MAILBAG - Feb. 10, 2000

PARENT SHARES CONCERNS ABOUT ENROLLMENT

I am a mother of three children living in a neighborhood that feeds into

Ocean View High School. Many of their friends at our elementary school

live in a neighborhood that feeds into Marina High School. I am very

distressed these children will have a choice of any school within the

Huntington Beach Union High School District, while my children may not

because they are white and live in the Ocean View neighborhood

(“Huntington Beach Union district prepares for court battle,” Feb. 3).

I’m not sure how anyone can claim this is a fair policy.

When my children are in eighth grade, we would like to explore the

possibilities of all the campuses, including Ocean View High School, and

make our choices based on what each campus has to offer -- just like the

children in all the other Huntington Beach neighborhoods.

I am hopeful that Bruce Crawford’s case will win and dismantle this

ridiculous and discriminatory policy before my children are high school

age.

SCHEID GETS KUDOS FOR CITY SALARY COMMENTARY

Chuck Scheid has done the taxpayers a great service by pointing out the

huge city employee salaries (Community Commentary, “City workers aren’t

underpaid when compared to county,” Jan. 27).

As Scheid points out, these salaries are based upon a “badly flawed”

study made by these same employees. Make a mistake like that in any

business, and you will be out the door. But not these “city

professionals.” They have the perks and huge salaries but really have no

responsibility. Ever try to fire one for incompetence?

But wait a minute! Aren’t these the same employees who will be “planning

and implementing” the billion-dollar-plus budget for infrastructure

repairs?

With all of the attorneys in the city, isn’t there one who can lead an

initiative campaign to reduce employee salaries by 25%? Then we will have

the money for infrastructure repairs.

RUSTY FENCE AT DOG BEACH IS A DANGER TO EVERYONE

I’ve been complaining to your paper in various messages and notes down

through the years about the destruction [and] the poor care of the

infrastructure for Huntington Beach.

I’ve been after the city to fix my curb and gutter since I’ve been here

for more than 15 years. It still sinks, and it’s still full of water, and

still full of mold.

I had quite a surprise when I took my new dog down to the Dog Beach last

week. As I walked back to my car, I noticed a, I guess you would call it

a fence, at the last parking lot down there to keep people from falling

off the small embankment. All of the metal in the gate, which happens to

be an inch square tubing ... I’ve never seen anything around here rusted

so badly. It was rusted completely, so there was no fence effect left at

all. There was jagged rusty pieces of metal sticking up from the bottom

and down from the top, ideal for some dog or some young child to go

through there and be cut all to heck and get some infected problems with

all the rust in the gate.

If the city of Huntington Beach can’t afford to fix it, then send someone

down there with a torch or a hacksaw and cut it down so somebody won’t be

maimed badly.

HARBOUR RESIDENT CALLS TAX ASSESSMENTS ON HOME UNFAIR

I recently received two augmented tax assessments on a home I purchased

in Huntington Harbour in August 1998.

The assessments place my home in such a ridiculously overvalued category

that I would gladly sell to whomever is dumb enough to meet such a price.

My concern is that the county bureaucrats cite a series of very obscure

statutes that are not only vaguely worded but do not apply in my

situation. I made no improvements to my home other than to make it

livable. The house had been seriously neglected.

I have filed an appeal, but this will take time. I would like to know if

anybody else has been subjected to such ridiculous assessments.

I fought for Proposition 13 vigorously in the mid-1970s, even to be told

then that the bureaucrats would find a way around it. It looks like they

have.

I would like to institute a class-action suit to prevent the government

bureaucrats from ever pulling such an illegal stunt in the future. I

would be interested if there are others who feel the way I do.

THIS LOCAL IS GLAD TO SEE THE CITY DOLING OUT TICKETS

I have lived here since 1956. I am delighted that tickets are being

issued (“City doles out 2,297 street-sweep tickets,” Jan. 13).

For years, I have cleaned the gutters in front of my house to almost no

avail due to parked cars. ... I know that our street looks better, and I

thank the City Council for this ordinance.