City needs to stop shopping cart theft...

City needs to stop shopping cart theft now

Jeff Bracey’s June 12 letter, “Stealing shopping carts ought to be

treated like stealing,” on the shopping cart issue is right on target

(no pun intended).

Taking and using another’s property without the owner’s permission

and beyond the owner’s intent is, plainly, theft. And the convenience

of the thief is not a justification. Why should the rest of the

citizenry pay higher taxes and increased store prices to subsidize

thieves’ scoff-law attitudes? I would not divert police resources

from other areas in a campaign to actively seek out these miscreants.

But when someone is seen pushing a cart that obviously (and usually

boldly labeled as such) is a merchant’s property, down the street or

in a residential area, why shouldn’t the obvious thief be stopped

right there, and at least be required to return the stolen property

right then to its owner -- with a formal warning given, perhaps even

an infraction citation.

The predominant unauthorized use seems to be by store patrons who

misappropriate a cart to take purchases home (and not always

purchases from the same store that owns the cart), and then abandon

the cart on the street or in a vacant lot. If the authorities would

pay attention as the misuse occurred, then fear of coming to the

authorities’ attention would very quickly reduce the instances of

this misuse.

GORDON MARHOEFER

Costa Mesa

Solution to cart problem just a dollar away

It is true that the city of Costa Mesa faces the dilemma of what

to do about the abandoned shopping carts. It is also true that the

local merchants are the victims of theft. The police can’t possibly

keep up with the monitoring of cart theft; it would certainly require

a full-time unit to keep up with the ticketing of offending

individuals. Abandoned carts do create an eyesore and sometimes a

hazardous situation on our streets, so something has to be done to

correct the situation to everyone’s satisfaction.

I suggest we adopt a solution similar to that I witnessed while in

Europe in November of last year. There, the markets harness the carts

together by means of a strap with a coin-operated padlock. The

customer inserts one Euro (about a dollar), the cart is released, and

when the cart is returned, so is the money. Of course, this would

mean some inconvenience to the customers who must have the right

change, but once people become accustomed to it, they would come

prepared. The amount of money must be significant enough so that the

customer would be motivated to return the cart. Think of it. The

markets would no longer have to send their employees out to collect

carts, our streets would be vastly improved, and everyone concerned

would be satisfied.

JOAN MORRISON

Costa Mesa

Kudos to Newport mayor for getting at issues

I am writing to say, as a resident of Newport Beach, how pleased I

am with Mayor Steve Bromberg’s efforts at reaching out to our

community. No other City Council member has ever (to my knowledge)

made it a point to write regular articles in the Daily Pilot

explaining what is happening in the Newport Beach council chambers.

His evenhanded approach to all issues and the way he presides over

council meetings (the times I’ve caught them on the local station) is

marvelous. He even has a regular column in our neighborhood

newsletter in which he explains all the relevant news and items of

our interest before the council.

I am very impressed by Bromberg’s leadership and stewardship of

this city’s affairs and hope that he stays involved for a long time

to come.

SUSAN SEELY

Balboa Island

Does Rodman belong among the unbelievable?

Amelia Earhart, the Fountain of Youth, the Holy Grail and Jimmy

Hoffa. Added to this list of things we’ll never find is Dennis

Rodman’s desire to move to an area more conservative than Newport

Beach.

GEORGE LAMPINEN

Newport Beach

Time to destroy Huscroft House and end debate

I watched in agony June 9 as our Costa Mesa Planning Commission

considered the proposal for the relocation of the now infamous

Huscroft House from its present temporary location on Arlington --

where it perches like a pimple on the nose of TeWinkle Park -- to a

location on Bernard Street.

I was amazed that the Planning Commission and city staff were

unable to recall the specifics of the direction the City Council had

provided when they agreed to move forward with this proposal -- the

only option left to them short of demolishing the “historic” eyesore

-- and that the commission had not been provided with a copy of the

agreement as part of their package for the deliberations.

Short of a successful appeal to the City Council, the commission’s

decision to follow staff’s recommendations practically insures this

move will never take place. The recommendations apparently make it

financially impractical for the proposed owners to take title to it,

move it to the location -- at city expense -- then to rehabilitate

the adjoining properties which share the lot. Their plan to subdivide

the property and sell of part of it to pay for the rehabilitation

seems ill-conceived from the start.

Despite the apparent good intentions of the applicant and the city

it is time to put this issue to rest. Far too much time and energy

has already been expended by the city staff on this project,

apparently with no compensation by the applicant in the form of fees

normally charged. The city should back away from this deal and

proceed with the demolition of the Huscroft House. Perhaps we can

make it part of the “CostAmazing” celebration later this month and

invite former Mayor Linda Dixon to swing the first sledgehammer.

GEOFF WEST

Costa Mesa

L.A. may be able to silence NIMBYs

“Should L.A.’s interest in El Toro provide much hope to

Newport-Mesa residents?”

L.A. Mayor Hahn’s recent discussion talks of leasing the closed El

Toro property not only brings hope to Newport-Mesa residents, but

hope to the entire transportation industry and nation, as well.

The Federal Aviation Administration has clearly stated many times

that our nation is faced with a runway shortage crisis. People want

to travel, but they don’t want to pay the price in terms of having to

deal with accommodating new runways to accommodate future growth.

The South County “NIMBYs” balk at the idea of L.A. telling Orange

County what do and state that they have no right meddling in our

affairs.

Los Angeles World Airports already owns and operates four airports

in Southern California, one of which is located in Ontario, a county

outside of L.A. South County. Residents haven’t balked about the fact

that L.A. is meddling in San Bernardino County’s transportation

affairs.

The same South County hypocrite leaders have raced to Washington

countless times to demand that their “Great Park” take precedence

over the nation’s transportation crisis and the El Toro airport that

would responsibly ease the crisis and benefit the economy. Aren’t

they attempting to block interstate commerce and medal with the

nation’s affairs just so they can appease their own self-centered?

Thank you, Hahn, for coming forward. Now show Orange County that

you can do what our own Board of Supervisors couldn’t for El Toro:

Plan an airport and operations in accordance with the aviation

administration and the pilots, i.e. the V-Plan. Then the South County

NIMBYs’ nightmare of a threatening airport will final be silenced

once and for all and they can then find something else to balk about,

like the shortage of freeway lanes.

RUSSELL NIEWIAROWSKI

Santa Ana Heights