Letter to the Editor -- Lori McDonald

Recently, I was sitting in my Eastside Costa Mesa residential zoned

backyard attempting to enjoy the remaining natural portion of my land

whereby the birds were singing.

You guessed it, joyful to be allowed to be alive by humans for another

day of spring. I tried to listen to their complicated songs being drowned

out by now excessive airplane disturbance in the calm blue sky.

I walked into my partially artificial home and out to my natural front

yard to open my artificial mailbox to get my miniature postcard, and the

some junk mail about a home on Esther street.

I glanced at my only vehicle, a green machine, and shook my head.

Another two-story home on Esther, the junk mail said. I went to look and

saw a two-story home already there. Two two-story homes equals one

four-plex? A maxed-out lot with five equal garages, two with revolving

uses -- hobbies, office and garage. Commercial use in a residential zone.

Protested, ignored, permitted?

Perry Valantine, Costa Mesa’s zoning administrator, says maxed-out

lots are fine and dandy. Some technical expert.

He can quit today since zones are not adhered to via “the rules.” I

guess codes are selective, too. High-density buildings are being wrongly

welcomed due to blatant benefit of doubt applicants and misguided

political agendas seriously in conflict with remaining yard and land

preservation.

We’re called underutilized inventory of suitable sites by our planning

department.

With such genius steering the vessel of precious irreplaceable cargo

called greenery, Costa Mesa will sport the sticker “Made in Japan.”

There, it is a luxury to have a porch with potted plants and chirping

birds in wooden cages.

The zoning crew members seem heartless in their cold, artificial city

office. They get little natural exposure and so they do not see a need in

their brilliance department. Why save residential zones like Eastside and

Mesa Verde from extinction? Is this too much to ask? If not for current

residents, but for the city’s future generations of people, plants and

animals.

A few crumbs of serenity on a huge platter of messy, sloppy

sandwiches, which they proudly proclaim to be their admirable life’s

work? Help save the rest of residential zones from silly, stretched 40%

open space calculations and truth attached to lies of legalese.

Start hammering City Council members and speak out. We all get a flat

three minutes, unless the mayor cuts you off for freedom of speech when

she doesn’t like your words.

See you all at the City Council meeting, especially May 20, when a

developer and his attorney propose to change the ordinance from one-half

acre, instead of one-acre, for more ugly developments. We have to

organize to put the brakes on out of control unit land dumping into

what’s left of our area. I’m not saying the evil freight train of

government and greed can be halted, but we have to try.

Save the whales, wildlife and the R-1 zone parcel.

LORI McDONALD

Costa Mesa