Letters to the Editor

Tidelands Oil and Naples Sea Walls

The Wilmington Oil Field was discovered in the 1930s and in 1938, the first drilled oil well revealed a bonanza that would enrich Long Beach. When Pearl Harbor was attacked and war erupted, the Secretary of the Navy wrote the City of Long Beach asking that the oil field be developed with all haste to support Naval operations in the War in the Pacific.

A huge amount of oil was extracted. Over time hundreds of millions of dollars were paid to the City of Long Beach (billions in equivalent dollars today). The State of California sued to extract a share for state-owned tidelands. As time passed the overlaying land had subsided. In the port, land sunk over 29 feet according to subsidence maps and in Naples, at the edge of the field, the land dropped 19”.

City officials and Press-Telegram leadership searched for solutions. A plan to pressurize the oil field with water injections followed. The oil islands were developed for that purpose. Subsidence was controlled.

By state law, all oil fund expenditures had to be spent within the Tidelands area. Long Beach oil funds were used to purchase and maintain our Queen Mary, build two marinas, put up the arena and convention center, help with the aquarium, develop Queens Way Bay, create the bike paths, erect beach bathrooms, maintain the beach and pay for lifeguards and police and fire safety services in the tidelands area. Our city benefitted tremendously.

In the 1990s Naples residents complained of sea water on their sidewalks at high tide. After studies plans evolved to build new higher sea walls. Many people were involved, there was widespread media coverage, city staff came up with an excellent elevated sea wall design that was approved by the community, city management developed a plan to use oil funds over a scheduled period of years to complete the work, permits were obtained from the coastal commission and City Council approval was obtained.

Projects such as this take years. I left City Council and newly elected 3rd District Councilmember Frank Colonna stepped up and led the project. The first new seawalls were completed. Eight years later Gary DeLong was elected a councilmember and again supported the effort. Every succeeding councilmember has supported the project.

Now I have read that the project has been stopped, that there is no longer a Coastal Permit, that the remaining oil funds have been committed for other purposes. Were those earmarked funds used to reopen the Queen Mary?

I strongly believe that the oil extraction, for which the city was paid, caused the 19” decline in elevation, putting salt water on the sidewalks. The remedy was owed to the Naples homeowners. The seawall replacement was and is an obligation and the remedy should move forward.

Complete the seawalls.

Doug Drummond

Middle East Conflict

One can decipher faulty thinking by the words one uses. Confused Marshall Blesofsky [2/21/25 Opinion] references Prime Minister Netanyahu five times in his wacky opinion article but fails to mention Hamas even once. Hamas is the terror organization that attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. And who did Hamas target? The very communities and individuals who have dedicated their lives to mutual and peaceful coexistence. Hamas slaughtered the very people who devoted their efforts to providing employment to the people of Gaza and to shuttling Gazans to healthcare facilities within Israel. The horrendous Hamas attack included raping and kidnapping the woman who came to a dance festival devoted to peace and harmony.

To paraphrase Marshall: “The main reason this conflict has gone on for so long was HAMAS’ unwavering support of TERROR”. The mistake the Blesofskys of the world make is thinking everything is orchestrated by Israel and thus the Palestinians have no agency. Yet, it is clear for all logical people to see who seeks to exterminate; and who extends their hand out in peace: The emblem of Israel has two olive branches (the symbol of peace), whereas the emblem of Hamas has two swords and the emblem of Hezbollah has an assault rifle.

Moreover, the mullahs of Iran have set 2040 as the year they intend to see Israel destroyed and showcase that countdown proudly in central Tehran. Unless and until all the vociferous regional calls for war and destruction of Israel changes - the framings of the Marshall Blesofsky types will be shunted aside as simple deranged blokes who do not understand the true nature of the conflict.

Locally, he misrepresented our Jewish community’s POV. Jewish Long Beach stands resolute with Israel in its fight against terror. The local community and AIPAC (which he also slanders) does not endorse any leader. The choice of who is Prime Minister is up to Israel’s electorate to decide and when it is Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, or Benjamin Netanyahu, that individual deserves our support, as they were elected in free elections. Just like in our own country here – if the president is Joe Biden or Donald Trump, it is the choice of the American people. If the mayor is Rex Richardson or had it been Suzie Price, that person deserves to be respected and treated as our duly elected mayor. Blesofsky apparently seems to foolishly believe that our president and Israel’s prime minister somehow should not be recognized for the offices they presently occupy.

He gets one thing right: This Conflict is Solvable – but the solution can only emerge once the Palestinians give up terror, give up resistance, give up their hate of the Jewish people and change their worldview to one of coexistence, to one of neighborliness to a Jewish state and to one of economic integration. Any seeds of peace will need a generation or two for to sprout – to await not only a change of Palestinian leadership, but also for so-called peace activists like Blesofsky to wake up and realize there are truly evil leaders to be found in some of the corners of our planet that are not liberal minded western nations like the USA and Israel.

David Alpern

Anti Common Sense

Friends, neighbors and I read and discussed with interest and growing concern your recent piece, [02/21/2025 Beachcombing], comparing the U.S. federal budget to a mismanaged California city, followed by a full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump and Elon Musk as the supposed saviors of fiscal responsibility. We appreciate a spirited debate on government spending and accountability but found your argument riddled with financial misrepresentations, misleading claims and partisan wishful thinking rather than facts.

First, comparing the federal budget to a city’s budget is fundamentally flawed. Cities cannot print money or issue sovereign debt, while the U.S. government operates within an entirely different economic framework. The claim that the U.S. government is running a $36 trillion debt with nearly $1 trillion in annual interest is exaggerated. While deficits and national debt are serious concerns, the reality is far more complex than your oversimplified revenue-versus-expenses analogy.

Second, your assertion that Trump and Musk are taking “necessary, positive steps” to reduce government waste ignores Trump’s own fiscal record. Under his first term, the national debt increased by $7.8 trillion, fueled by tax cuts that disproportionately benefited corporations and the wealthy, increased military spending and pandemic relief programs. If Trump is now posturing as a deficit hawk, he’s conveniently ignoring his own role in creating the problem.

The claim that Musk, as a “senior advisor,” is repairing government inefficiencies also lacks any basis in reality. There is no formal role for Musk in Trump’s administration and his deregulation agenda largely serves his own business interests, not the financial well-being of American taxpayers.

Beyond fiscal matters, your portrayal of Trump’s actions as a return to “common sense” is a selective reimagining of reality. His pardoning of Jan. 6 rioters undermines the rule of law. His push to end birthright citizenship is unconstitutional. His threats to withhold federal funds from states like Maine for not enforcing his personal policies are legally dubious at best.

Maine Governor Janet Mills’ firm response to Trump’s threats – “We’ll see you in court” – demonstrates the kind of leadership that values the Constitution over political loyalty. Similarly, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s warning that authoritarianism thrives on silence should serve as a wake-up call for all Americans. If anything, their willingness to stand up against Trump’s executive overreach should be recognized as the true defense of fiscal and constitutional responsibility.

Finally, we found your closing remarks about banning paper straws and bringing back corporal punishment in schools read more like an attempt at satire than serious policy discussion. In the same breath, you argue that America spends too much on education while ranking below 40 other nations – without acknowledging that many of those countries invest more strategically in their educational systems rather than gutting them.

If your goal was to promote fiscal responsibility, an honest discussion about deficit reduction, tax reform and government efficiency would have been welcome. Instead, what you’ve presented is a collection of misleading talking points, a rewrite of Trump’s record and an endorsement of policies that either lack legal standing or directly undermine democratic institutions.

America does have a spending problem, but it also has a problem with blind loyalty to political figures who claim to be solving it while doing the opposite. If we truly want to address our financial future, we need leaders who understand fiscal responsibility, not just those who campaign on it.

G. G. Kyle

Domestic War Zone

Los Angeles County (LAC) New Year’s Eve and 4th of July neighborhood fireworks have created a domestic war zone. Setting them off could literally cost body parts and/or substantial fines.

Several cities are even more guilty of the fireworks travesty as they openly sell these weapons of dismemberment and death. This needs to stop!

It is truly incredibly selfish of those who set off fireworks knowing the devastating effect it has on animals, veterans and other vulnerable beings. The danger of fire to homes is always present as we have witnessed in the recent fires. And, as of late, thousands of homes, businesses and people’s lives have been literally burned from the face of this planet.

Many people are still missing. The LAC 2025 wildfire damage has topped $250 billion; forecasters say the two largest of the fires – Palisades and Eaton – have destroyed more than 18,000 structures. Numerous arrests have been made for looting.

Seldom mentioned is the monopolizing of 911 services, rendering them unavailable for more serious and life-threatening needs. Shame on parents who break the law and set an example that it is acceptable.

Criminalizing this travesty is worthless unless we back it up. A special police department, LAC sheriff, and/or National Guard task force should be dispatched for at least a week before and after New Year’s Eve and July 4th. It would be a responsible expenditure truly serving the vast majority of law-abiding citizens.

Diana Lejins