Boisterous, barking sea lion bulls are back...

Boisterous, barking sea lion bulls are back

Two months ago, you printed my letter saying that the barge off

Balboa should be removed, since the Pacific Fisheries Enhancement

Foundation did not seem to be able to maintain it well enough to keep

the bull sea lions off.

The group finally made some repairs, and the group dispersed. And

then the sea lions quietly returned.

In the past week, they have come back, and their loud barks are

again heard day and night.

I repeat my assertion that Pacific Fisheries Enhancement seems

incapable of properly maintaining the barge, and it should be towed

away.

TOM AHERN

Newport Beach

Human Relations Committee deserved better

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment in the Costa

Mesa City Council’s decision to disband the human relations

committee. I feel that Mayor Allan Mansoor made an abrupt decision. I

feel that the initial decision in June to de-fund the committee was

insensitive, political, deliberate, biased and sneaky. The committee

was not given any notice or opportunity to respond. Instead the

decision was squeezed in and added to a budget action as an

amendment. There are people who have served many years on this

committee and the decision to de-fund was handled poorly. Committee

members were not even thanked for their time!

Mansoor said that the committee should not be funded in any way,

shape or form. I feel that this was rude. The members of the

committee are people who care about the residents of Costa Mesa. The

human relations committee is the only committee that attempts to

address cultural issues and issues of humanity. In fact, the

committee members care so much about Costa Mesa and believe in what

we are doing that we were willing to meet as an ad-hoc committee

without funding. The committee members have contributed their own

money and volunteered to work many hours. We host the volunteer

recognition luncheon each year, which is the only thanks and

recognition that city volunteers get. The committee is diverse -- it

has Christians, Jews, New Agers, moms and dads, a pastor, a

physician, a college professor, a therapist, a business owner, a

college student and others. The council should not have taken away

our committee, which served as a means of doing something to make the

city of Costa Mesa a nicer place to live.

KIMBERLY I. CLARK

Costa Mesa

A modest proposal for DUI offenders

With little to do, I decided to put pen to paper and compose this

letter.

Each week we read a list of DUI offenders in the Daily Pilot. I

wonder what the penalties are for these people. I guess publishing

their names is one, although some may like the publicity.

I have an idea that probably would not be acceptable, but I’ll

throw it out there anyway.

After a second DUI conviction, this would be the punishment:

1. The person takes his or her car to a prescribed auto painter.

Using water-based paint, which can be removed at a later date, the

front doors of the car are painted a different color from the car.

Then “DUI” is painted on the door.

2. The penalty is to leave the new paint on the door for a

significant period of time -- say two months. Once a week, the car

must be taken to a prescribed place to assure nothing has been done

to the paint job -- kind of like visiting a parole officer. Failure

to do so extends the time of punishment.

3. The driver can stop driving the car (other than complying with

No. 2 above). He or she can rent a car and avoid public scrutiny.

4. After fulfilling the penalty, the driver goes to the auto paint

shop and pays to have the paint removed.

This would cost a few dollars to the offender and may help him or

her think about drunken driving. Taking away a license would be no

penalty to those who would drive anyway.

Well, I put pen to paper, and now it is time for lunch.

JAMES ENGLISH

Newport Beach

KOCE provides what Orange County needs

I am writing this letter to express strong support for KOCE-TV

under its current ownership and to share my deep concern over the

prospect of losing this indispensable community asset. Since my

family moved to Southern California 13 years ago, the station has

been a valued provider of local news, information, education, PBS

programs and other services relevant to Orange County and the rest of

Southern California.

After the successful transfer of the station’s broadcast license,

the KOCE-TV Foundation has overseen the continuation of the station’s

important on-air and online educational services to students and

teachers, and it has raised additional funding for KOCE’s

increasingly popular, quality prime-time program schedule. It has

also launched a spectacular 24-hour high-definition television

channel. Thanks to the new ownership, KOCE has also begun rolling out

a more comprehensive local news and information service to better

cover the many Orange County issues ignored by L.A.-based media.

As a concerned citizen and a member of KOCE-TV, I am asking that

we all rise up and express our support for the continuation of

KOCE-TV as a local institution under the auspices of the KOCE-TV

Foundation. In its present form, the station fills a large public

need and must be allowed to fulfill its future plans for the benefit

of our community.

MIKE KEFKOWITZ

Irvine