Mailbag - May 2, 2002

Cutting at the campus level no the answer

OK Moms and Dads here we go again. . . budget cuts. And who gets the

chopping block? The staff that cleans our schools, runs our schools on a

daily basis, works to get the kids to read more and eight aides that help

the handicapped.

I didn’t read about any cutting of the fat from the district office,

is that off limits? Is the district offices’ budget slim?

When you see our schools looking trashy, the bathrooms don’t work,

lights are blowing out in the classrooms, you can’t get in to see a vice

principal or principal because they are too busy and short staffed, your

kids can’t use the school library because there isn’t a librarian or your

handicapped child isn’t receiving the help that is required for them on a

daily basis -- you will know why.

We have major issues at each of the high schools and budget cutting in

the “trenches” is not the answer. I didn’t realize that these were luxury

items we had as employees of the Huntington Beach Union High School

District.

The district sacrifices the teachers and students each and every time.

We still, in this district, have classrooms that stink because of poor

air quality. In the it’s infinite wisdom, the district didn’t let any of

us parents know we had air quality problems because it would have cost

money to notify us. Ask any parent that had a child at Marina High School

in the science portables between 1999 and May 2001. Remember the teachers

and kids are not the No. 1 priority.

So teachers, when you see what the district office is spending and you

think is a waste of money, remember these are your leaders that have no

concept of what it is like in your day to day classrooms. Teachers, kids

and parents are the backbone of the district, not just a few elite

employees that think they know what is best for you and for our kids.

In my “kingdom” the kids and teachers come first. In the union high

school district, teachers and kids are way down the line.

DENYSE SCARBERRY

Huntington Beach

Leave the dog park where it is

I believe that the dog park should stay where it is. Together the city

and the volunteers for the dog park have created a wonderful area in

which Huntington Beach can take great pride.

The existing site is easily accessible and well maintained. To

relocate it would be costly especially when it seems that none of the

other locations would become a permanent site or be shown to be

environmentally safe without even more cost to clean up the existing

site.

Our entire family frequents dog park -- I take our two dogs during the

week and my husband and children will go on the weekends. I understand

that the barking from some of the dogs at the park might be a nuisance,

but I also know that the daily traffic noise is much louder than the dogs

all the time.

Perhaps the two neighbors who complain about the dogs can petition

City Hall to reroute the increasing traffic up and down Edwards hill.

That traffic noise really disturbs the dogs you know.

CINDI DROEGER

Huntington Beach

Leave the dog park where it is currently located at Edwards Street

Talbert Avenue and make it accessible to working people by staying open

until 8:00 p.m.

The results of the city’s sound readings, averaged over a six-day

period, show the noise from traffic to be 65.5 decibels, dog park to be

44.5 decibels, and neighborhood dogs to be 62.1 decibels. The day time

limit is 55 decibels, according the city ordinance.

The Community Services Commission is right on. Unfortunately, we are

not so blessed with our current City Council.

ELINOR MATTSON

Huntington Beach

I would like the dog park to stay where it is currently located at

Edwards Street and Talbert Avenue.

CATHY EDMONSON

Huntington Beach

My family often visits the Huntington Beach Bark Park with our two

dogs. As contributors to the park, we would very much like the park to

remain where it is, without the recently imposed hours restrictions.

The park should be open at 7 a.m. on weekends, and should remain open

until sunset daily. Heavy equipment is often used in the parks at these

hours; why haven’t these residents threatened suits against the city over

that?

People who move near a park should have the intelligence to understand

that the city has not merely provided them with a private green space.

It’s a public park, for use by the public, as the public sees fit.

CRAIG PARKER

Huntington Beach

Why not leave the dog park exactly where it is? It’s a good site, the

people have put in trees and they’ve made it really nice. It seems to me

that it’s only a couple of families that are causing all this problem.

Surely they hear a lot more noise from the traffic on Edwards Street.

I think it’s unfair if they want it moved, let them pay for it.

The people who put the dog park in paid for the trees. I don’t have a

dog but I side absolutely with the dog owners I think it’s a good idea

that they have a dog park there leave it exactly where it is and take no

notice of these other people. I don’t even understand why it was

considered that it would be moved.

MAUREEN SHRUBSOLE

Huntington Beach

I would like the dog park to remain where it is. I use it all the

time, as do hundreds of other people. I want it to stay just where we

love to spend lots of time and money to make it work.

ANNE M. PARKER

Huntington Beach

I think the dog park should remain in the location it is in right now.

I think it’s a great asset to our community and shouldn’t be removed.

ERIN DROEGER

Huntington Beach

I would like to say that the dog park should be left exactly where it

is. No move is necessary.

MARY SAMIDA

Huntington Beach

I think the dog park should remain right where it is. I think it’s a

lovely location, well maintained and quite satisfactory.

MARY LOU HUGHES

Huntington Beach

I think the dog park should remain in its current location. It’s a

good place and the city should be proud of it.

GARY DROEGER

Huntington Beach

I vote for keeping the dog park where it is. None of the three other

options are valid or viable. Keep the dog park where it is and the hours

extended.

KURT MEYER

Huntington Beach

Let’s move the dog park to the gun range

The best location for the dog park is ultimately the old police pistol

range.

I believe the dog park should stay where it is until such time as the

pistol range can be prepared to make it into a dog park. There is no

sense in spending money twice.

DON THOMAS

Huntington Beach

People should come first, not dogs

My opinion is that you should have a dog park that is surrounded by

park area or commercial areas. An area, that is not adjacent to a

residential area.

The cost of setting that up or removing lead is secondary to people

who buy homes in Huntington Beach and expect a quiet environment when

they buy the property. To put a dog park next to a residential area

doesn’t make any sense when you can put it in a park or another

environment that doesn’t impact people who want to work and live and not

be subjected to dog barking.

I do not live next to these properties. But I do work graveyard shift

and I know that barking dogs can cause a lot of stress when you’re trying

to sleep. Dogs are not people. People work and pay the bills. Not the

dogs.

JAMES STANGELAND

Huntington Beach

The City Council is out of touch with residents

The minutes of the Huntington Beach City Council meetings should begin

with “Once upon a time.” How else to explain the out of touch, lack of

practical thinking approach to issues being considered by that august

body.

Prevailing wage for instance. The phrase suggests something fair and

equitable, but the basis for fixing the dollar amount is somewhere out

there hidden by all the smoke and mirrors.

Instead, we ask some of those who are paid prevailing wages and lo and

behold, they think it “just right.” And consider the wisdom of Connie

Boardman who was quoted as saying “There is a reason some would be

willing to work for less than prevailing wage. You get what you pay for.”

Well, I think she would be surprised to find out how many well-qualified

folks with excellent work ethics are available and eager to work for less

than the inflated number that is labeled as prevailing wage.

And just how naive does the council think its constituents are? The

driver of a street sweeper gets $39.06 an hour, over $80,000 per year.

Compare that to one real, current job in this county where a draftsman

and industrial designer with advanced computer skills is paid $28 and

hour, and then ask if the data on which the council is relying is

reliable, or even exists.

Another for instance -- the council votes to reconsider a decision to

let residents off the hook for $2.5 million in street improvements.

Councilwoman Shirley Dettloff said, “Obviously, I’m going to support

this, the property owners out there are getting a real free ride.”

Wow, a free ride, like maybe the recent tab for each homeowner to pay

for sewer improvements, which is just the most recent of a long list of

free rides.

Perhaps Dettloff had a momentary lapse. If she really believes we

residents are getting a real free ride, then it’s time for her to just

fade away. And the minutes can end with, “and they all lived happily ever

after.”

BARKLEY B. YARBOROUGH

Huntington Beach

A more in depth look at prevailing wage is needed

I am outraged to read that the prevailing wage is $30 - $40 an hour.

Teachers don’t make that much. I have a son who is an adjuster for an

insurance company in Southern California -- he’s a regional manger -- he

doesn’t make that type of money. This is absolutely outrageous. Yes, a

more in depth report should be done about this prevailing wage.

NAN DESK

Huntington Beach

I definitely think you should do an in depth study of the prevailing

wage and the number of employees per capita.

KENNETH HAMMOND

Huntington Beach

You think people have prepared themselves, they’ve gone to school,

they live in Huntington Beach, they own homes here and they put the money

back into taxes. In a country as great as the U.S., I think every person

should be able to make a prevailing, living wage so they can educate

their families, buy a home and live. If everyone made a prevailing we

would have a country that is great and would continue to be great. When

we have people that are forced into homelessness and downsized from good

jobs, than our country will destruct from within. That’s what will happen

if we try to get something out of nothing.

ANNA PINTER

Huntington Beach

We need prevailing wage

I think that someone better talk to former Mayor Dave Sullivan as to

his view of opting out of paying the prevailing wage.

He better check into grants that the city received -- numerous grants.

If we opt out of prevailing wages than we can no longer qualify for those

grants and those grants that have been issued can be reviewed. Someone

might do a little research on that.

MARY WALDEN

Huntington Beach

Holly SeaCliff property owners need to pay

In response to the city letting the Holly Seacliff property owners off

the hook for $2.5 million dollars -- since when is the city in such a

condition that they can give away money that the rest of the taxpayers

have to make up in some way? It seems to me that as strapped as we are

that we should endeavor to get every dime we can if it is owned to us.

PETER CLARK

Huntington Beach

If you want my two cents -- use common sense

I’m in between jobs so thought I’d send a little note. I really enjoy

the Huntington Beach Independent and California sections of the Los

Angeles Times and wanted to send my two cents.

The Orange County Sanitation waiver: I was very happy to see Danette

Goulet’s commentary regarding the waiver. I was beginning to think that

plain old common sense was gone.

I don’t understand who decides whether the waiver should be continued

or not? In answer to the prior week’s question, I don’t want the waiver

extended. Not because of the recent results from an UCI study, but

because common sense tells me that unless we remove the waiver, there is

no incentive for the sanitation department to make the necessary

modifications to treat the sewage properly.

Instead, it seems that more and more money is being spent trying to

prove that the sewage being dumped into the ocean is or is not causing

all our beach closures. What if they took all the money they’ve spent on

“research” and trying to keep the waiver on, actually fixing the plant

and doing things right?

ISABELLA FORD

Huntington Beach