Mailbag: Ask the Coastal Commission to preserve Banning Ranch

While driving on Pacific Coast Highway between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach, does anyone ever think, “Gee, it’s a good thing they built Newport Coast now all that open space is gone?”

Unless you are a resident of Newport Coast, you probably have fond memories of the time when the area was open space.

Fellow Californians and Orange County residents, please write to the California Coastal Commission and encourage it to deny construction of Bluff Road to PCH, and the development of Banning Ranch. As the last 400 acres of coastal open space in Orange County, this area should be left undeveloped.

Bluff Road is not needed, as there are plenty of major streets, such as Brookhurst, Superior, Newport, Dover and Jamboree, to use for coastal access. Bluff Road would congest, rather than relieve, traffic on PCH.

Parking is rarely available at the beach after 11 am, as it is. Construction of Bluff Road will not add more parking spaces to this area of Newport.

Banning Ranch contributes to the environmental richness of our community, and is home to endangered species. If coyotes are a concern in your neighborhood, wait until their open space gone. The neighborhoods surrounding Banning Ranch cannot handle the additional people and cars.

Please write to the Coastal Commission today. Say no to development!

Julie Andrews
Huntington Beach

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Why big business has the money

Romanticism is powerful. Doing your own thing is powerful.

How many times have you heard, “Break all the rules”? Nowadays, “disruptors” are popular. There’s this whole romantic fantasy going around in society that people can be shockingly defiant and scarf up the big bucks.

Of course, the fantasy sells. Who doesn’t want to do exactly as they please and as a result accumulate a fortune?

But consider this: Who wants a defiant babysitter? Who wants a disruptive waiter? Who wants tax accountants who report to the IRS whatever they please? Who wants mechanics who rebuild engines according to their own private theory?

It just doesn’t work.

But this cult of the rebel, as we might call it, is popular. And as a result, society is disintegrating. Street fighting, collapsing schools, rampaging rogues, and whatnot.

Now, by contrast, business doesn’t do that. It may say it breaks all the rules, but it doesn’t. Business is smart. That’s why it has all that money.

Business looks at it like this: We have a product to put out. It has to be top quality. We need employees with excellent educations who believe in the product. They have to show up on time. They have to listen to the boss. They need to work hard and get along with each other.

They need to have a good attitude, and strive for excellence in everything they do. We want them to have flash and dazzle, confidence and persuasiveness. We have to be a little better than our competitors, and maybe a lot. Every day, every year, everywhere.

That’s why corporations rule the world.

Steve Davidson
Newport Beach