Mailbag: Peninsula cabs are taking too much parking

Those of you who frequent the Newport Beach Pier area have no doubt seen a significant increase in the number of cabs waiting to pick up fares. These customers are shopping or eating at all the great businesses in the area.

The good news is business is great. Strong business is good for all.

But the bad news is the number of customers who have to battle with the waiting cabbies for long-term parking.

The cabs have the right to do business, but to camp in spaces that were meant for customers is not right.

In addition, these cabbies cruise around acting privileged. They double park, park in the red, stop in traffic lanes, roll through reds and stop signs, and speed.

Today I made the mistake of asking how long they might be in a spot next to Baja Sharkeez. There are only four spots adjacent to the business and two of them were taken up by cabs. This was met with a rude comment and gesture.

How bad does it have to get before regulations, similar to those affecting buses, are put in place? Do we really want to seem like New York?

Jim Snyder

Newport Beach

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Executive recruiter is a waste

What a waste of taxpayer money.

Do we really have to hire a recruiting firm to help with the process of hiring a new library services director? Do we really need a recruiting firm to produce a brochure to advertise the position?

Newport Beach has a competent human resources department that I trust can handle this task. A quick Google search of library services director reveals other cities’ listings, as well as salary comparisons, and numerous sites are free.

We are a city of 85,000 people, not New York City. Let’s save taxpayers’ dollars, not waste them.

Margaret Torley

Corona Del Mar

Why bother with non-expert debate?

The challenge Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) made to Sen. Barbara Boxer to debate global warming is ridiculous.

Two non-scientist politicians debating climate change research is arrogant and silly, little more than a stunt. No one learns anything except that one debater is better at bluster and sophistry, perhaps, but not the facts.

Second-, third-, and fourth-hand “knowledge” hardly makes the congressman or the senator experts.

What if C-SPAN staged a two-day debate for the world to watch. Rohrabacher picks his expert scientists, Boxer picks hers. Each side is given time to present its research and evidence. Each side is given the opportunity to question the other.

Then we all might learn something.

Jim Lammers

San Anselmo, Calif.