Mailbag:

The Jan. 21 Independent has a long list of kudos saluting several organizations for their efforts to get the footbridge built across the water to the Bolsa Chica Mesa (“A long walk to this wetlands bridge,” In the Pipeline, Jan. 21).

One little problem, Chris Epting — you forgot the Bolsa Chica Land Trust! The land trust was the primary supporter . . . and you didn’t mention them.

When the Bolsa Chica Conservancy started, they got much of their support from the Koll Co. and others who wanted to build the homes on the mesa. The Amigos de Bolsa Chica, a wonderful group of people, were hog-tied to silence because they’d received a settlement from Signal Landmark, and part of the settlement was their silence.

Flossie Horgan created the land trust, and the gentleman and his wife (who wish to remain anonymous) who hosted the first neighborhood meeting on the mesa, were the largest single donors to the cost of the bridge.

Lots of people and organizations fought for the mesa, but no group fought harder than the land trust. In fact, they are still trying to limit additional building that the “land grabbers,” after nearly 30 years, are still trying to muscle through.

Editor’s note: Halpin is a member of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.

Senior center not just a luxury

A letter (“Keep the senior center out of park,” Jan. 21) complained about the attorney fees to appeal Judge David C. Velasquez’s flawed decision to stop the senior center. The citizens voted for the senior center in a fair and democratic election in November 2008. There would be no need for this expense if the anti-senior center folks had not filed a lawsuit in an attempt to overturn the people’s vote. Luckily for them, they got an environmental extremist judge who ignored the obvious law in his flawed decision. I’m appalled at the arrogance of Velasquez, who has the gall to overturn a vote of the people while ignoring the law and imposing his personal bias. What a disgrace to the judicial system! I’ll be voting against Velasquez in November.

Tom Chambers (“Senior center not top priority for the city,” Mailbag, Jan. 21) shows a disturbing lack of knowledge of senior issues. He ignores the plight of many seniors who survive on Social Security payments.

Those older than 80 are the ones who voted and paid for Huntington Central Park and who also saved this nation, the Western world and the Jewish people by their efforts in World War II. These people deserve our profound respect and eternal gratitude.

Chambers’ contentions that the current 1940s senior center is adequate and that the voter-approved senior center in Central Park is a Taj Mahal are totally false.

I hope that by the time he becomes a senior, if he is not already, his view has not prevailed because he may need the services and companionship that a senior center provides.

The Rev helped fan through tough times

I just finished reading your column about Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan’s funeral (“How do you write about such a man?”, In the Pipeline, Jan. 14). I have to say, you have done him and his family such a great honor. Avenged Sevenfold is a band that has gotten me through some really, really difficult times. They have kept me going. When I heard of Sullivan’s passing, I was shocked. In 2009, we lost many great talents — Patrick Swayze, Brittany Murphy and, of course, Michael Jackson, among others. But Sullivan’s death is the one that hit me, and hard. I heard about it late the night it happened. I was shocked. I lit a candle in his honor and just sat there, eventually falling asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to multiple friends texting me to see if I was OK. They all know my love and passion for A7X. Then my mom called, and I lost it. I started crying. I have never cried over a celebrity’s death before. But to me, Sullivan wasn’t a celebrity. He was an icon, a legend, and he felt like a friend. A part of me died with him that day, as I know it did with millions of others, including those who are close to him. My heart goes out to the A7X guys, Sullivan’s family and, of course, all the fans. I still feel so lost and confused by his death. My fear about what will come of the band is painful.

I don’t know what I would do without them, just like I’m sure they don’t know what to do without the Rev. I wish I had a way to express my pain and sorrow to them. I wish there was a way for me to explain to them how amazing they are and the impact they have on my life and the lives of millions. I am so thankful to have their music in my life, and I pray that it won’t end.

I truly believe that your column was a beautiful way to remember The Rev. As I sit here and type this, tears are in my eyes. It still hurts. I’ve lost far too many in my life; I know the pain that his friends and family are feeling. It kills me to know that people who have unknowingly been there for me, are in pain and I can’t be there for them. I just pray to God that Avenged Sevenfold, in all their glory, will continue on in the memory and honor of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan. Their fans need them! Sullivan will be missed more than words can possibly express. But he will never be forgotten. Jimmy Sullivan is gone, but The Rev lives on through us all!