Independent seems no friend to the blue...

Independent seems no friend to the blue

I am writing this letter in response to both the article and the

editorial on March 3 regarding medical retirement of police officers.

I was amazed at the lack of research and guess work you did on

this article. You quoted a figure that about 50% of all police

officers retire with a cumulative medical claim. The figure was an

estimated guess at best on the part of someone at the city and was

not backed by fact whatsoever. You accuse police officers of

“padding” their retirements with these medical claims like it is

something planned or made up. There is a strict process that must be

followed for one of these claims to be approved. Beside that fact, if

someone is injured on duty, compensation is awarded.

Police officers are shot, stabbed, beat up, involved in car

accidents, motorcycle crashes, get back, neck, knee and shoulder

injuries and are exposed to every virus and disease known to man. A

fortunate police officer will work 30-plus years but is bound to be

injured during that career. I am sure that every retired police

officer, including Councilman Gil Coerper, would gladly give up their

monetary compensation to be able to wake up every morning without

pain. For you to print that article with absolutely no research and

the editorial comparison of Coerper to a convicted felon is shameful

and lacks respect.

If you would have done just a little research, you would have

found that an on the job injury or cumulative injuries are subject to

workers compensation benefits. Based on your article, the editorial,

Steve Bolton’s cartoon, and the weekly question, it is obvious the

staff members at the Independent has already made up their minds

about the men and women of the Huntington Beach Police Department.

Coerper, along with every police officer injured on the job, deserves

some compensation for their pain and service to our community.

TIM MARTIN

Huntington Beach

City needs its money priorities straight

I’m not sure what the dilemma was for our city government in

giving our police department the raises they so deserve, but maybe

now we can find people to fill the vacancies ... or at the least not

have anyone leave. I was happy to see this. That is city money well

spent.

But what was the city government thinking in giving our dollars

($30,000 annual membership dues) to the Orange County Chapter of the

League of Cities that has questionable financial practices? That is

city money not well spent. I applaud Councilwoman Cathy Green for

voting against this. Does the city really benefit from being a member

or is this just another social club? Here we go again ... just like

the $950,000 spent (and lost) for the Central Park project and not on

maintaining our city.

Our city government really must focus on where the city dollars,

which come from us taxpayers, are needed the most, like our roadways,

tree trimming and so on. Why is it that we can use our money to pay

for a $30,000 membership that none of the residents benefit from, yet

leave our roadways in disarray for years, such as Newland and

Hamilton, most of Yorktown and even downtown at Lake and 3rd and

Orange? It’s funny that Magnolia is in such great shape and has been

repaved several times even though it was not needed. How can we give

our money away yet reduce the staff of our city workers that provide

the maintenance we so need. Where is the city tax dollars going that

we pay in our bills? Interestingly, Lake Forest is in the process of

upgrading El Toro Road near the freeway, yet there is no city tax.

Maybe our city government needs to visit Lake Forest and find out how

they did it.

Please stop giving our city money away and start using the money

on our city to spruce all the areas that have been neglected for

years. Its amazing how simple tree trimming, street sweeping and

newly paved or slurry-coated roadways can enhance an area. Look at

how good Yorktown looks from Bushard to Brookhurst in comparison to

Yorktown from Beach to Bushard. Amazing isn’t it?

CHUB DOMOTOR

Huntington Beach

At half, police claims still to much

After writing what I intended to be a scathing letter in the March

3 Independent about the sweetheart deal Councilman Gil Coerper

received from the Huntington Beach City Council, you can’t imagine

how relieved I was to see in the March 10 edition that the 50% of

retiring Huntington Beach Police officers who file worker’s

compensation andor disability claims is much lower than some

neighboring communities. All of the taxpaying residents of our fine

city, as well as the City Council, can now bury our heads in the sand

knowing that our retiring officers are squeezing us less than many of

their compatriots.

The verbiage in the article was infuriating. Costa Mesa police

“opt for the additional funding to augment their retirement.” About

90% of their personnel “ask for the worker’s compensation benefit.”

“Often the claim is for unspecified damages.” It is clear to me that

this has become an entitlement that police officers think is just

another part of their retirement benefits.

It is appalling that Councilman Dave Sullivan is “happy” that 50%

of retiring officers file such claims. It is more appalling that no

other members of the council had the guts to even question the issue.

Is police work a demanding and dangerous job? Absolutely. Should

we all be grateful that there are capable and competent individuals

who willingly take on this work? Absolutely. Are those individuals

deserving of a fair retirement benefit upon completion of their

service? Absolutely. Should those individuals be given a free ride to

spike what is already a generous retirement benefit by filing

worker’s compensation and disability claims? By their abdication of

responsible management and fiduciary obligations the City Council has

said, “Absolutely.”

RICH OLIVER

Huntington Beach

Southeast part of town deserves better

Bravo John Scott for speaking out against the industrialization of

our city (“Strangers in their own city?” March 10). We have a

beautiful location here in Huntington Beach but somehow have missed

the obvious. What we have going for us here is something that very

few other places have -- miles of beach and ocean. But instead of

maximizing the use of this unique location somehow there seems to be

a movement afoot to have us be the “city of industry” for Orange

County. Would this happen in Newport or Laguna? Of course not. They

understand that beach area land, like a Picasso painting, is not

being made anymore. So, why are we in Huntington Beach so willing to

roll over for these industrial carpetbaggers?

The answer is, of course, we shouldn’t. This is our home and we,

as residents, have the most interest at preserving it as such.

ANNIE JELNICK

Huntington Beach