College students at democracy’s vanguard On election...

College students at democracy’s vanguard

On election day, I had the privilege of being a clerk at the Costa

Mesa City Hall from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. We had great voter turnout from

Vanguard University students, and I just want to say this may not be

a shocking development, but they were absolutely the greatest. They

were well-behaved; they were respectful. They laughed; they enjoyed

their time during the two-hour wait in line. They had their IDs ready

immediately as they entered the door. They came in droves and were

absolutely incredible.

I just want to thank Vanguard University for “teaching them

right.”

SALLY BROWN

Costa Mesa

Don’t read too much

into Measure L defeat

I am delighted with the results of the defeat of Measure L, as are

about 70% of the voters. However, some erroneous conclusions can be

drawn from this landslide. Greenlight and other groups can and are

claiming victory in the Measure L defeat, but I am concerned they

will draw the wrong conclusions.

The people who voted L down are not all of anti-growth,

anti-hotel, anti-development persuasions. A high percentage of

pro-growth, pro-development individuals were against L for many

reasons. The underlying message was that the applicant and the city

have really not organized or considered using a comprehensive list of

alternative uses for the property. Perhaps the correct conclusion

would be to do nothing and let the truth emerge in future years. That

is a separate issue from the trailer park.

One solution might be to eliminate the trailer park, which will

realistically take years and just enlarge the beach temporarily while

a long-term, in-depth study is conducted. While the city will lose

more than $1 million a year in revenue, that shortfall may cost

individual homeowners a few dollars more in taxes, but we will not be

binding future generations in a rush to increase short-term income.

Let’s not repeat the mistake of years past.

DICK STEVENS

Newport Beach

Reader recommends changing lock to city

I’d just like to say that if “The OC” has the key to our city in

Newport Beach, please change the lock.

JOAN TORIBIO

Balboa Island

Another makes same suggestion for Newport

If, in fact, we have given the key to the city to “The OC” TV

show, maybe it’s time we changed the locks.

ROY FREEMAN

Newport Beach

Bell fills a need in

divided community

Joseph Bell’s “nostalgic wanderings” through his personal life are

certainly not boring, nor are they meaningless. Life experiences

shape our opinions and inform our characters. During the limits of a

short lifetime, we should hope to be taught not only by our own

lives, but by the experiences of other perhaps more diverse personal

histories.

Political conservatives have won the majority vote, but surely

that does not mean another opinion is beyond consideration. We few

(apparently very few!) Democrats in Orange County appreciate a voice

that we consider to be educated, reasoned and thoughtful. The Bell

Curve is, after all, only another point of view, which in today’s

divided electorate deserves a forum.

ANNE CUSIC

Corona del Mar

Parking the problem

at Presbyterian church

A key problem with the St. Andrew’s expansion plan that has not

been solved is the controversial joint use of the Newport Harbor High

School parking lot by high school students and church attendees. The

city of Newport Beach has stated that the church should formalize its

arrangement with Newport Harbor High School. This means in writing.

At present, the informal, joint-use agreement allows for 36

parking spaces in the St. Andrew’s parking lot to be available to the

high school students by permit. The church limits use of its parking

lot to permit holders when this parking is needed for midweek church

activities. The public should know how many days this school year

that the church’s lot has been closed to permit holders.

DICK AND ELAINE ENGLAND

Newport Beach

How about a conditional solution to St. Andrew’s?

Perhaps I’m missing the point or don’t understand the problem, but

it seems the Newport-Mesa Unified School District could agree to the

parking arrangement with St. Andrew’s Church with the 30-year lease,

subject to city approval of the project. That way the church has an

irrevocable agreement with the school only if the project goes

forward. If the project dies, the contract would be null and void,

and parking problems will continue to exist until the church comes up

with another idea to help alleviate them.

Conditional contracts are written every day under similar

circumstances and serve the writers well to break deadlocks. Why not

here?

NIGEL BAILEY

Corona del Mar

Knock down buildings

to solve parking troubles

By all accounts, St. Andrew’s provides wonderful services to the

community. Unfortunately, the present development of its property is

too much for the neighborhood infrastructure.

I suggest the church reduce the size of the present buildings by

36,000 square feet and use the area thus created for parking. If it

must expand, it should relocate to a property on a street similar to

Newport Boulevard.

DON WATSON

Newport Beach