MAILBAG - Aug. 17, 2000

The excessive ticketing must be stopped (“City’s street sweeping to be

studied,” Aug. 10). I am ashamed of our city and their street sweeping

plan.

Our city officials have lowered and cheapened the morale of its

residents. And yes, many people do comply with our new program, but very

unwillingly.

It is ridiculous. We must find an alternative to this madness.

ADAM R. LAUGHLIN

Huntington Beach

SINGING THE PRAISES OF THE PARADE PANEL

We have been so busy with the alleged corruption in City Hall that we

have forgotten to praise the accomplishments of the Fourth of July parade

committee and its dedicated chairwoman, Patricia Stier. They put together

a great local parade with a small-town feeling.

I am not a child, but I could see that the kids and their parents

loved it. Some of us old-timers enjoyed the tributes to war vets and

their families. It was the best of Americana in our proudest moments.

Bravo! Good, clean family entertainment. Do it again, Pat. The only

thing I missed was a Marine Corps band. Maybe next year. Please?

RICHARD McGRATH

Huntington Beach

PROBLEMS WITH CITY TREES STRIKES A FAMILIAR CHORD

I read with amazement and amusement the letter from Dorothy V.

Nalbandian (“A long wait, still nothing,” June 29). I was sure it was

written by my neighbor, Joe Bernardo. He has the exact circumstance at

his house -- he has standing water in front of his house that sometimes

covers half the street.

As for myself, I had to have my sewer dug up shortly after moving here

in 1986, at a cost of nearly $800. At the present time, the roots [of

city trees] are lifting my concrete driveway, causing it and part of my

garage floor to crack.

We too have collected the names of our neighbors on a petition in July

1993. Since then, we have waited patiently for work to begin, but nothing

has been done. Joe and I have made repeated phone calls to Don Noble and

Chris Gray. The only response has been from Don Noble, who told Joe not

to worry about the water in front of his house because this year was

going to be a drought.

I left five messages with Chris Gray’s office but never received a

return call. Also, I personally wrote and hand-delivered letters to each

City Council member, as well as the mayor and City Administrator Ray

Silver. The only response I got was from Mayor Dave Garofalo on May 23,

who passed on my concerns to Ray Silver and Robert Beardsley with a

promise of being contacted in three weeks. I have heard nothing.

If they had money to fix the problem streets, why not start with the

streets that had been on the waiting list the longest? That is what we

were told in 1993 when we got our petition together. We played the game

according to the rules, and now someone has changed the rules.

To all the City Council members as well as the mayor -- remember

Nalbandian, Joe Bernardo and myself, as well as our neighbors, are all

probable voters in the next election. You can bet we will all remember

your non-response.

ROGER HUGHES

Huntington Beach