Pacific City lawsuit right course of action...

Pacific City lawsuit right course of action

Of course there is legitimacy to the lawsuit against Pacific City!

No environmentalist, advocate or truly aware resident is trying to

stop the Pacific City project. As the co-founder of the Pacific City

Action Coalition, I and all those who actually know the score, are

simply trying to make the city, developer and, in this case, the

Coastal Commission, actually build a responsible project that

actually fits in with the existing community -- not in spite of it.

Furthermore, this is far more than a project that is to simply

encroach on the beach and is the home of environmentally sensitive

vegetation, as pointed out in the paper. If the lawsuit by

environmental watchdogs Mark Bixby and Jan Vandersloot is successful,

it also opens up all the other issues the Pacific City Action

Coalition brought up to both the city and Coastal Commission that

were also ignored. Issue still needing to be heard by the Coastal

Commission is: public coastal access, the elimination of parking

spaces, creating more traffic, storm-water runoff, project density,

visual view corridors, lack of required parkland, encroachments on

surrounding neighborhoods, traffic patterns and flow, the widening

and extension of surrounding streets, the ultimate fate of Pacific

Mobile Home Park, the protection of archeological and cultural

resources, among other things. But the most important issue of all is

the proper clean up and remediation of the contaminated soil within

the Pacific City project site itself.

Paid politicians from the city and developer can lobby the Coastal

Commission, which now is not even aware of the real community issues.

Therefore, the community should commend both Bixby and Vandersloot

for their efforts to at least get this to the next level. This is far

more than a developer who wants his foot in the door and a city

willing to look the other way for increased revenue.

Therefore, what is Pacific City? Another resort development for

increased revenue, or a project to be built over yet another

questionable oil production field, that fits in well with the

developers’ agenda, but not the city’s, surrounding neighborhoods, or

public health.

JOHN SISKER

Huntington Beach

Thank you to those who showed support

I want to thank the 16,010 voters who supported me in my efforts

to serve on the Huntington Beach Union High School District. I am

humbled by the confidence placed in me by those sharing my

back-to-basics philosophy. I especially want to thank current Trustee

Matthew Harper and Mayor Cathy Green for their endorsement. Although

short of the votes needed, it was an honor and life-experience to

make my first attempt for public office. I call on the winners of

this race to consider my campaign message in their decisions,

especially my proposal to televise board meetings as a way to build a

communication bridge with the community, whom they serve. I call on

the voters to pay attention, stay informed and keep your elected

officials accountable. Fight for higher academic standards. Fight

against discrimination. Fight for fiscal responsibility and

foresight. Fight for your child’s education. Some have said that

education opens doors, but it takes active parents and concerned

individuals to build those doors. Work to make our schools the

schools on a hill for our county. I’m optimistic that you and this

board can work together to make it happen. Thanks again for your

support.

MARK AHRENS

Huntington Beach