Letters to the Editor: I understand why Christine Blasey Ford and other women wait to come forward

When I was a student at Newport Harbor High School, a male teacher followed me into the sports equipment room, put his arms around me and started aggressively kissing me. I was exceedingly fortunate that his assault went no further than that and I was able to escape that room shaken but otherwise unharmed.

Like most sexual assault victims, I did not report this event nor even tell my friends about it. I was young enough to have felt that in some way, I must have encouraged his advances and it was not until I was more mature that I recognized that this was the action of a predator.

I can tell you what I was wearing, where I was standing in the room and what was said. These details are seared into my brain. Beyond the event itself, I have no other recollections of that day or even what year it was.

President Trump has questioned the veracity of Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh based on the absence of a police report. I cannot speak to the truth of her description of the attack, but I can absolutely correlate her experience with my own regarding our mutual lack of a timely police report and the dimming of additional memories with the passage of time.

My own memories of the actual event remain as clear as the day it occurred.

Susan Skinner

Newport Beach

City rubber stamps too much development

It seems that many projects and remodels in this town are built by exception — exception to the existing General Plan and zoning codes. Why is that? Why do we bother with plans, codes and a building department? All we really need is a big red rubber stamp that says: “Approved.”

I will be casting my votes on Nov. 6 for Joy Brenner, Tim Stoaks and Roy Englebrecht, who are more in tune with their constituents and the concerns they have expressed again and again about retaining the unique culture and character of Newport Beach. That means applying our existing rules and codes to development requests that threaten to forever change the face of our neighborhoods while creating traffic and congestion throughout all of Newport Beach.

John Reilly

Corona del Mar

GOP registration is no guarantee of reelection

I am surprised and concerned that we have not heard from Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) this election. I hear many calling him “Do Nothing Dana.” This could explain his silence and reluctance to debate his opponent or meet with his constituents. However, it is no way to represent us. Having an “R” after his name and relying on party registration disparity alone is no guarantee, especially this year, that voters will return him to office. If Rohrabacher wants to be reelected, he will have to earn it.

Tim Geddes

Huntington Beach

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