KIDS THESE DAYS:

I am compelled to respond to a couple of online readers who took me to task for pursuing Kevin DuBrow’s grave site when I was told by Pacific View Mortuary in Corona del Mar that they had no information available.

One of the professional duties I have been performing for more than 20 years — and one for which I am not too shy to say that I get rave reviews — is customer service training. In this case, both on the telephone and in person, it was not just what Pacific View said, it was how they said it.

During my phone call to Pacific View Dec. 7, I was polite and professional. I identified myself first as a columnist for this newspaper, then as an old friend of DuBrow’s. As proof, I even offered to wait while they checked me out online and offered to reveal his boyhood nickname, which I was sure very few people knew.

But I got the brush-off, and when I asked why I could not get some details I was given the “no information” line. Then the representative hung up on me. After coaching all types of businesses on phone skills for the last two decades, I can tell you a mortuary — a business dealing with the friends and relatives of dead people — should not be hanging up on anyone.

All the representative had to say was “The family is asking friends and fans for privacy at this time and we would greatly appreciate it if you would respect their wishes.”

Had the representative said that, I would have backed off completely. Instead, I got that goofy “no information” message. I guess it never occurred to the Pacific View people that by not denying he was there, they admitted he was.

In the end, I found Kevin and they got bad press.

A few days ago, a story in this newspaper emphasized the important role of both parents and teachers in the education of our children. Locally, however, we’ve been pretty good at giving teachers nothing but lip service.

First, the school board made the teachers and their union come to the brink of a strike before giving them a raise that was more than the initial crumb.

Then the Costa Mesa City Council declined to offer even a small subsidized housing program for teachers among the hundreds of new units going up near the Orange County Performing Artscenter. That program would have helped keep some of the best teachers working, living and shopping in the cities in which they teach. Similar programs exist all across the country.

Now, the city of Newport Beach has an opportunity to do what Costa Mesa should have. On the table is a proposal for about 430 new housing units near Fashion Island. I would like to see the city reserve just 5% of those units for a special subsidized housing program for teachers.

As the school board now knows, talk is cheap and action is everything.

Now that he has publicly supported Ron Paul’s campaign for the GOP presidential nomination, Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor is off the hook for declining to support subsidized housing for teachers. Libertarian-minded politicians like Paul, who ran for president in 1988 as a Libertarian, support an uber-free market and subsidies of any sort are not allowed. So while I may disagree with the mayor’s position, he is to be commended for being consistent in his views.

This year, our Christmas tree came sight unseen from the baseball boosters at Estancia High School. Picking it up bound with twine, unable to see how it looked until we unwrapped it at home was nerve-wracking. But I am happy to report the tree is beautiful. And from what I’ve heard, the others are, too. Next year, please consider the Estancia High School baseball boosters for your tree.

STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Send story ideas to [email protected].