Rebuttal -- Lu and Diana Walker

The city of Newport Beach has a new ordinance prohibiting

skateboarding in some areas of most city parks. Shopping centers in Costa

Mesa and Newport Beach have signs prohibiting skateboarders from using

public walkways and other areas. Property damage has occurred in both

cities as a result of skateboarding.

Newport Beach Mayor Tod Ridgeway, in discussing a skateboard park, was

quoted in the Daily Pilot as saying, “I can assure you no skate park will

ever be built in a residential neighborhood in this city” (“Newport rolls

out new skate park plan,” April 10). We feel that the Costa Mesa City

Council should have the same attitude.

The Daily Pilot reports in that same story that a debate over skate

parks has “met with years long opposition from residents who don’t want

such a facility near their homes.”

The city of Costa Mesa picked two sites for a skateboard park. Both

were rejected because of complaints from local residents. Obviously, a

great many citizens share our attitude.

The building of a skateboard park will not eliminate the damage caused

by some skateboarders. Rather than attacking us, skateboarders should

consider the results of their behavior.

* LU AND DIANA WALKER are Costa Mesa residents.