Flying higher is not the right answer...

Flying higher is not the right answer

I am very concerned about the Jet Blue planes flying over us. I

think going higher doesn’t change it. I think they need to reroute

them back to where they used to go up over Long Beach or commercial

areas and not over our city. I think the Federal Aviation

Administration should investigate this and see what’s really going on

here. We need someone in our city government to give us a report back

instead of just dodging the issue.

AL HANSEN

Huntington Beach

City Council makes many poor choices

The council defies any logic. It voted not to have any fireworks

rather than hold it off the pier last year; despite cries from the

residents to maintain the tradition. This year, they repeatedly

reconsider the move to the beach rather than hold it at the high

school.

Nuts, the high school serves us well so quit wasting everyone’s

time with your foolishness.

Clearly this council likes to go in circles rather than making an

attempt to run the city effectively. It votes to not have a

desalination plant’s tax base while cutting services. It builds a

sports center without considering the wasted time as it sits idle to

let the plants grow. It strings out the illegal property tax refund

and insists on taxing us again to invite yet another law suit. It

speaks of closing Main Street and its parking and yet shouts the need

for spaces to make downtown attractive to shop (even considering

planned development).

Perhaps we should eliminate the council instead of creating

districts. Is there a logical dictator nearby?

ROD KUNISHIGE

Huntington Beach

Residents want beach fireworks back

Yes, yes, yes, yes there should be fireworks on the beach for the

centennial celebration. Please convey to the City Council to start

governing for the people, not for themselves. We should not always

worry about what could or might happen and start living for the

enjoyment of our community, our citizens and life itself.

SHAWNEE MERTEN

Huntington Beach

Surf City doesn’t need fireworks

It is my fervent hope that the Huntington Beach Parks and

Recreation Department is keeping a close eye on Councilwoman Pam

Julien Houchen. After her term in office I am sure she will be

perfectly suited to be hired as a recreation director.

First, she had the terrific idea to stage a paint ball war on the

beach. Undoubtedly that brought in a vast amount of revenue to the

city coffers, and helped establish Huntington Beach as one of the

great paint ball venues in the United States.

Now, because “We’ve grown up quite a bit,” she believes that a

fireworks display is what the city needs.

Councilwoman Houchen, what part of the word no don’t you

understand?

Huntington Beach is already recognized as one of the great surfing

sites in the world, ergo its second name -- Surf City. Its beaches

are second to none. On any given weekend during the summer, Main

Street, the pier and the beaches are crowded with tens of thousands

of people. So why does the city need a fireworks display? Hopefully,

not just because other cities are doing it.

I trust the four members of the City Council will stand firm on

their original position to reject the fireworks extravaganza.

ED BUSH

Huntington Beach

Why am I not surprised that the person touting fireworks is the

same person who thought the deplorable paintball extravaganza and the

motley crew it attracted, was also a swell idea? Is there no shame?

Personally, when I see fireworks all I can envision is money going

up in smoke. Money we don’t have when it comes to paying the police

to keep crowds in control. I’ve lived in Huntington Beach for 30

years. I resent this simplistic condescension that “we’ve grown up.”

It was never about us. It has been about the unsavory groups of

people that are drawn like magnets to a beach area especially on

holidays and use any excuse to cause trouble. The adults on the City

Council need to stick by their original decision. It’s a good one.

MERLE MOSHIRI

Huntington Beach

Hard to believe officials are scared

I’ve lived in Huntington Beach for 27 years and am still amazed at

the way our local officials quiver at the thought that something as

beautiful and warm as a fireworks display on the beach might incite a

riot.

They should get a life (or lives) and realize that it would be a

great way to celebrate the birth of this nation.

We survived a paint ball war last summer. I’m sure we can handle

fire works.

TOM GORDON

Huntington Beach

Fireworks at the beach would be great

I am a property owner in Huntington Beach and would love to see a

fireworks display at the beach on the Fourth of July. The city has

definitely matured; this is a special year in the city’s history and

I think we should have a special celebration; this could even be the

start of a new tradition of a beach fireworks display on the Fourth.

REBECCA WEINHEIMER

Huntington Beach

I am a long time resident of downtown Huntington Beach and would

love to see the Fourth of July fireworks at the beach this year. I

think that the culture of the downtown area has changed greatly since

the early ‘90s and I don’t believe that crowd control will be an

issue. It is also a great opportunity to celebrate the 100th

anniversary of our Fourth of July parade in style!

LAURIE MCALLISTER

Huntington Beach

We can’t live in fear of riots breaking out

I want fireworks on the beach. We should not live in fear of what

happened in the early ‘90s. We have the most beautiful coastline

anywhere and we should show it off. This is a huge celebration of our

city. I think closing off the downtown area to traffic is great idea

for the event, it will be safe for the pedestrian and an awesome show

for the world to see. We host the largest Fourth of July parade on

the West Coast and our parade highlights are shown on national

television across the U.S., we don’t seem to have any problems

pulling that off!

What can I do to help this fireworks show go on at the beach? I

will volunteer to be on the committee, if the fireworks are approved.

KIM HANSEN

Huntington Beach

* EDITOR’S NOTE: The previous letters were received before the

City Council approved fireworks at the beach at Tuesday’s meeting.

Shoreline Marathon didn’t deliver

Over lunch she tried to pass it off as no big deal, but a look of

disappointment was unmistakable on the face of Tracy Thomas, winner

of the women’s marathon.

There was no medal ceremony due to technical problems with time

recording, she recounted in empathetic tones, leaving the rest of us

stunned. Even worse she, as a personal trainer, inspired clients to

make this year their first half marathon in Huntington Beach, and

yet, some went home empty-handed due to a shortage of medals at the

finish line. This is unacceptable.

They paid their race fee and should not be penalized for crossing

later than others. Officials apologized, promised to deliver, but

have not made good.

Overall, I felt the marathon was a great success and with future

sponsorship will become a world class event. However, news of

embarrassing incidents like these tend to spread quickly through the

local marathon community and need correcting.

SEAN STEPHAN

Huntington Beach

What’s so fair about Measure E?

The proponents of Measure E call it the Fair District Initiative.

What, I ask, is fair about it?

What is fair about reducing my voice in local government? Right

now I can elect seven council people over four years. Measure E says

I can only elect one council person over four years. How is reducing

my voting rights an improvement?

How does it give me better representation to have only one council

person to turn to, when now I can turn to several? What if the one

person who represents me doesn’t agree with me? I’ll have no other

recourse having lost my voice in government. And how can it be fair

to the residents and voters of Southeast Huntington Beach to be

lumped together in a district with Downtown?

That’s what the “Fair Districts” measure does. Downtown has more

voters than Southeast. Do you really think that given a choice the

Downtown resident will elect a resident from the Southeast? Rather

than increasing Southeast’s voice, Measure E reduces it to a poor

step-sibling of Downtown. That’s fair?

Measure E is backed by AES Corp. This is the same AES that a few

years ago lobbied their way out of paying the 5% utility tax everyone

else in Huntington Beach pays. And this is the same AES who just took

away $1.6 million in annual revenue from the city by lobbying their

way to a lower property tax bill. (Has your property dropped in value

these past few years? I think not). Now AES is lobbying for districts

in Huntington Beach. Do the math. Don’t reward AES by passing Measure

E. Don’t lose your voice.

JULIE BIXBY

Huntington Beach

Five council districts are not good

When our family moved to Huntington Beach in 1957, the population

was somewhere around 9,500 and the City Council consisted of five

people. As the city grew, it was wisely decided to begin electing

seven council members instead of five. With the huge population we

now have, maybe we should think about increasing the council rather

than reducing it to the size of 50 years ago. Everyone in the city

has better representation with the larger council and we all get to

vote for seven people every four years rather than one vote in four

years. Cutting up our city into districts and reducing the size of

the council is one of the stupidest ideas that has ever come up for a

vote!

LOIS VACKAR

Huntington Beach

Districts would be a disaster for city

I feel districting would be a complete disaster for Huntington

Beach. Simply the fact of reducing our representation from seven

council members to five is enough to not want it. Beyond that, in

reality we would be going from seven representatives to only one,

since there would only be one council person interested in my

particular area. I believe it would also slow down the pace of

government. Districting isn’t going to reduce the number of people

that live here or all the issues that need to be dealt with. With two

fewer people working on them, I don’t see how that could possibly

help.

Districting won’t get anything accomplished except making it

easier for special interests with a lot of money to buy the city

council. Huntington Beach has a lot of people who take a great

interest on a grass-roots level. Districting will take that away.

DAVID GUIDO

Huntington Beach