Wasted time and energy
An article was recently published in the Sun Newspaper relating to removing volleyball nets and picnic benches in Seal Beach on the beach along Seal Way (“Beach benches may face removal,” Thursday, May 23, Sun Newspapers).
What a superfluous waste of time and energy caused by whomever had this idiot idea.
Whoever came up with this ridiculous proposal either does not play volleyball or try to spend quality family and friend times sitting on the benches, enjoying the beauty of our city, out on the sand and oceanfront.
Wouldn’t these wondrous people who have all this time on their hands be better served to spend all this energy on bettering our city by supporting ways to bring in alternative energy?
Ideas like wind turbines or solar arrays to work towards our city building its own municipality and have the millions of revenue going out to the utility bureaucracy, coming back to our fine city.
This would preserve the future of our city, allow us to hire more policeman to protect us—not to pay for pensions—but employ people to invest in their own future.
It is really amazing what can happen when people put together constructive thoughts and energy to preserve and grow our fine city. These people should give it a try.
I personally would like to see our city bring back the sandcastle-building contest and entertain a volleyball tournament to help support our fine businesses.
Here are some ideas that these people could possibly spend their abundance of time and energy on: come up with a plan to clean our beaches to remove all the fish hooks and trash, drag the bottom of the ocean with fish nets to reduce the amount of stingray accidents and perhaps seek ways to fine adjacent cities for allowing dumping of debris and trash into the storm drains that run down the river to our beach.
Novel ideas; much better served than trying to take away peoples’ enjoyment.
Signed: Concerned citizen against people imposing on those who enjoy life.
Tom Hetherington
Seal Beach
Kudos to Seal Beach cops, city manager and council
The Seal Beach Police Department deserves praise and appreciation.
This past week on Ocean Avenue, they have solved two crimes.
One was a car burglary, with the culprits hiding behind a home. They were caught.
Next, gang types who put graffiti on an Ocean Avenue home were also quickly apprehended.
Job well done! Thank you.
P.S.—Kudos to our city manager and council who are not letting Ruby’s get away with breaching their agreement to spend $400,000 to improve the Ruby’s building.
Ruby’s agreed to do this when the city renewed the lease with them years ago.
Instead, they sorely neglected this facility that we built with our tax dollars.
Throughout their lease when the city asked them to make the agreed upon improvements, they coyly responded that they were not technically obligated to do so until the end of their lease.
Well, the end has come and it’s time for Ruby’s to pay us what they owe.
Wendi Rothman
Seal Beach
Correction
A letter appeared in last week’s Sun Newspaper titled “Taxpayer’s trough” that was attributed to Patty Campbell.
However, she did not write the letter and in fact she was merely a copied recipient of the letter and said she does not support the statements made in it.
The Sun Newspaper
Paying to fix pier building
Why should the city spend up to a $100,000 to repair the building at the end of the pier? Are we sure we will find a tenant for the building?
Wouldn’t it be better to require any new tenant to make the repairs required before beginning operation?
We could allow the new tenant to amortize the repair costs the city mandated over the lease term as a rental offset.
This would seem to be a more prudent approach since the city was not overwhelmed with responses to its recent RFP for possible leaseholders for the now vacant building.
Jack Dampman
Seal Beach
Biking and common sense
As a cyclist and a driver … reckless behavior by anyone in control of a vehicle is dangerous.
I can’t count the number of times irresponsible riders blow through stop signs or ride on sidewalks in town as do drivers of cars.
But, compared to the number of law-abiding cyclists they are a small, yet focused on group. Common sense is something that is missing … come on people … the red octagon sign means stop … no matter how you’re moving.
Thank you to all the cyclists I see who lead by example. Let’s see more of that and hear more about them.
Kevin Gaffney
Seal Beach
Cyclists: Obey the laws
Riders of bicycles should obey the traffic laws as presented by the CA Motor Vehicle Code.
They should use arm signals, stop at traffic signs, have appropriate lighting at night and if under 18 are required to wear a helmet.
I know that I stop and even when I am pulling my bike up to the sidewalk into a bike rack, I dismount to place it on the sidewalk. I am on the correct side of the road and do yield to pedestrians. Many cyclists do behave badly, and I could say the same of many drivers.
I agree with Kevin (Gaffney) that we should thank those cyclists who do behave and correct those who do not. I would say that it is reasonable to briefly be on a sidewalk while mounted on your bike when you are immediately placing your bike in a bike stand.
We have begun to encourage more and more cyclists to our town because of the beautiful improved San Gabriel River trail terminus and also our businesses which have become particularly “cycling friendly.”
I am sure there are more.
Most regular cyclists do understand the road, and while I for one will not be riding in a peloton down Pacific Coast Highway, others do, and they deserve to share the road too. Oh, and from working at Main Street Cyclery, I can assure you, we hear more about cyclists being hit by cars rather than the other way around.
There have been few if any cycling / pedestrian events.
Once, just a couple of years ago, I was stopped behind an F150 truck on the 200 block of Main Street, on my bike, at a complete stop and at an appropriate following distance (spacing) for the truck—about 20 feet, when due to the truck seeing a parking space opening up began backing up, ignoring or not even hearing my multiple shouts and warnings, “Stop! Don’t back up anymore! You are going to run me down.” He actually backed over my front wheel (which was completely crushed) and only my forceful blow, which partially dented the rear gate of the track, was enough to get his attention to stop running me down. I was literally going to be pinned between two cars (as I had one behind me as well) so I couldn’t back up. The driver was neither sorry, nor helpful, but merely indignant that I was in his way while parking.
So yes, Seal Beach police, please monitor the cyclist, but those U-turns on the double yellow, the pedestrian crosswalks and the ridiculous lines that generate for someone waiting for a parking space, create their own set of hazards for cyclist down our idyllic Main Street.
Seth Eaker
Seal Beach
The opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of the Sun. The Sun welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters should be 300 words maximum. Letters should be e-mailed, signed by the author and include the author’s address and phone number (the latter two are for verification, not publication). The Sun reserves the right to accept, edit, or reject letters for any reason. Unless otherwise indicated, all letters sent to the Sun are understood to be intended for publication. E-mail letters to: dennis@sunnews.org.
