Keith Bohr wasn’t given fair treatment I...

Keith Bohr wasn’t given fair treatment

I am sorry to see the negative publicity given to Keith Bohr in

the past several weeks, without his being given a chance to respond

to the accusations, regarding conflict of interest. Keith was asked

to resign his position as Huntington Beach Planning Commissioner, a

position to which he was appointed by a council member. This shows

lack of judgment and trust. It also sends a negative message to the

public. Keith you still have my vote.

MARY JO JEFFES

Huntington Beach

Police helicopter is way too expensive

The police helicopter should be grounded. Please reveal to your

readers the annual expense of this very expensive form of patrol.

Even if the money is coming from the state, there are other cities

that have a much higher crime rate to justify this expense.

Furthermore, the noise that this helicopter projects over our

neighborhoods is unreasonable. Please advise anyone who agrees with

me to complain by phone and or e-mail to our City Council.

KEN MATTOCKS

Huntington Beach

Desalination plant should go forward

The city Planning Commission should approve the desalinization

plant. In any other country but this country, they have this plant

already so you don’t have to rely on Colorado River water. This

should be a federal government thing. The city shouldn’t have any

say. Watching the Planning Commission the other day, it’s ridiculous

the few comments that some of these city planning commissioners have

said. They have no legal reasonable way of trying to stop it. They

are just trying to delay it. We need the water, put it in.

ROBERT DINGMAN

Huntington Beach

I am definitely for the desalinization plant. And all the family

is for it. There are four voters here.

NORMAN FEINSTEIN

Huntington Beach

Desalination a bad fit for Southeast

I just want to make my view heard and I just want to say I am

absolutely opposed to the plant being built at the site. They already

made a study down at the San Onofre site and it has already been

decided that there is a better site where there aren’t any residents,

any developments or homes that it would affect. The site here is a

hazard, because of the chemical that they would use to clean the

water. And that site sits on at least six or seven earthquake faults.

An extreme hazard to the residents in the area, should we have an

earthquake.

I just hope that the plant isn’t built here in Huntington Beach.

They should build it in San Onofre or Dana Point where there already

is a plant. We have enough industry here, enough plants for three

cities. We should let other cities take the initiative and take this

one. I’ve reviewed the plans, I’ve checked them out at the library so

I am pretty aware of the hazards that come with putting them here in

Huntington Beach.

ALEX ARREDOMDO

Huntington Beach

I really don’t want to see this plant go in down here on Pacific

Coast Highway. I think Huntington Beach has enough messy, dirty, ugly

plants and in the south side here, it would just really damage it,

damage our ocean and we don’t need it.

SHIRLEY HOOD

Huntington Beach

My vote is no. Must we benefit from the water? The water should

come down to Huntington Beach. I would think since a monstrosity is

going to be built here, we should get something out of it.

JOHN DONNELLY

Huntington Beach

We definitely do not want to see the desalinization plant come

here. Why give Huntington Beach all their problems? Why do we need

the largest desalinization plant in the United States? I have had the

water on Catalina that uses the same kind of process. It’s a big

boon. They bottle the water because you don’t drink it. Also, we just

have too much trouble going on with the beaches now that can’t seem

to be solved. This would only add to it. I am sure the cost of it

would expand. Huntington Beach needs to take care of what’s here.

JOYCE ZALESKI

Huntington Beach

City spending and cuts at odds

I’m confused. First I read about a dark cloud over City Hall and

the need to trim $11.5 million from the budget. Massive

layoffs...City revenues plummet. These budget cuts affect vital

services like firefighting and police protection. Then I read about

the council approving a $1.4 million expenditure for street

rehabilitation. This single $1.4 million expenditure eats up 12.2% of

the proposed budget cut. We just completed a very expensive Sports

Complex, and I read on to see such projects planned as $1.5 million

new gun range (although we are requesting federal funding/matching),

and other projects rounding out the figure to $ 4.7 million. Let’s

even throw in an extra $18,000 additional trash collection. Why not,

the revenues are there...oh...wait...they’re not.

So, which is it? Cash strapped or ready to spend? You could have

fooled me. I don’t know about City Hall, but in a household budget

when revenues do not keep pace with expenses, “projects” are put on

the backburner until the budget balances.

ROLAND DALCOURT

Huntington Beach

City needs to revisit its cuts and spending

We live with threats of SARS, Monkeypox, Anthrax and West Nile

Virus but there’s a much more insidious and destructive malady that

has infected the governing body of Huntington Beach. It’s called

stupidity.

I guess the plan is to make it epidemic so that, by closing the

libraries, the children and adults will all suffer from that malady

as well. It’s ludicrous to even suggest laying off police and fire

personnel. We can live with potholes and less manicured parks and

medians when public safety is at stake. If cuts must be made it’s

only prudent that those submitting suggestions take a long, hard look

at the big picture. One can traverse almost any street in the city

and witness city workers who seem to be spending a lot of time just

inhaling and exhaling. It’s unfortunate that city employees have had

to forego raises for a few years but that isn’t unique to them. Most

working folks have received fewer pay increases and cuts in benefits

but it still beats unemployment. I guess we should be grateful for

all the money saved on those pesky yellow ribbons to honor the men

and women in our armed services protecting the freedom we all enjoy.

On the flip side, it’s hard to imagine the justification for those

unsightly stone artifacts that adorn our beach areas. My recent water

bill had an insert asking private citizens to donate to the Fourth of

July Parade fund as the local merchants are unable to contribute as

they have in previous years. No kidding. If key people are being laid

off how can they be expected to support the merchants much less

donate to the parade fund? The administrators of Huntington Beach

should be ashamed of these recommendations and should be working day

and night to get to the real waste of revenue.

BARBARA SHEPARD

Huntington Beach

Perhaps Model U.N. not best model

The letters about the Model United Nations program the last two

weeks have brought up important points on both sides. I think it is

good that high school students are discussing world events/current

events. I do have some similar concerns that a previous letter writer

brought up, however. I was just wondering why we have a Model United

Nations and not, say a “Model U.S. Government” or a “Model

Democracy.”

The United Nations is not a very good organization for many

reasons. It is, as one scholar put it, the United Governments. It is

composed of many unfree and dictatorial regimes. The U.N. has had

unfree countries on human rights panels and some even get to be in

charge of human rights commissions.

I understand, and like, that high school students study and debate

certain issues, and for that this program seems like a good step, but

I wonder how useful it actually is to understanding these world

events. I also wonder if there is any kind of agenda being pushed. I

would hope the powers that be consider changing it to some other

similar program, but drop the U.N. part.

MARK COHEN

Huntington Beach

Model U.N. debate is about spending

I read Wayne Parker’s letter of June 12 regarding the Model United

Nations and thought he made a good point. Then I read the three

letters by former Model U.N. students, one by an Model U.N. staff

member in New York City, the other two from local students and the

impression I come away with is that they protest too much.

Jody Fisher claims that former Model U.N. students are now

reputable members of society: teachers, policemen, attorneys,

Scottish Parliament members, etc. It occurred to me that if there

was, in fact, a program to indoctrinate young people into a

socialist, globalist philosophy, you would then want then to

insinuate themselves into the fabric of society to act on their

principles from within.

This may, or may not be the case, but the remaining question is

whether this is the best way to use educational dollars. Perhaps an

independent community review panel should take a close look at this

program. It’s obvious that the students who have come through the

program are neither objective nor unbiased.

WILLIAM WINTERROWD

Huntington Beach

Playhouse’s ‘Heaven can Wait’ a delight

After reading Tom Titus’ review of “Heaven Can Wait,” the current

production at the Huntington Beach Playhouse, I wasn’t sure that I

wanted to attend.

Nevertheless, since we are season ticket holders, my husband and I

saw the Friday night performance (June 20). It was a wonderful

performance, and we enjoyed it very much. It seemed like a different

play than the one described in the review. There were lots of

spontaneous laughs, it moved along at a fast pace, and it contained

the most realistic fight scene that I have ever seen!

Our Huntington Beach Playhouse is theater in its most pure form in

the sense that the actors are not paid -- they perform simply for the

experience and their love of performing. It is little known that in

addition to performing their roles, the actors must also move all the

set pieces themselves, and the major pieces are huge and cumbersome.

For a variety of reasons, the cast was unable to get into the theater

for a technical rehearsal prior to the first show, making opening

night in effect, their only complete dress rehearsal.

That the cast could make so many changes so quickly to their

performance is really a testament to their professionalism and

versatility. “Heaven Can Wait” provides a delightful evening of live

entertainment which is well worth the price of admission.

DEBORAH EDWARDS

Huntington Beach