Letters to the Editor

Price for Mayor

This election will change the direction of our city for the next 12 years, longer than some of us will even be here. This should not be about who sends the most mail, who pays the most walkers to speak on their behalf, who was able to secure the machine endorsements.

I implore all L.B. voters to do their homework. Review the stand that not only the mayoral candidates have taken, but the council candidates as well. Who will have the most independent voice and be willing to work with the residents? Which candidate will not be indebted to or in bed with the financiers of their campaigns.

Suzie Price, Ian Patton and Christina Duggan can bring balance back to our local government.

Rae Gabelich

There isn’t a “good guy vs. bad guy” in our mayoral contest – just a decision for each of us on who would do the most damage. Money talks and that’s a fact. They all take money.

Rex’s and Kerr’s endorsements by Mayor Garcia tell us if they win, the Garcia regime will continue. Millions will most likely continue to be diverted from where it is needed. Basic services (potholes and police) will suffer.

IMHO Suzie is the lesser of the evils for mayor. Ian Patton in the 5th District could be the best thing to happen to our council in a long time.

Corliss Lee

Attended a listening session today with the first and only candidate for mayor who has shown any interest in the Westside. She sat and listened to the concerns of us residents. I have to say we were very impressed and grateful that Suzie Price cares so much.

We learned how we should be expecting so much more than what we have been experiencing here! She said she was open to doing more of the sessions that she did today in other areas.

Tony Bell

Ms. Price came to a meeting at The Lafayette and listened to residents and homeowners as we told her our issues with the ever-increasing number of unhoused persons downtown. We explained that it’s Metro policy to disgorge people from buses and trains at the terminus, which is First Street. She didn’t know because she’s not here that often, but I’m willing to bet, once she presents this issue to “clowncil” on Tuesday, there will be changes. Or at least that’s my hope.

I’m definitely voting against the machine and for Suzie Price. Please join Robert Fox and me in deciding for a better Long Beach future.

Anne Profit

Robert Fox gave his reasons for voting for Suzie Price [Page 1]. Here are my reasons for not voting for her:

Councilmember Price not only voted for, but championed:

  • The $100,000,000 Belmont Pool/Aquatic Center.
  • SEASIP, which will bring 5-7 story buildings and thousands of new residents adjacent to the Los Cerritos Wetlands.
  • 120 new wells and a pipeline across the Los Cerritos Wetlands.
  • “Traffic calming” to Ocean Blvd. and residential neighborhoods, while increasing traffic problems at PCH & 2nd St.
  • The Los Cerritos Wetlands “Restoration” Plan, which is mainly to protect oil operations from sea level rise.
  • Parklets that have caused a loss of parking spaces.
  • Supported numerous new liquor licenses in the Third District.
  • Supported fireworks shows during nesting season.
  • Has not opposed tree trimming during nesting season.
  • Has done nothing to protect the environment, address climate change nor plan for sea level rise.

These are issues I know of. I am certain that voters living in her district can come up with more.

This is not to say that Rex Richardson is much better. In my opinion, the voters are being given a Hobson’s choice in this election. I am grateful that the mayor has no vote.

I hope there will be some new council members who can overcome the big money issues and vote to protect the environment and quality of life for their constituents.

Ann Cantrell

 

Luna for Sheriff

There is absolutely nothing I’ve read in all the reports by various publications on Villanueva and Luna that can convince me that one is better than the other or that one is the lesser evil. That aside, the Los Angeles Times is nothing of its former self (not that it was stellar to begin with), it is but another cog of the status quo propaganda machine.

Thank you Steve Downing and Beachcomber news for being there for Long Beach as the only remaining periodical worth reading.

Carlos Ovalle

 

Beachcombing

Website Question [Sept. 23 issue]: “Is a former president entitled to possess sensitive documents?”

There’s a difference between sensitive and classified (which can be classified as confidential, secret or top secret). When I was in the military (a couple hundred years ago) to access classified material, particularly: top secret, you needed not only the clearance, but also a reason to access the material. What matters is there’s a law that was broken. “Former presidents” are not above the law. Put me in the “no” column.

[Beeler Pennsylvania hometown] Waynesboro’s unchanged population, reminds me of Groucho Marx’s joke: “I came from a town where the population never changed, every time a child was born, a man left town.”

Bill Ives

 

#%&! Electric Bikes

My husband and I were taking our daily walk on the sidewalk on Los Altos Avenue. As we were stepping from the curb to cross 6th street, we were almost hit by a group of 25-30 electric bikes speeding down the street, with total disregard for stop signs or the safety of pedestrians. This is happening more often as we walk around the Alamitos Heights and Marine Stadium area. With the increase of these irresponsible young electric bike riders it’s unsafe for anyone, from younger children to older pedestrians to walk on the area sidewalks.

Something must be done before an innocent person is severely injured or killed. Is our mayor too busy running for higher office to care about the safety of our citizens? Is our councilwoman too busy running for mayor to care about the safety of citizens in her own neighborhood? It seems our elected officials are only interested in creating more bike lanes, which the young people on electric bikes don’t use, and are not concerned about the safety of pedestrians.

Pamela Famisaran, [via Nextdoor]

Dear Suzie Price: We are all voting for you and counting on you to beat the carpetbagger, con artist opponent.

Who has given the scooter and bike rental companies permission to park on the corner of PCH & Bellflower? This debris is not acceptable and if continues the debris will be disposed of properly. There is no eminent domain privilege here – just trespassers and litterbugs.

While I have had mixed feelings about the whole bike lane system that was installed without voter or citizen input and my petition to eliminate some of them have gone ignored. I was walking south on Bellflower Boulevard along the sidewalk and came very close being T-boned by a scooter traveling behind me at a rather high rate of speed. No horn signal indicating approaching nor did the rider have a helmet on. It was by chance I happened to step off the sidewalk onto the grass area avoiding a dog’s poop that probably saved me from being picked off. This is not first of these occurrences. Fortunately, I kept my shoes out of the dog debris.

A few months ago, while exiting my driveway at 436 Bellflower Blvd. riding in my neighbor’s 4-Runner, we were broadsided by a bicycle traveling at high speed along the sidewalk. I am asking for adequate signage such as “No Scooter Parking” or “Bikes & Scooters Prohibited” and then enforced by the police, ticketing violators.

Ward Johnson

 

Electric Vehicles

Something I find very interesting is that Governor Newsom wants to eliminate gasoline powered vehicles and replace them with electrical. He now has put into play removing all gas operated water heaters and replacing them with electrical.

From all the data I gather electrical is much more expensive than gas when it comes to water heaters and how does he propose collecting road tax money if no one’s going to be at the pumps? I am sure his administration will sell us on the idea that we can just pay a per mileage charge, which in the long run will probably come out much more expensive than just renewing my registration and pulling up to the pump.

We seem to always hang on the verge of electric grid collapse. In the near future it appears we are going to stress it even more. If you would like to impress me as well as many others let’s first work on building up the electrical system and if it doesn’t require too much thought figure out how to store more water for everyone’s use.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that the administration in California decided deregulation would be best for the public in regard to electrical generation. The major utilities jumped at the chance to divest themselves of the issues that surround power plants and go solely with the transmission and distribution of electricity. Ever since then having the electricity we need has become more and more of an issue.

If you compare California to other nations, we rank right up there with the best of them. Monetarily we may be doing just fine. The quality of life for many individuals is being tested daily. And some folks wonder why so many people choose to leave and seek shelter elsewhere.

Paul Kletke

 

Streets of Shame

The sidewalk on Bellflower Boulevard between Harvey Way and N. Viking Way on the west side of the street is horrible. There is no way a disabled person (especially in a wheelchair) can use the sidewalk, in fact most people cannot use it and it’s been like this for several years. Why?

Susan Kay

The sidewalks in front on 2335 and 2341 Palo Verde Ave. are horrible. It’s raised about a foot because of tree roots. People trip all the time. They only come out and fill space with black tar and sand instead of addressing the problem. Also, the trees have not been trimmed in a very long time and the branches hang really low.

Allyson Garcia

 

How Stupid is Calif.?

The power to tax is the power to destroy. I believe Ben Franklin said that. California is doing a good job of destroying wealthy taxpayers desire to stay in this state. How and Why?

On the November ballot in California there will be a proposition to raise the top marginal income tax bracket for wealthy individuals to over 15%. Meanwhile, Arizona has a top marginal rate of only 4.5% and is set to fall to 2.5% by 2024.

Why should these people stay here? They won’t! The top 1% of earners in California pay 45% of the personal income tax. When these people flee, California will have a huge budget hole and the middle class will have to fill it.

The tax game is over.

Sanford Kahn

 

Solar Accessible

Growing up in LA County, surrounded by smog and smoke, I have always dreamed of living in a healthier environment. Pollution and climate change have been in the news for ages, but what can I actually do to transform the city I live in?

One low-effort way to reduce air pollution and help California meet its clean energy goals is by installing rooftop solar. Living in sunny SoCal, it should be a no-brainer to encourage as many people as possible to go solar! Unfortunately, the price tag associated with solar in California deters many folks from following through with installation.

Rooftop solar is half the cost in countries like Germany and Japan because their permitting process is much simpler. There is no real reason why Long Beach can’t follow their footsteps, especially now that the Solar Access Act has been passed. I’m calling on our mayor and City Council to make it easier for residents to install rooftop solar panels and batteries by adopting SolarAPP+ to streamline the permitting process.

 It’s easy. It’s safe. It’s free for cities to use. Please make the switch to help families like mine go solar so that we can clean up our air.

Carly Magalski

 

Obamacare

As a married man with two grown children I want government to stay out of healthcare altogether. Obamacare dealt me and hundreds of millions of other hard-working people into an economic and health hole. It is completely wrong for anyone who worked for and deserves decent healthcare.

The lie about a $2,500 tax rebate and the massive jump in healthcare costs are a true testament to the Federal Bureaucracy and what it can do to undermine the will of the people. They’re not only not a part of it but don’t pay anything into it. Talk about something not being Constitutional and cutting into people’s rights.

Obamacare was purely political and ideological and hurt far more than Roe v. Wade since states still can deal with that issue, whereas we are left with an ungodly cost. Feel better now?

Vance Frederick

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Beachcomber

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