Mailbag: Is H.B. turning a blind eye to homeless students?

As the new school year begins in Huntington Beach, we should all be concerned about how to provide the best education for our students but especially for our unhoused students. According to the data provided by the Orange County Department of Education, in 2021-22, there were over 1,300 identified homeless students in H.B. school districts. There are many more students who do not reveal their housing status.

This is a growing problem our city government can no longer ignore. The City Council majority touts its commitment to promoting “local control.” But if “local control” means less interference from county, state or federal authorities, the council must take charge of tackling our housing issues. Kids should not have to choose between the classrooms and the streets for their learning.

The council majority purports to be supportive of family life and values and campaigned on addressing our homeless issues, but when it comes to actually helping families in need, they are nowhere to be found. Our housing insecure students with no roofs over their heads are left staring at the sky as the Pacific Airshow jets zoom overhead, taking our city’s funds away from essential housing.

Diane Bentley
Huntington Beach

An open letter to the Newport Beach City Council

Whether the delay at the Coastal Commission to adopt a de minimis amendment to our Local Coastal Programs is an administrative matter or a reaction to a letter from legal counsel or other concerns, the result is the same: more time for fractional home ownerships in our city and an evasion of the ordinance you have crafted to prevent this.

For this reason, we ask that you revisit the subject of a moratorium which, as we understand it and as other cities have done, could be enacted under existing city statutes and applicable California law. It was clear from the public meeting on the subject that the community strongly supports such an action.

As our General Plan states, Newport Beach is primarily a residential city. A person living here for a portion of the year while spending most of the year elsewhere is not a resident but a visitor, and while Newport has always welcomed visitors, it should not be at the expense of our full-time residents.

Good Neighbor Newport strongly urges the Newport Beach City Council to approve a moratorium at the next council meeting during the Coastal Commission delay so as not to further compromise our residents’ cherished quality of life.

Thank you for acting on our request.

Laird Hayes
Good Neighbor Newport
Newport Beach

Remembering Norma Hertzog

What is the “inside story” of Norma Hertzog Wagner (Obituary: Norma Hertzog, Costa Mesa’s first woman mayor, dies at 94, Daily Pilot, Aug. 24) that adds to her already inspirational legacy?

What led her to shatter glass ceilings as the first female councilwoman and mayor of Costa Mesa? What gave her, a high school dropout, the business acumen to operate two preschools? Was it nature or nurture? As one of her children, I’d say both.

Her dad was very smart, a talented musician and clever with his hands. Her mom’s strength was her Christian faith and perseverance. She stopped a ring of counterfeiters, sought a private audience with the president of Mexico and raised three children as a divorcee.

Mom’s family moved from Canada to Mexico during her third- and fourth-grade years. She said, “I didn’t learn much because my parents couldn’t afford to send us to private schools.” Upon returning to Canada, her fifth grade teacher said to her, “You’re sweet but stupid.” She disagreed with being stupid. Mom completed eighth grade.

A pair of images shows the humorous and professional sides of Norma Hertzog, the first female council member in Costa Mesa (elected in 1974) who later became mayor. Hertzog died Aug. 21, 2023, at the age of 94.

She was elected president of the local Red Cross club at age 11. She said, “I knew that I couldn’t be a secretary or treasurer because of my lack of skills. I did know that I could organize people!”

Seeking a vocation, mom met with a university professor who suggested she “sweep the floors at Woolworth’s after hours.” Her response? “That’s just one person’s opinion and they’re wrong!” She chose to work with preschoolers because “they don’t care if I have a degree, but how I feel about them.”

She was hired at a nursery school where her employer paid for one semester of university education. Eventually she left Canada for California and worked with children of movie stars. She continued learning at California universities.

Mom was a risk-taker. She opened a preschool in 1962, overcoming several hurdles. She never advertised, yet both schools had a waiting list.

Mom believed the Lord never asked her to do anything without providing the needed resources. Two professional campaign managers learned that she was a “first-timer” running for City Council. They offered to help. She won, and glass ceilings kept breaking.

My mom was guided by her faith in God, a strong and creative mind, sense of responsibility and wacky humor that carried her through breast cancer and other challenges. I pray that her life continues to inspire others to achieve their God-given dreams!

Rev. Elaine Hertzog Burkert
Dumont, N.J.