Letters to the Editor: Article on new venue understates Don the Beachcomber’s contributions to the O.C. music scene

Re. “New beachside music venue to open on July Fourth in Huntington Beach,” (June 27): I noted a couple of things off in your otherwise fine article on Sealegs’ concerts. The first is that, despite the persistent legend and Wyland having included Jimi Hendrix’s image on the mural on the side of the Golden Bear, there is no record of Hendrix ever performing there, and previous owners, employees and frequent Bear attendees have no recollection of him appearing there. From the other side of things, there are books that track nearly every day of Hendrix’s life from the early ’60s onward, and there is no mention of him ever being at the Bear, and few dates when it would have even been physically possible.

An issue of considerably more moment is your claim in the article that “Huntington Beach has been without a substantial musical venue for years.” For some four years now promoter B&B’s Musical Thrills has presented over 170 shows at Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach, including many acts who performed at the Golden Bear, as well as several Grammy-award winning artists, a Tony-winning artist and some of the most respected songwriters, singers and musicians in the industry, all in a venue with a larger capacity than the Bear. It seems quite an oversight to me to have neglected the efforts the promoters have made to bring quality music to Orange County.

Jim Washburn

Costa Mesa

Concerns about Harbor View Park debris

My concern with Harbor View Nature Park on San Miguel Drive in Newport Beach is the grate, which is broken and letting debris (a grocery cart) run into stagnant water. Plus, stagnant water is breeding ground for mosquitoes. I’m at a loss why this was not noticed when yellow caution tape was posted after the fire?

Jenelle Hardwick

Newport Beach

Writer grossly misstated the Republican agenda

Re. “Republicans only care about tax cuts,” (June 27): This letter is full of inaccurate and just false statements, such as cut taxes on only the rich, and efforts to demoralize the middle and lower classes. That is just taking everything out on context and misquoting it. The letter writer must have loved of Hillary Clinton, who would have been the worst president ever, even more than her husband, who was tried for impeachment. Donald Trump has created more jobs than Clinton ever did or ever thought about.

James Mahaffy

Costa Mesa

President should put down his smartphone

As we approach the Fourth of July, I am turning my attention away from President Trump’s mean-spirited tweets and looking for this nation’s goodness. My hope is when the president watches the fireworks Tuesday, he thinks more about the fabric of our country than he does his own personal agenda. “Make America Great Again” is a great slogan, but it will mean nothing if Trump continues to demean people he simply doesn’t like. So here is my thought for the commander in chief: Put down your phone and “Make America Proud Again.”

Denny Freidenrich

Laguna Beach

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