autocrat-style city government. I will almost guarantee they are aligned and receive advice from the MAGA wing of the Republican Party. While I don’t live in H.B., I frequent the city and saw the excessive banners and defaced signs and wonder what has happened to this beautiful beachside community. Has H.B. really decided this is the direction they want to go? Or were voters as apathetic as they typically are in non-presidential years and didn’t vote? I’ll be curious to see what the turnout margin was.

Mike Aguilar
Costa Mesa

As a voter and longtime resident of Huntington Beach, I have two words regarding the possibility of abolishing city councils: Tito Ortiz. This former mixed martial artist — through his success and celebrity as an athlete — found his way onto the council of Surf City.

His contrary manner and uncooperative ways rightfully doomed his career as a municipal politician; he resigned after six turbulent months. Good riddance to Ortiz and hopefully, goodbye to elected city councils, where pandering for funding to finance campaigns directs would-be city politicians to big money donors rather than to grassroots democracy. It’s been said that in a democracy the people get the government they deserve. More accurately, in the current system people get the government that big donors buy. Surely there’s a better way to govern municipalities than by bought and paid for city politicians.

Ben Miles
Huntington Beach

N.B. election was a travesty

Well, it has happened once again. Newport Beach’s undemocratic City Council elections have resulted in surprisingly unusual results.

By tradition, City Council elections are nonpartisan. But in reality, candidates in Newport Beach often rush to prove who is more Republican, by seeking endorsements from various different Republican organizations, and from organizations or unions representing police and firefighters.

It is noteworthy that no Democrats dare run as it would be a waste of a minimum $100,000 dollars, not to mention the personal attacks that would be leveled at them.

While the rest of the county is turning purple, Newport Beach City Council stubbornly maintains its “red“ reputation as long as it can get away with it.

Not too long ago one Republican candidate was publicly chastised for merely donating to a Democrat’s charitable cause.

Even though all the candidates in last week’s election were Republicans, the PAC for one group put out ridiculously contrived fliers alleging unproven actions and personally embarrassing photos that violated the privacy of the family of a candidate. This use of distasteful fliers happens every election and will continue as long as voters allow themselves to be influenced by them.

Who is to blame for this travesty of democracy?

Is it the candidates PACs which often stoop to undignified levels to win, or the voters who should know better?

Lynn Lorenz
Newport Beach

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