Reagan knew how to tip well, too...

Reagan knew how to tip well, too

A few years after Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Bob and Patty

Anderson of Newport Beach invited my wife, Mary, and me to dinner at

Chasins in Beverly Hills. We were seated in a small room adjacent to

the main dining room. Two booths from us were Nancy and Ronald Reagan

and Maureen Reagan and her husband. After they had finished their

dinner, Ronald Reagan stood up and sent a waiter to the kitchen. A

few minutes later two cooks appeared. He opened his wallet, and gave

each a tip. He then got the attention of the three waiters who had

served his table. He again opened his wallet, and gave each a tip.

We were told later that Chasins was his favorite restaurant.

BOB ROSENAST

Newport Beach

Church benefits more than outweigh concerns

We have read with interest the various letters and the recent

editorial included in the Daily Pilot regarding the proposed

renovation of St. Andrew’s Church. We have been members of St.

Andrew’s for 14 years and believe improvements in our programs and

facilities offered to the community are seriously needed.

Specifically we are desirous of adding a larger youth and family

center in order to serve this segment of our local community, as well

as make needed refurbishments to our sanctuary.

Last weekend our church had youth services on Saturday night and

Sunday. Our young people lead the entire worship service. To see

these junior high and high school students leading our congregation

makes one convinced that the young people are vital to our community

and nation, and providing the facilities for a safe place for them to

gather and grow is so important to their lives. Where else in our

community, other than at school, can they come together to talk,

participate in sports and learn values that will be with them all of

their life, while being guided by responsible and caring adults? To

hear a junior high young boy tell about a teasing he received from

friends at school because he has strong spiritual and moral beliefs,

or to hear a high school girl tell about what it means to her to help

the families that live in the motels along Newport Boulevard, or to

help the poor in Mississippi, makes you believe we are doing the

right thing.

We know that traffic and noise are problems for the surrounding

community. Much of this comes from the schools and cars avoiding

Coast Highway congestion. However our church members will make every

effort to respect the privacy and safety of the local neighbors. Our

home is just a short distance from an elementary school that creates

noise during the day from the playground and traffic congestion in

the morning and afternoon when parents drop off and pick-up their

children. However we knew this would happen when we bought our home,

and we are certainly willing to be accommodative knowing that this is

part of living in our local community.

Our youth are vital to our society and even more important to the

future of our nation. We therefore support efforts to provide needed

programs for them.

BILL AND ANN LIGHTCAP

Newport Beach

He’s had enough with this City Council

After reading Councilman Allan Mansoor’s letter rebutting Geoff

West’s letter I have a couple of comments (“A public endorsement

awakened,” Saturday).

I wasn’t fortunate enough to read Mr. West’s letter, but I have

read most of his past letters and he has always written with

sincerity and good sense. I began attending City Council meetings

when I and my neighbors were threatened by the closure of our mobile

home park. I thought it was great that there was a public speaking

session where anyone could have three minutes to air their

grievances. But I saw and heard Mansoor rebuke a lady because, I

thought, he did not like her implications of him and Mayor Gary

Monahan. The mayor himself reprimanded me because he didn’t like what

I was saying, I believe. I have heard them cut people off as soon as

the three minute bell sounded, but then again they have let others

talk way past the three minutes. Depends on who they favor. So much

for freedom of speech.

Now the councilman is rebuking the Daily Pilot for printing a

letter that the councilman didn’t like. So much for freedom of the

press. Our country is founded on those two freedoms specifically.

That is why I gave 22 years of service to our country!

So after more than a year of this council I really believe the

remaining years of my life are too valuable to waste talking to

council members who think they are so far above the ordinary

residents to listen.

It’s sort of a little monarchy anyway. The people should elect the

mayor and the council members shouldn’t be able to appoint their

friends to the commissions.

DICK MATHERLY

Costa Mesa

Confusion over St. Andrew’s proposal

A letter to the editor in Saturday’s Daily Pilot has me confused

(“New youth center won’t drive traffic”). The writer echoes the

admonishment made by the Rev. John Huffman in an interview with the

Daily Pilot that we should “... think bicycles and foot traffic.” My

confusion comes from the request for a zoning exemption to build a

multi-story parking garage, apparently to accommodate bicycles and

foot traffic.

Another point of confusion is with city management. Over the past

year we in the neighborhood have been invited to several forums to

discuss local transportation problems in the Newport Heights and

Cliff Haven neighborhoods. It turns out that at the very same time

these forums on existing traffic problems are being held, the

Planning Commission is considering a zoning exemption to permit the

massive expansion of St Andrew’s Church.

Does the right hand know what the left hand is doing?

DUDLEY JOHNSON

Cliff Haven