Mailbag: Laguna Beach residents have a message for the president

Aug. 21, 2020 3:15 PM PT

Ever since I created the California Voter Group in 1974, a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging high school students to vote when they turned 18, I’ve been on the front lines of civic participation.

I have spent a lifetime encouraging people to vote, and I resent any and all attempts to suppress that sacred right.

Given President Trump’s current attacks on mail-in ballots, as a longtime Laguna Beach resident I invited friends in town to join me where ballots begin their USPS journey to be counted — at the mailbox.

My pitch to them was simple: Yes, there are more expensive paper products, like a Willie Mays 1951 rookie card in mint condition, but none are more valuable than the ballot.

Saving democracy is more important than who wins the White House. In these hyperpartisan times, my friends and I believe this is a principle all Americans can agree on.

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach

On the state’s spending priorities

Newsom and his cronies in Sacramento have given Newport Beach a deadline of October 2021 to increase our housing elements for an additional 4,832 housing units within 2021-29; however, Southern California Edison and other electric utilities are partnering with the state to continue to conduct “rotating outages.”

When the state’s power reserves are at critically low levels, the California Independent System Operator, (CAISO), will schedule power outages when the state’s electricity demand outpaces available supply in real time or are unavoidable. CAISO has the ability to reduce electrical load by turning off service immediately.

Thousands of Californians are being told to prepare for even more blackouts and with the government agency, California Public Utilities Commission, demanding that housing and building must be “electrified” along with Newsom’s recent announcement, calling for importing expensive out-of-state electricity!

Clearly, we do not have the infrastructure or the technology to support almost 5,000 new housing units in Newport Beach. While Newsom recently inked a $316-million dollar mask deal with China in addition to his $1- billion personal protective equipment in April, we still do not have a cost-effective reliable approach to our energy needs.

So, while Newsom mandates masks for Californians, please do not allow him and his constituents in Sacramento to pull the wool over our eyes, which perhaps may just leave us all in the dark.

Peggy V. Palmer
Newport Beach

The summer of COVID

There’s something about the summer of 2020, the fear and anxiety of so many things, big things, world changing things in so many ways. But I’ve noticed other changes too. Good ones.

I’ve seen amazing depth in one’s ability to be kind and patient to strangers. I’ve seen people help one another, stranger to stranger, like I’ve never seen in my life. And in my own little world at home, we were given a gift. A gift of time. Together.

We didn’t really notice it at first. We were too busy worrying. We were worrying about the past. We were worrying about the future. We were doing everything but living our moments. And it took awhile, too. To be comfortable with everything that seemed so out of control, so unstable. But we eventually came together, we came together as our little family and consciously or not, began to live in the moment, all four of us. And we thrived. We loved. We ate and drank and looked into each others eyes over meals and talked. We talked like there were no clocks or time or commitments of jobs or school or anything while we were together.

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And now, just like that, summer seems to be coming to an end. I had to drive my daughter back to college in Colorado. We started where the Santa Ana River meets the Pacific. And then to the 55 North through the hills and mountains, to the desert, and the desert of deserts, the Mojave, then through the Hopi and Navajo Nation, Southern Ute, the Rio Grande Forest to Fort Collins. Three days of driving, 19 hours and 27 minutes of moments with my daughter. I am so grateful to have this summer of COVID. To have learned so much about living in my moment and overcoming fear.

Stephen Smith
Newport Beach

Make way for Min

I have long admired Martin A. Brower as a writer, journalist, and consummate public relations professional. He put a human face on the Irvine Co. in his time there as public relations director. As an up and comer in P.R. and advertising over 40 years ago, I attended his lectures to Orange County groups and was so impressed. I don’t doubt that he holds State Sen. John Moorlach in esteem.

However, Moorlach is the past and Dave Min represents a better future. Min is smart, dedicated and will be able to do much more for the constituents of this district than Moorlach has accomplished in Sacramento.

Orange County is changing and not just for the “blue.” Min will be a great state senator and will represent everyone fairly and honestly. He deserves our vote.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

Getting to know Noah Blöm

After several discussions with Noah Blöm, who is running for the District 5 seat of the Newport Beach City Council, I personally found him to be attentive, respectful and surprisingly astute to the many challenges and issues currently facing the city. As a business owner and entrepreneur, it is clear Noah has a firm grasp on the devastation COVID-19 has had on merchants, restaurants, hospitality and small business owners, and he has interesting ideas on how we might address the problems confronting our city going forward.

Noah is not shy when expressing his passion for preserving the character found in our unique villages that make Newport Beach great and how each village can play a critical role in maintaining our distinctive history as a beach community, one that is the envy of the world, and with the right oversight will remain a great destination for residents, businesses and tourists alike. I believe Noah is his own man, an individual who will listen to and support the overwhelming desires of the community and will not take this responsibility lightly. In every encounter I have had with Noah he has been respectful, passionate and optimistic on all fronts.

Most of all, I was pleased to receive Noah’s commitment to work toward keeping Marine Avenue quaint, charming and true to its historical roots, commenting that he will address any necessary infrastructure needs in a transparent and responsible manner. This is an important issue to many — valuing the unique character of our cherished village while taking into account the impact that significant change could have on the merchants and residents of Balboa Island.

Ideally, I believe, and Noah agrees — it is the responsibility and duty of the City Council to place public service over politics!

Jodi P. Bole
Balboa Island

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