Newport’s new city hall must be ‘green’...

Newport’s new city hall must be ‘green’

The Newport Beach Chapter of Surfrider Foundation takes no

position on the desirability of a new city hall. However, if a new

city hall is to be built, it should be the “greenest” building

possible, with permeable pavement and solar panels, for example. The

city has been a leader in improving water quality in the ocean and

bay and has worked hard to enlist the cooperation of inland cities to

help us improve bay- and ocean-water quality. It is imperative that

we set a standard for others as well as a high bar for ourselves in

such an important public construction, particularly one so near the

water.

Nancy Gardner

Chairwoman, Newport Beach Chapter, Surfrider Foundation

Red-light cameras can’t replace police officers

More signal cameras? I give that a big, emphatic no! Another great

“American” experience bites the dust, another tradition lost to

technology.

I remember my “first time.” I got pulled over by a cop way back

when. A huge, mean-looking dude dressed in dark blue, yellow stripes

down the legs, muscles bulging, knee-high black boots, a

nasty-looking bike, a light flashing, siren wailing, helmet and dark

aviator glasses, slowly striding up to my window.

“Oh man. I’m in for it now!” I wondered if he’d be like the guy

from the Village People or if Freddy Krueger might be behind those

Foster Grants. I was so relieved when all he asked for was my

license.

Even more scary was thinking all the way home, “I’ve got to tell

my Dad about this.”

It was either that or wait until the ticket came in the mail and

hope against hope to intercept it before the folks got ahold of it.

Either way, I was on pins and needles, freaked out -- as we used to

say -- for weeks.

And I can guarantee you I was on my very best behavior, paving the

way for leniency and ruing the day the citation arrived.

No teenager should be deprived of this hair-raising,

character-shaping life experience. It can make all of us safer in the

long run. Anyway, it certainly scared the bejesus out of me.

As for my experience with my own teenage drivers, I can tell you

that getting a ticket in the mail had no such lasting effect. The

ticket-by-mail scenario always provided them with the hope -- however

faint -- of it being lost forever in the mail.

According to your article, the grand jury says cameras can work --

emphasis on the word “can.” It doesn’t say they o7do f7work. And it

sounds as if there are some collection problems. I can just hear them

now: “Hey, it wasn’t me driving my car that day. I don’t know who it

was, your honor, but honest it wasn’t me.”

There’s no doubt who is driving the car when you get pulled over

and have to sign for the ticket. This is also a good opportunity to

check on whether the insurance is current.

I know some people think cameras make people drive safer.

Personally, I still remember that first time, and I knew I’d drive

safer -- that last part is not an admission of guilt -- if I were to

see or knew it was a good likelihood that Big Blue would be at the

corner just waiting to nail me.

Another benefit of having officers posted might be that we’d all

get to know each other a little better: “Hey, Joe, saw you at the

corner of Harbor and Adams yesterday, getting a little talking to,

huh? Heh, heh, heh.” This could bring our whole community closer

together. Maybe the Pilot could run a stop-light section like they do

the drunken driving notices on Wednesdays.

Financially, I say, unless the manufacturer, installer,

profit-sharing “partner” of the city is willing to work for a

percentage of the take and no upfront fees for installation, then

forget about it. Give the $2.1 million to the police department to

spend on traffic safety, and keep 100% of the fines for new uniforms.

I think red would be nice.

Mike Dunn

Costa Mesa

Cameras save lives

at our intersections

I think the city of Costa Mesa should install as many red-light

cameras as it can. Many people have a total disregard for safety when

a light turns red. They feel they can squeeze through. To me, this is

a total disregard for the lives of others.

I had a friend who was killed by a driver who ran a red light, so

you can imagine I feel strongly about adding any type of safety

measures.

The people who run the red lights would not want themselves or

their family members to become victims, so what makes them think we

do?

Mike Brumbaugh

Costa Mesa

Why not let landslide victims use El Morro?

First the mayor of Laguna Beach proposes letting the slide victims

stay in El Morro, in the vacant homes that belong to the state.

The parks department’s response was that they didn’t have title to

them, so therefore it is a no-no.

Now, the city wants to move four of these same homes to a vacant

lot in Laguna Canyon. The state of California says OK, but it is

going to cost you mucho bucks.

The state obviously must have title to give the units away, so why

don’t we save everyone a lot of money and trouble and just have the

families move into the units where they are standing now?

You can say it would help the people already living in El Morro.

So what?

The state does not have the money or the personnel to be building

and maintaining a campground.

Who does it hurt to help the slide victims and the 300 who live in

El Morro?

The beach will still be there in the future, open to everyone who

wants to use it, just as it is now.

Save the city the $75,000 and more, and have the families move to

El Morro.

And quit the double talk.

Marlene Estrada

Thousand Oaks