MAILBAG - July 22, 2006

District must sell station to public group

The recent opinion of Tom Johnson regarding KOCE is way off base (“Fair Game,” July 7). It assumes that there is a duplication of coverage and the expense related to it. This simply is not true. The same rationale would suggest that the Times is not necessary since we already have the Register.

Moreover, Johnson suggests that the Coast Community College District would be able to sell the station/license and receive proceeds that they could apply in their sole discretion. This fails to acknowledge the claims of PBS and all of the public donors whose donations have gone to enhance the value of the enterprise for the purpose for which the funds were solicited ? namely Orange County public television.

For the district or anyone else to believe that the proceeds from a sale could be used without incurring substantial liabilities is to ignore the clear unjust enrichment that will have occurred if a sale is effected to someone other than a public television entity devoted to O.C. coverage. The terms “fraud,” “misappropriation of funds” and/or “abuse of discretion” will likely be included in any action against the district should it sell to a nonpublic television entity. The district is surely aware of this potential liability and will not subject itself to a very costly litigation that would end poorly for them. This being the case, Johnson’s urgings and his analysis are flawed, to say the least.

RUSSELL LEATHERBY

Laguna Hills

Break building department off city hall

In planning for a new Newport Beach City Hall, why has it never been considered that the building department be separated from city hall?

Has anybody ever done a survey? I would be willing to bet that eight out of 10 trips to city hall are to the building department by architects, contractors, subcontractors and applicants.

Why must all this traffic and activity remain part of the central city hall environment? It appears that the public and the taxpayers could be more efficiently served by moving the building department to a different location, possibly near the present general services building on Superior.

Even if there are no properties currently available, eminent domain procedures could be used for this patently public purpose.

This is too important a matter not to look at all alternatives.

YVONNE HOUSSELS

Corona del Mar