Fashion Island is a nice fit for...

Fashion Island is a nice fit for new city hall

My opinion of the proposed city hall is this: No, we shouldn’t

proceed with this particular site at any anticipated cost. The civic

center needs to be centrally located in our city, and there are

existing buildings in which space planners could set up the

much-needed one-stop shop for the public and the remaining offices --

perhaps close to a police station.

I believe our city doesn’t need to necessarily own the building it

uses for a city hall, that a lease may even be prudent. The nine-acre

site it currently rests on needs an appraisal before proceeding, and

that appraisal should be taken into consideration for the final

financial analysis. And don’t forget that the city would receive its

percentage from property-tax revenue if that nine-acre site were

sold. It’s my contention that the needed space for the city

administration to function properly would take up less than nine

acres in a three- or four-story building in Fashion Island -- making

financial sense to move and sell the peninsula location.

DEBBIE CALVERT

Newport Beach

Trustees, TV station have many problems

Joseph N. Bell deserves kudos galore for taking on a difficult

subject that has somehow bypassed the general public. His article in

the Aug. 17 Pilot (“Putting heat on 2 related issues”) deals with a

“con job” perpetrated on the taxpayers by a Coast Community College

District trustee. The selling of KOCE-TV is also covered by Bell, as

well as the difficulties that the sale entails.

While Bell notes how difficult and complex it is to recall a board

member, he helps put this effort in motion by identifying a number of

distinguished residents, among them the noted active resident Shirley

Grindle.

I chose not to identify the board member by name, since I write

this letter -- prompted by Bell’s piece -- to stress the fact that

there would have been no “con job” had the recommendations of the

California Citizens Commission on Higher Education been adopted years

ago.

This commission proposed that all 71 district boards of trustees

be replaced by appointed campus councils. Trustee Jerry Patterson is

on target when he postulates that incumbents almost always win no

matter how bad they are. Anyone who is familiar with the

administrative organizations of the local community colleges knows

how well organized each is to meet the needs of its students as well

as the administration of those needs. By eliminating the 435 members

of the boards, a budgetary savings statewide would come to some $150

million. This is no insignificant savings.

It’s appropriate to recall that KOCE-TV was originally placed on a

college campus with the board’s intention to establish an open

university, similar to one established in England.

Failure of the board to make this original goal a reality produced

the problems that exist today. It should be added that a third

community college was established that made only partial use of the

district’s ownership of a TV station. Continued operation of KOCE-TV

by its owners, the college district , may still be a feasible

solution and continue “public service programming.”

The time is ripe to publish a budget of the TV station to show

public funds; foundation funds; pledge night funds; private

donations; and any other money.

LEFTERIS LAVRAKAS

Costa Mesa

Changes needed for Costa Mesa Freeway

The extension of the Costa Mesa Freeway (55) at 19th street should

be a No. 1 priority since it is now the worst bottleneck in Orange

County traffic.

GRACE DEUTSCH

Corona del Mar

Blame the networks for ‘mind-numbing rot’

In his Aug. 20 column regarding the sale of KOCE to a Christian

broadcasting company, Steve Smith writes the following: “To the left,

the vacuous, mind-numbing rot on TV is OK because that is what they

like.”

Say what?

The last time I checked, the major television networks were owned

by large corporations (led by Rupert Murdoch’s Newscorp), which spend

millions of dollars (successfully) lobbying Republican politicians in

an effort to further deregulate the airwaves and put more trash on

the air! Why? Profits. Plain and simple.

Meanwhile, over at “Iiberally biased” PBS, they’re showing

“American Masters,” “NOVA,” “Masterpiece Theatre,” “The Newshour With

Jim Lerher,” “Sesame Street,” “Religion and Ethics Newsweekly,” and

other “vacuous, mind-numbing rot.”

So what exactly is Smith’s point?

Writing a weekly column is a privilege and a responsibility. If

Steve Smith is going to continue to make stupid comments like the one

he made on Aug. 20, he’d better be prepared to back them up with

facts.

Thank God for Joe Bell!

PATRICK GALVIN

Costa Mesa

County needs its public TV station, KOCE

In his Aug. 20 column, Steve Smith makes two interesting

statements, to wit: “I have not watched television in more than nine

years,” and “I don’t care what KOCE becomes.... What I do care about

is hypocrisy.”

Having correctly positioned himself as a nonexpert on television,

he goes on to prove his lack of program knowledge by attributing

commercials to a public broadcasting station. PBS stations do not

take commercials but rather briefly acknowledge their supporters

between excellent educational and entertaining programs, most of

which are suitable for children. Smith should discuss subjects he

understands or do more research.

Smith, by introducing Joe Bell’s liberalism as a factor in the

discussion, is the height of hypocrisy. The question is not whether

liberals or conservatives want a religious station instead of a

public broadcasting station; it is what the majority of those heard

from want. As there are already several religious stations, most

people prefer that Orange County’s only public station remain public.

JOHN WALTER KRAUS

Newport Beach